While America seems like a left-wing-dominated country from the outside, the political arena is deeply divided into two major blocs. Countering the smaller number of conservative right-wing media sources, the left-wing news outlets make up the majority of American news outlets.
List of Left-Leaning Media Outlets
From moderate-left to extreme liberalism, left-wing media sources have numerous common biases regarding social justice, immigration, and criminal justice. However, the common point of left-wing American media sources is their support for the Democratic Party and its agenda. Here is a list of 15 left-leaning news outlets in the United States.
CNN
CNN: the undoubted captain of the American liberal media. Suppose Fox News is viewed as the most significant conservative news source in the United States- in that case, CNN is its liberal equivalent. As a means to counter the ever-expanding rise of populism and conservatism, CNN moved from a left-of-center position towards a more radical form of liberalism following the election of Donald Trump. Moreover, research indicates that 79% of CNN viewers identify as Democrats, while 17% of the remaining identify as Republicans. However, its support for liberal ideas does not necessarily render it a credible news source since it has been involved in many controversies.
CNN on Biasly: https://www.biasly.com/sources/cnn-bias-rating/
The New York Times
The New York Times is one of the most preferred news outlets of people with liberal and left-of-center political inclinations. Although its motto states “All the News That’s Fit to Print,” The New York Times has an irrefutable liberal bias, putting it on a range between the moderate left and very liberal. Donald Trump blamed the newspaper for its anti-Trump discourse, pointing out the number of pieces of news that carried sentiments against his presidency. Despite all, The New York Times is still the 3rd most circulated newspaper in the United States. It continues to be a substantial part of the left-wing media.
The New York Times on Biasly: https://www.biasly.com/sources/the-new-york-times-bias-rating/
MSNBC.com
A loyal voice of the Democratic Party, MSNBC, is one of the most significant left-leaning media sources in the United States. The Biasly A.I. media bias rating of MSNBC is 40% liberal, putting it in the area of very liberal of the political spectrum. Its owner Brian L. Roberts is a member of the Democratic Party and has openly supported Hillary Clinton. The content of MSNBC reports is generally centered around satires of the Republican Party and its officials. However, MSNBC was heavily criticized for its unconditional support for Obama during his two terms and has become more radical in its ideology during the last decade.
MSNBC.com on Biasly: https://www.biasly.com/sources/msnbc-com-bias-rating/
Washington Post
The Washington Post is a left-leaning daily newspaper that has actively supported Democratic candidates in nearly ten elections. Moreover, The Washington Post is one of the most prominent liberal media sources in the United States. In 2013, Its owners sold the Washington Post to the multi-billionaire entrepreneur Jeff Bezos, who has been an active funder for affiliations of the Democratic Party, for $250 million. Since then, it endorsed Democratic candidates, Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, in 2016 and 2020, respectively.
Washington Post on Biasly: https://www.biasly.com/sources/washington-post-bias-rating/
Salon
Salon is one of the more radical left-wing media sources out of the ones listed in this article. It is a progressive online media company that offers limited free content and has premium subscription models for regular readers. Salon might appear as an ordinary left-wing news source from an international perspective. However, many American readers are tempted to define it as a far-left one.
Salon on Biasly: https://www.biasly.com/sources/salon-bias-rating/
CBS News
CBS News is one of the main pillars of the American liberal media. Although CBS News harbors liberal editors with moderate writers, conservative critics have long accused CBS News of having a liberal bias. For example, during the 2008 elections, a collection of CBS employees donated more than $1 million to the Democratic Party, while its donation to the Republican Party fell short of $150,000. CBS News ranks liberal on the Biasly A.I. media bias rating. However, numerous news CBS programs have been criticized due to the lack of credibility, like 60 Minutes and Face the Nation.
CBS News on Biasly: https://www.biasly.com/sources/cbs-news-bias-rating/
The Atlantic
The Atlantic is a left-leaning news source. They have heavily discredited Donald Trump before and after his presidency. Its content is centered on contemporary issues and foreign affairs, and it is often identified with the Democratic Party. The titles of some of its articles are as follows:
“A Political Obituary for Donald Trump”
“Trump Is Obsessed With Being a Loser”
“The Incredible Vanishing Donald Trump Presidency”
The Atlantic on Biasly: https://www.biasly.com/sources/the-atlantic-bias-rating/
CNBC
The NBCUniversal Group owns both CNBC and MSNBC, so it would not be absurd to assume that CNBC’s political affiliation parallels that of MSNBC. It is a liberal news source, ranked liberal by the Biasly A.I. media bias rating. It has heavily liberal views on criminal justice and the European Union; however, its bias is more on the center than clear left-wing ones like The Atlantic or CNN.
CNBC on Biasly: https://www.allsides.com/news-source/cnbc
USA Today
USA Today is a daily newspaper printed in the United States and internationally. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the United States. It has a political stance ranging from center to left-of-center. If the most widely circulated newspaper in the United States is a left-leaning one, how come the United States makes a name for itself as “the Mecca of capitalism”? This phenomenon persists because USA Today chooses stories with a relatively populist perspective and subsequently brings in left-wing commentary on the issues selected. According to its website, it aims to “correct and stop the spread of significant misinformation.”
USA Today on Biasly: https://www.biasly.com/sources/usa-today-bias-rating/
BuzzFeed News
BuzzFeed is a prime example of how digitization slowly takes over every aspect of life. Despite being founded only ten years ago, it is one of the leading left-wing media sources in the United States. It scales liberal on the Biasly A.I. media bias rating. It is deemed a generally credible news source. However, it is also accused of not using any credible sources, as in the case of the Steele dossier. Conservative readers should also consider that BuzzFeed News doesn’t claim to be impartial in any political event.
BuzzFeed News on Biasly: https://www.biasly.com/sources/buzzfeed-news-bias-rating/
ESPN.com
Although it is a sports news website, ESPN.com has been accused of having a liberal political bias by prominent figures such as Donald Trump. Unfortunately, it is not possible without an extensive comparative case study to measure how politically biased ESPN.com is due to its sport-related content. Nevertheless, ESPN.com ranks liberal on the Biasly A.I. media bias rating. Only 1 of its articles is tagged as having a moderate-left leaning.
ESPN.com on Biasly: https://www.biasly.com/sources/espn-com-bias-rating/
The Guardian
The Guardian claims to be free of any political affiliation. However, most evaluators see it as a left-of-center news source. Such assessment may be due to The Guardian being an originally European-based newspaper. The fact that European politics lean more towards social democracy may explain why the alleged political neutrality of The Guardian appears to be considered left-wing by American citizens. The Guardian ranks liberal on the Biasly A.I. media bias rating.
The Guardian on Biasly: https://www.biasly.com/sources/the-guardian-bias-rating/
Occupy Democrats
Comparative research is a prominent method used in political science that analysts should employ for any serious academic paper. However, it is not needed here. Occupy Democrats is an organization that originated from a Facebook group, and it is heftily criticized for its extreme views and its lack of credibility. In parallel with this view, it ranks liberal on the Biasly A.I. media bias rating, putting it on a range between very liberal and extremely liberal.
Occupy Democrats on Biasly: https://www.biasly.com/sources/occupy-democrats-bias-rating/
Yahoo News
Yahoo News is a news website that displays a collection of articles from different news sources. Therefore, it is highly prone to be criticized for its selection of articles since supporters of a party can easily claim that Yahoo News only displays political views opposed to theirs. Despite such criticism, it is the sixth most viewed news website globally. Nevertheless, it is considered a website with a liberal bias since it offers personalized content to every user according to their preferences.
Yahoo News on Biasly: https://www.biasly.com/sources/yahoo-news-bias-rating/