by Joey Derrico

This past election season was one that spotlighted the bias lurking in news media. Some of the bias is unintentional while the rest is rooted in the organization’s values and ideals. Sometimes bias is a necessity for news organizations to appeal to loyal viewers who share similar views. However, bias should be avoided when applicable. The fair reporting of news is required in a country that prides itself on democracy, and the notion of “alternative facts” when referencing journalistic institutions is frankly absurd. Use this article as a guide to distinguish and designate various newsgroups into one of five different categories according to bias. The five categories are strong Republican, lean Republican, neutral, lean Democrat, and strong Democrat.

Strong Right-

Breitbart and The Blaze are two newsgroups that show strong skew to the right in terms of news coverage. Referencing these news sources may bring into question the validity of the topic covered.

Lean Right-

The Hill and Fox News are another pair of newsgroups who lean Republican, but not anywhere close to the level of bias as the previously listed newsgroups. These sources are safe to cite and reference but one should remain aware an underlying amount of bias may still exist.

Neutral-

Neutral news outlets are sources that can be trusted wholeheartedly in regards to the fairness of reporting and the validity of information. These groups should be first referenced when looking to obtain the most reliable news in terms of truthfulness. Examples of neutral newsgroups include NPR, PBS, and BBC News.

Lean Left-

A leaning Democrat news outlet is a reliable news source that tends to favor Democratic ideals and express open-mindedness towards Democratic principles rather than Republican. These newsgroups can be trusted but should only be referenced after frequenting a “neutral” news outlet. Newsgroups that tend to lean Democrat are The Huffington Post and MSNBC.

Strong Left-

U.S. Uncut and Occupy Democrats are two media groups that should not be trusted as reliable news sources. These groups often only cover news in a partisan matter, even if facts point differently. Therefore, these particular news outlets should be avoided when searching for valid, reliable news coverage.