Vetting news outlets

As traditional print media has declined, newer forms of media like digital platforms, YouTube channels, podcasts, and newsletters have proliferated. So as a scientific expert, you may receive interview requests from outlets you’re not familiar with and need to decide whether to accept. Here are the starting points to determine whether a news outlet is reputable and what level of bias it has.

Start by looking at what other people say about the outlet.

• Do a Google search for the name of the outlet, and include -site:[outlet URL] in the search to filter out results posted on their website.
• Wikipedia pages for news outlets will often mention known slants, though many newer and smaller outlets may not have Wikipedia pages.
• See where the outlet falls on the Media Bias Alignment Chart.

Check the “About” page of the outlet’s website.

• There should be clear information about the outlet’s funding.
  • If it’s a nonprofit media company, there should be links to annual reports or public tax documents.
  • For-profit media will often have advertising, and you should be able to find a link to purchase advertising. Look at the advertisers and see if they raise any red flags.
  • Be wary if it’s not clear how the outlet makes money.
• Look for a statement of editorial independence that will confirm that what’s being published is in no way influenced by funders, advertisers, owners, or parent organizations.
  

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• The “About” page should also include a mission statement that will tell you about the kind of pieces it publishes or audiences it serves. Most outlets will publish news and analysis in the same story, but make sure opinion pieces are clearly marked. Check for ethics statements or policies about adhering to journalistic professional norms and standards.
• Look for contact information, keeping in mind that it may be for a specific person, general inbox, or phone number. News outlets without this can’t be held accountable by their audiences.

From there, look at the stories themselves.

• The author of each story should be listed, by name. Be on the lookout for anonymous stories, stories published under pseudonyms, or stories with no authorship listed at all.
• Read through some stories and make sure they’re citing their sources. Ask yourself why the reporter would have chosen a particular source for this story, what the source’s expertise is, and how much bias there was in source selection. Stories related to your area of expertise can be especially helpful at this stage.
• Check whether the stories place information in context, and that reporters aren’t cherry-picking background information in order to tell a particular story. For example, mentioning that crime rates are up from the previous year without mentioning that they’re still far lower than they were ten years ago may be disingenuous.
• Keep an eye out for loaded language that’s designed to sway people’s thinking or cause an emotional reaction. For example, are migrants “crossing” the border, or are they “streaming across the border”?
• Do the stories show a pattern of introducing controversy where it doesn’t exist or both-sidesing issues that have a clear consensus? This may look like weighting the opinions of experts and non-experts equally.
• Mistakes happen even to the best journalists, and reputable outlets will own up to them. Published corrections or retractions are actually a good sign.

Finally, look up the specific journalist.

• A LinkedIn profile or bio can give you a sense of their background and experience. This is especially important if the reporter who contacted you is a freelancer.

For further reading: Vetting news sources and detecting bias in media