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-60% Medium Left

Bias Meter

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Bias Meter

How the Rating is Determined
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Raw Story has a Bias Score of -60% Medium Left which is based on a variety of factors including its policy and politician leanings, article ratings, and the use of biased language. Its Reliability is rated as Average, and additional analytical insights are available in the other tabs.
  • Bias Rating

    -60% Medium Left

  • Reliability
    61% Reliable Average
  • Policy Leanings

    -12% Somewhat Left

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    Average Reliability

    *Our bias meter rating uses data science including sentiment analysis, machine learning and our proprietary algorithm for determining biases in news articles. Bias scores are on a scale of -100% to 100% with higher negative scores being more liberal and higher positive scores being more conservative and 0% being neutral. The rating is an independent analysis and is not affiliated nor sponsored by the news source or any other organization.

  • Politician Portrayal

    100% negative

Analysis of Raw Story Articles

Analysis of Bias in Raw Story Online Articles

According to Similar Web, as of October 2024, Raw Story had approximately 23.9 million total visits to their site. Raw Story tends to attract readers who identify as progressive or liberal. The platform primarily attracts readers who identify as progressive or liberal, with a notable focus on younger individuals, particularly those aged 18 to 34. Its audience tends to have higher levels of education, often seeking news that challenges mainstream narratives. Additionally, the readership is likely concentrated in urban areas, where progressive values are more prevalent.

How does Raw Story ensure its impartial content appeals to both liberal and conservative readers around the world, given its specific audience?

When determining bias, some of the most common metrics used include Tone, Tendency, Author, Diction, and Expediency Bias, which are the primary metrics we’ll focus on below.

  • Tone: This represents the attitude of the writing, formed distinctively but related to the author’s word choices or diction.
  • Diction: The specific words chosen by the writer.
  • Author: A metric related to the article’s author, taking into account their history of stance on issues based on past articles and social media posts.
  • Tendency: measures how consistently an author shows bias in their work, including factors like their tone and perspective.
  • Expediency Bias: relates to the immediate impression created by elements like the article’s headline, images, or summary, indicating if they favor a particular viewpoint.

Screenshot of a Raw Story article with the headline, "'Do not address a grown woman as 'Dear': CNN anchor dresses down Republican," showing two people talking on CNN Newsnight.

Source: Raw Story

An example of this is Do not address a grown woman as ‘Dear’: CNN anchor dresses down Republican. The expediency bias within the article’s headline creates an immediate impression of confrontation and conflict, suggesting that the anchor is taking a firm stance against the Republican figure. The phrase “dresses down” implies reprimand or correction, framing the interaction as one-sided and authoritative rather than a balanced exchange. Additionally, highlighting the word “Dear” signals perceived condescension, priming the reader to view the Republican speaker negatively before engaging with the full context.

Expand Analysis of Raw Story Articles

Raw Story Bias Overview

​​Raw Story is owned by Raw Story Media, Inc., which was established by John K. Byrne in 2004. As an independent news outlet, Raw Story is not owned by any large media conglomerate or corporation. Raw Story has received multiple journalism awards for its investigative reporting, including EPPY Awards, Folio Awards, National Federation of Press Women (NFPW) awards, and a Sidney Award for work by its journalists, recognizing coverage on extremism, Jan 6th, lawmaker misconduct, and mail carrier safety. Biasly’s AI and analyst reviews evaluate Raw Story’s content and sourcing to determine its political leaning.

A chart comparing top policy priorities of Republicans and Democrats in 2019, showing issues each group rates as more important, such as the economy for Republicans and climate change for Democrats.

Source: Pew Research

As one of the leading news media outlets with a focus on United States political parties and the growing political community worldwide, Raw Story plays a significant role in shaping public perception of international and domestic issues. With rapidly increasing polarization between Republicans and Democrats, Raw Story’s favoring of liberal policies attracts a specific left-leaning and often Democratic audience.

Expand Raw Story Bias Overview

Raw Story Reliability Overview

Is Raw Story Reliable?

For many years, Raw Story has dedicated itself to investigative journalism and breaking news from a progressive perspective. Their reporting has shed light on various political and social issues, often sparking important conversations and highlighting stories that might be forgotten.

Raw Story has played a significant role in fostering a more informed and engaged public by emphasizing transparency and accountability. However, Raw Story has been criticized for misinformation regarding its reporting accuracy, with articles often containing inaccuracies or being misleading.

At Biasly, we strive to evaluate the reliability and accuracy of all media outlets. The following section examines Raw Story’s reliability.

Expand Raw Story Reliability Overview

Raw Story Editorial Patterns

Raw Story’s coverage of political topics often reflects a Medium Left bias, with consistent patterns in phrasing, source selection, and thematic focus that is Moderately Liberal. While the publication demonstrates journalistic standards in some of its reporting, its choice of issues, framing, and word choice can indicate a left-leaning political slant. This content analysis examines how Raw Story handles liberal and conservative issues and evaluates its language choices and editorial tendencies.

Coverage of Liberal vs. Conservative Topics

Raw Story’s articles include a wide range of social causes. These include critical language regarding recent events involving the release of the Epstein files and mentions of Donald Trump. Additionally, support for Democratic politicians, racial justice, and climate policy tends to adopt sympathetic, supportive language, as these issues are generally aligned with liberal initiatives.

In contrast, articles covering conservative figures or Republican-led initiatives employ a slightly more critical tone, but remain somewhat objective. Biasly’s analysis of recent Raw Story articles reveals a tendency to highlight opposition surrounding Republican policies in US politics. It may also downplay positive aspects or a conservative rationale.

In coverage of tariffs instituted by the US, the problems these will create for other countries are highlighted more than the positive effects on the US economy, which the current US president, Donald Trump, cites as the reason for enacting them.

Expand Raw Story Editorial Patterns

Funding and Ownership

Last updated: January 5, 2026

Who Owns Raw Story?

​​Raw Story is owned by Raw Story Media, Inc., which was established by John K. Byrne in 2004. As an independent news outlet, Raw Story is not owned by any large media conglomerate or corporation. This independence allows it to maintain editorial freedom and focus on investigative journalism, especially regarding The Grape, an alternative student news and culture magazine. He was also Editor of The Oberlin Review, where he wrote an exposé about steroid abuse on the football team.

In its early years, Raw Story focused on reporting on anti-gay political figures who were themselves closeted gays. In 2010, Byrne stepped down as Raw Story’s editor but remains the company’s CEO. In 2018, Byrne and his business partner, Michael Rogers, acquired the progressive news website AlterNet from the nonprofit Independent Media Institute and The New Civil Rights Movement.

Who Funds Raw Story?

Raw Story is funded primarily through digital advertising, readership traffic, and partnerships. Media observers note that it has relied less on commercial advertising than many mainstream outlets, allowing its editorial decisions to prioritize community-focused reporting over revenue-driven content. Its long-standing readership also helps sustain operations without aggressive monetization.

Because Raw Story is closely tied to the local community it serves, its funding model can influence the topics it emphasizes or the perspectives it highlights, particularly on issues affecting its core U.S.-based progressive readership. While this structure reduces the pressures associated with large corporate ownership, readers should be aware that a newsroom supported mainly by its core audience may at times reflect that audience’s concerns or viewpoints more prominently than others’.

Additional Insights

News Source Comparison

When it comes to news source comparison, Raw Story is often evaluated alongside outlets that lean left. Sources like Independent Australia present similar tones and editorial philosophies. While Raw Story maintains a Medium Left media bias, it differs from strongly non-partisan sources ranked as center. This is because it only occasionally includes opposing viewpoints and often favors liberal topic selection.

This contrasts it with more biased media outlets that present balanced narratives with factual counterpoints, as Raw Story sways left. Readers seeking balanced political coverage may compare Raw Story’s framing of issues with outlets rated as Lean Right on our Media Bias Chart, or explore other regional papers on our Similar Sources page.

Notable Contributors and Authors

Raw Story features a diverse range of reporters and columnists, many of whom are familiar with the United States’ political and social climate. An important writer is John K. Bryne, who is the founder and CEO of Raw Story media and a former writer.

This is as well as David Kay Johnston, who is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist who partnered with Raw Story from 2019 to 2021 through his nonprofit news service, DCReport, providing original investigative content. These writers demonstrate the outlet’s strength in local investigative journalism.

Other contributors focus on religion, politics in the United States, or issues worldwide. While many contributors are seen as leaning left in tone or topic selection, their work is generally rooted in factual reporting. The presence of recurring bylines can help readers evaluate individual writers’ biases over time.

Expand Additional Insights

Frequently Asked Questions

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