About
Media Bias/Fact Check (MBFC) is a widely trusted independent resource dedicated to helping people navigate the modern media landscape by providing detailed bias ratings and credibility assessments for over 10,000 news sources, journalists, politicians, and countries. Founded to combat misinformation, MBFC categorizes sources across a political spectrum ranging from Least Biased to Left/Right Bias, and flags Questionable Sources including Conspiracy and Pseudoscience outlets. The platform offers powerful search tools, including a filtered search and a dedicated Fact Check Search, enabling users to quickly look up any media outlet by name or URL. Educator resources, country profiles, world leader assessments, and journalist bias ratings make it a versatile research tool for a wide range of audiences. MBFC publishes daily vetted fact checks curated from signatories of the International Fact-Checking Network, ensuring users receive reliable, evidence-based clarifications on viral claims in politics, media, and culture. Additional features include political orientation maps, country freedom rankings, a Trump Performance Tracker, and a 2024 Electoral College Map. Designed for students, researchers, educators, journalists, and everyday news consumers, MBFC empowers users to think critically about the information they consume. A membership option provides an ad-free experience, and an API is available for developers and organizations seeking programmatic access to bias data.
Key Features
- Comprehensive Bias Ratings: Rates 10,000+ news sources, journalists, politicians, and countries across a full political spectrum from Least Biased to Far Left/Right, including Questionable and Conspiracy/Pseudoscience flags.
- Daily Vetted Fact Checks: Publishes daily fact checks curated from internationally accredited fact-checking organizations that are signatories of the International Fact-Checking Network.
- Filtered & Fact Check Search: Powerful search tools allow users to look up any media outlet by name or URL and filter results by bias category, credibility, or topic.
- Journalist & Politician Bias Ratings: Provides individual bias assessments for US Senators, Governors, and prominent journalists to help users evaluate the credibility of individual voices in the media.
- API Access: Offers a developer API for programmatic access to the MBFC database, enabling integration into third-party applications, browser extensions, and research tools.
Use Cases
- Verifying the political bias of a news outlet before sharing or citing an article
- Educators teaching students media literacy and critical thinking about news consumption
- Researchers and journalists cross-referencing source credibility for investigations or reports
- Developers integrating media bias data into browser extensions, apps, or content moderation tools via the API
- Everyday readers fact-checking viral claims in politics, culture, and science using the daily vetted fact check feed
Pros
- Largest Bias Database Available: With 10,000+ rated sources and growing daily, MBFC offers unparalleled coverage for anyone wanting to assess the credibility and bias of news media.
- Trusted by Educators and Researchers: Provides dedicated educator resources and structured country/politician profiles, making it a valuable tool for academic and professional research.
- Daily Updated Fact Checks: Regularly curated, evidence-based fact checks help users stay current on viral misinformation without relying on a single source.
Cons
- Ad-Supported Free Tier: The free version of the site is ad-supported, which can affect the browsing experience; an ad-free version requires a paid membership.
- Subjective Bias Categorization: Despite its methodology, some users and outlets dispute their assigned bias ratings, as political bias assessment inherently involves a degree of subjectivity.
- Limited AI-Powered Features: The platform relies primarily on human editorial review rather than AI automation, which may limit speed and scalability of new source evaluations.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Media Bias/Fact Check rate news sources?
MBFC uses a detailed methodology involving analysis of story choices, political affiliation, factual reporting history, sourcing quality, and loaded language to assign bias and credibility ratings to each source.
Is Media Bias/Fact Check free to use?
Yes, the core database and search features are free. An ad-free membership is available for users who want a cleaner experience, and an API is available for developers.
How many sources are in the MBFC database?
As of 2026, MBFC has over 10,000 media sources, journalists, politicians, and countries listed in its database, with new entries added regularly.
Where do MBFC's daily fact checks come from?
MBFC curates daily fact checks exclusively from organizations that are signatories of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), ensuring a high standard of credibility and methodology.
Can I look up individual journalists or politicians?
Yes, MBFC provides bias ratings for individual US Senators, Governors, and prominent journalists, in addition to its extensive news source database.
