There are no two ways to say this: articles from outlets with a Right-leaning political orientation tend to have less credible coverage of the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates. But before you conclude that this proves a liberal bias in The Factual’s credibility algorithm, it is worth looking at our data in greater detail. The story, much like the U.S. political landscape, is far more complex than these first impressions. 

Finding credible perspectives across the political spectrum isn’t some idealistic goal. Take this week’s tension over the sentencing of Roger Stone. Articles from the Left argued that Secretary Barr was seeking to appease Trump, while some articles on the Right highlighted that the suggested 7 to 9 year sentencing for a 67-year-old man was high for a non-violent crime. Adopting one side’s viewpoint while missing valid points made by the other side leaves one with a skewed interpretation. You need both sides to get the full picture and see why the country is so divided when it comes to news.

This is true of the broader media environment, too. 

The Iowa Caucus was a huge mess for a number of reasons, one of which may be that the credibility of news coverage of the Democratic candidates had a significant drop in the days before and during the caucus. While it’s unclear what impact this may have had on results in Iowa, it suggests that as news consumers we should be more circumspect this week in New Hampshire, and indeed throughout the election season.