USA Today started as a newspaper in 1982. Today, it is one of the most well-known and frequently read news sources in the United States. USA Today covers a wide range of topics, including sports, politics, technology, entertainment, and travel. A unique feature of USA Today is its ‘snapshots,’ colorful mini-infographics that provide readers with quick and digestible information.
According to Similar Web, USA Today has a monthly average of roughly 147 million visits. When it comes to media bias, both AI and media analysts have evaluated its content, sources, and funding to determine its political leaning.
Source: Pew Research Center
According to the Pew Research Center, the majority of USA Today’s readers are between the ages of 30 and 49, and 76% are college-educated or have some college experience. Additionally, 59% earn $30,000 or more per year, with 28% exceeding $75,000 per year. Given that USA Today’s audience tends to be educated, well-funded, and knowledgeable, can USA Today be biased? In the articles below, we will examine whether bias is prevalent in this publication.
Is USA Today Biased?
Based on Biasly’s evaluations, USA Today is rated as Center.
By examining content patterns and the broader context of media influence, we aim to offer a balanced perspective on USA Today’s political bias—and contribute to the ongoing discussion about bias in the news.
How Does Biasly Rate News Sources?
Biasly uses proprietary algorithms and a team of analysts to provide comprehensive bias evaluations across thousands of news outlets. Over 200,000 articles from more than 3,200 sources have been analyzed to identify the most accurate and unbiased stories.
Biasly assigns each outlet three key scores:
- Reliability Score – Reflects factual accuracy
- AI Bias Score – Generated via natural language processing
- Analyst Bias Score – Assessed by human political analysts
These scores are based on seven core metrics: Tone, Tendency, Diction, Author Check, Selection/Omission, Expediency Bias, and Accuracy. These elements help analysts and algorithms evaluate the political attitude conveyed by each article.
Biasly’s Bias Meter ranges from -100% (most left) to +100% (most right), with 0% indicating neutrality. The system evaluates individual articles based on political terms, policies, figures, and sentiment to calculate precise bias ratings.
Is USA Today Politically Biased?
USA Today earns a Center rating for its AI Bias Score and a Somewhat Left for its Analyst Bias Score. The Analyst Bias Score is generated by reviewers from liberal, moderate, and conservative backgrounds. Analysts reviewed and USA Today’s articles and noted preferences in areas like abortion, elections, and topics such as border control and affirmative action.
Bias is natural. For media, bias towards specific coverage can retain audiences, encourage subscription purchases, and bring positive ratings. This creates a cycle where sources will continue to cover stories from a specific perspective, out of the hope that the positive feedback will continue. Bias goes two ways. News sources will cover the stories and perspectives that viewers want to see.
Analysis of Bias in USA Today Online Articles
To evaluate the bias of online articles, we can analyze select USA Today articles through several of Biasly’s bias rating criteria: Tone, Tendency, Author, Diction, and Expediency Bias.
- Tone: The overall attitude conveyed by the article
- Diction: Specific word choices made by the writer
- Author: The background and social presence of the journalist
- Tendency: Patterns of bias in the writer’s broader body of work
- Expediency Bias: Quick visual or textual indicators like headlines and photos that imply bias
The first article we will investigate is an article titled, “White House pushes back on Kamala Harris stories detailing concerns,” which was rated Center by Biasly. The author’s tone stays informative and suggests discord in the White House. The informative tone is consistent throughout the article, but it also suggests tension between Joe Biden and Kamala Harris regarding the 2024 presidential election.
“A Sunday Politico story highlighted early jockeying to replace Biden as the Democratic nominee for president in 2024 or 2028 and noted that Democrats outside the White House are still gearing up for a potentially competitive primary despite Harris’ status as Biden’s second-in-command and presumed heir.”
The author’s diction and language also remain moderate throughout the article. The language used in the article is neutral, and evidence is cited from multiple government agencies. Furthermore, the author himself, Matthew Brown, was a White House reporter for USA Today, where he covered all breaking news during the Biden administration.
Brown does not have an X account, but does have an Instagram one. On his Instagram account, he posts photos of himself reporting at the White House, Air Force One, and on CNN live. Some of his articles can indicate a slight left lean, but mostly stay neutral. Those article titles include, “Biden to announce $800M in additional military aid for Ukraine: March 15 recap” and “Biden calls Putin ‘war criminal,’ signs off on $800M for Ukraine: March 16 recap. “
In conclusion, Brown makes an effort to be objective and include a few different viewpoints from different organizations that give a clear and concise view of the issue he’s reporting on. All in all, this shows that despite certain parts of his report coming off left-leaning, Brown’s article as a whole is considered to be center-left to somewhat left, which is consistent with USA Today’s bias rating.
Another article by USA Today displays a significant bias presence. The article, “Elise Stefanik elected to House GOP leadership, replacing Liz Cheney,” was rated “Extremely Left” by Biasly. The authors Bart Jensen and Savannah Behrmann remain neutral in their tone throughout the article, but only use quotes from Republicans in their story. According to Biasly A.I. metrics, the authors used certain words, phrases, and quotes that gave several negative sentiments towards Republican politicians throughout the article. These sentiments included 15 against Donald Trump, 19 against Elise Stefanik, and 11 against Liz Cheney. Additionally, the article only included two mentions of Democrats, each of which had one positive sentiment.
When looking at Bart Jensen and Savannah Behrmann’s X accounts, left-leaning viewpoints are consistent throughout their posts. Behrmann posted on June 1st, 2023,
“Tonight’s vote is a good outcome because Dems did a very good job taking the worst parts of the Republican plan off the table. And that’s why Dems voted overwhelmingly for this bill while Republicans, certainly in the Senate, did not.”
Additionally, Jensen has made several posts about student debt forgiveness with left-leaning language. He also posts links or markets his articles, but there is still a clear liberal bias in his tweets. For example:
“Join us today at 1 p.m. ET as USA TODAY reporters @ganjansen and @CQuintanaDCtalk about how the Biden administration has been cracking down on certain debtors as well as how you could qualify for more student loan forgiveness.”
Even though an organization can be slightly left in a majority of its coverage, there is no way to fully remove bias from its reporting. This is because everyone has an inherent bias, and some authors display it more than others. Despite attempts to remain balanced in reporting, USA Today articles can be framed and highlight policies that lean towards the liberal side of the political spectrum.
Analysis of USA Today Opinion Articles
To fully understand political bias in the media, it is important to differentiate between factual reporting and opinion pieces. Although the goal of reporting is to present facts and let readers form their own conclusions, opinion articles express personal perspectives on current issues. While the previous section examined factual reporting, this section turns to how bias surfaces through USA Today’s selection and tone of opinion content.
Let’s investigate further in an article titled, “Debt ceiling deal reveals the impotence of Donald Trump’s MAGA Movement.” The title itself shows the author’s bias. The word “impotence”, when defined, means “the inability to get anything done,” specifically taking shots at Republicans in Congress by implying their weakness and ineffectiveness. The title alone can influence the reader’s opinion before they read the article.
The author does not offer a balanced or impartial report. As seen by the article’s title and the condemning tone against President Trump and Congressional Republicans. Now, the tone and language of the article can highlight a heavy bias. That, however, is not necessarily a bad thing. The difference between opinion and factual reporting is large, but opinion pieces are okay as long as authors do not mislead their readers.
The article titled, “Measles, mpox, Marburg virus, oh my! Here’s why we’re seeing so many emerging infections,” is an example of a less biased piece. This article has a more objective title, focusing more on informing readers instead of chasing an agenda or shoving their opinion in their faces. Neutral language and reliable information also help the article be objective and clear. Just the title alone predicts that the article will be less prejudiced.
These examples show that while not all USA Today opinion pieces are deeply polarizing. These articles emphasized USA Today’s variety of opinions by columnists, further stressing the importance of knowing how to differentiate opinion from factual reporting.
How to Evaluate Bias
Although Biasly rates USA Today as Center, it’s important to remember that bias can vary from article to article. USA Today also covers liberal-leaning policies with objectivity on many issues, from national legislation to social developments. This complexity underscores the importance of examining each article individually. So, let’s learn how to evaluate media bias.
Recognizing media bias requires awareness and critical thinking. Often, readers trust news sources that affirm their existing beliefs, a psychological tendency known as confirmation bias. This makes it harder to identify slanted narratives or one-sided reporting.
To combat this, it’s essential to challenge your assumptions by consulting multiple viewpoints and verifying news through third-party analysis. Tools like Biasly’s media bias ratings allow readers to compare the same news story across the political spectrum.
Ultimately, bias isn’t always a matter of what is said; it’s also about what is left out, how topics are framed, and which stories are chosen for coverage. Learning to recognize these patterns can help readers make more informed decisions and develop greater media literacy.
To start comparing news outlets and gain a better understanding of bias, sign up for Biasly’s Media Bias & News Analytics Platform to see how stories vary between sources.
