AllSides Technologies Inc. is an American company that estimates the perceived political bias of content on online written news outlets. AllSides presents different versions of similar news stories from sources it rates as being on the political right, left, and center, with a mission to show readers news outside their filter bubble and expose media bias. AllSides is the brainchild of John Gable who has been the company's CEO and primary owner since its first iteration.
AllSides staff self-report their political leanings.[8] In 2012, Gable stated that AllSides aims to highlight media bias in the United States and "show all the news from the left, center and right".[2] As of 2021, AllSides is funded through paid memberships, one-time donations, media literacy training and online advertisements.[8]
AllSides focuses only on online written content (not TV, radio or podcasts).[8] It rates sources on a left–right scale that is then grouped into five categories (left, leans left, center, leans right, and right) instead of a gradient which the company acknowledged sacrifices precision in favor of simplicity.[8] AllSides posts these ratings alongside the articles it posts on its site.
AllSides partnered with Living Room Conversations, a nonprofit founded by progressive entrepreneur and activist Joan Blades, on educational content through a related organization called AllSides for Schools. Gable, Blades, and their associated organizations have produced lesson plans for schools on how to navigate political conversations and helped create Mismatch, a platform to connect students who differ politically and geographically.[9][3][10]
Jake Sheridan from the Poynter Institute noted the controversy surrounding bias rating charts in general and recommended that readers consider the reliability of sources in addition to possible bias.[8] He also quoted Kelly McBride as acknowledging bias as an important factor, but not the most important, especially if the charts give a false sense of reliability.[8] Sheridan quoted Tim Groeling as cautioning that while bias is important, charts are not something most consumers would navigate.[8] Both Groeling and McBride praised the methodology of AllSides and Ad Fontes.[8] In 2019, The Guardian columnist John Harris lamented that his experience using AllSides did not help him, as he hoped, to take the mutual loathing out of his news diet.[7]
Dashka Slater includes AllSides in a list of organizations with a nonpartisan mission to encourage Americans to interact respectfully.[11]
AllSides Media Bias Chart
[1]
