Is CNN biased?
Last updated
Lean: Lean Left (AllSides, Digital), Left-Center (Media Bias/Fact Check)Reliability: Mostly factual reporting (Media Bias/Fact Check)
Verdict: CNN (Cable News Network) is rated Lean Left (Digital) by AllSides and Left-Center with mostly factual reporting by Media Bias/Fact Check. In CadNews’s last 30 days it covered 35 stories; 5 of 35 (14%) were also covered by the other side. Outlets that publish mostly explainers or analysis are covered by the other side less often, so this measures overlap, not accuracy.
CNN operates a 24-hour cable channel and a large digital newsroom. Hard-news desks meet standard journalistic practice; primetime programming is opinion-heavy and tilts left.
FreeSee how every side covers the day's top stories, every morning at 7.
External ratings are attributed to their linked rater pages. CadNews’s saved coverage and framing measurements are separate; neither is a guarantee for every story. How ratings work
How CNN covered the news this month
Not enough data yet: 2 stories analyzed so far. Updated every 30 minutes.
Methodology: we count the stories in our archive from the last 30 days that include CNN (opinion pieces excluded). For each analyzed story, the AI classifies how each outlet's article is framed, based on emphasis, word choice and what it includes or omits, and flags loaded phrases. These are automated estimates, not verdicts. How CadNews works
Political leaning spectrum
Circles: independent raters’ political labels; diamond, when shown: CadNews’s average saved political framing, not a reliability rating.
Ownership and funding
- Owner
- Warner Bros. Discovery
- Type
- Cable news network
How other raters rate CNN
| Rater | Rating | Source |
|---|---|---|
| AllSides | Lean Left (Digital) | View rating ↗ |
| Media Bias/Fact Check | Left-Center · Mostly Factual | View rating ↗ |
CadNews’s own coverage numbers come from its saved coverage data, separate from these external ratings.
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Recent CNN coverage
- Jensen Huang was having a third affair, Reuters reportsCenter-left framing
Explores Huang's role as a 'kingmaker' and the potential fracturing of the AI ecosystem.
Compare with: Newsweek, New York Post, Daily Mail — see the story
Straight news report on the timing and location of the death.
Compare with: NewsNation, The Daily Caller, Newsweek — see the story
Also covered by: Fox News — see the story
Blind spots
Big stories from the last 30 days, covered by outlets on both sides, that CNN didn't cover in its feeds.
- Van Hollen announces bid for majority leader, but Schumer says he has the votes32 outlets
- Trump says US doesn’t need Iran deal21 outlets
- Microsoft Outlook outage updates: 'Progress toward recovery' as email disruption now on 2nd day19 outlets
- Sentinel at Tomb of Unknown Soldier yells at Hegseth group to maintain decorum17 outlets
- White House warns of criminal inquiries into House Democrats who investigate Trump16 outlets
AllSides
Lean Left (Digital)
Media Bias/Fact Check
Left-Center · Mostly Factual
Factual reliability
mostly factual reporting by Media Bias/Fact Check
Founded
1980
Headquarters
Atlanta, GA
Type
Cable news network
Ownership
Warner Bros. Discovery
Strengths
- ·Breaking news capacity and global bureau footprint.
- ·Digital newsroom often distinct in tone from cable programming.
Things to keep in mind
- ·Cable opinion programming is openly anti-conservative on most topics.
- ·Headline framing on political stories often draws criticism for slant.
Is CNN left or right?
CNN is rated Lean Left (Digital) by AllSides and Left-Center with mostly factual reporting by Media Bias/Fact Check. External ratings are attributed to their linked rater pages. CadNews’s saved coverage and framing measurements are separate; neither is a guarantee for every story.
Is CNN credible?
CNN is rated Lean Left (Digital) by AllSides and Left-Center with mostly factual reporting by Media Bias/Fact Check. External ratings are attributed to their linked rater pages. CadNews’s saved coverage and framing measurements are separate; neither is a guarantee for every story.
What is CNN?
CNN operates a 24-hour cable channel and a large digital newsroom. Hard-news desks meet standard journalistic practice; primetime programming is opinion-heavy and tilts left. Founded in 1980. Owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Based in Atlanta, GA. Format: Cable news network.
What does CNN cover most?
Of the 35 CNN stories in CadNews's archive over the last 30 days, the most common topics were Top Stories (54%), Politics (23%), Technology (9%).
Does CNN cover the same stories as the other side?
5 of 35 CNN stories in our archive over the last 30 days (14%) were also covered by outlets on the other side of the political spectrum. Outlets that publish mostly explainers or analysis are covered by the other side less often, so this measures overlap, not accuracy. Stories it covered alone, and big stories it skipped, are listed on this page.
Read across the spectrum
Any single outlet has a perspective. To get the full picture on a story, compare how sources on the left, center, and right cover it side by side.
Compare CNN with
Outlets on the other side
Compare CNN with outlets whose sourced political labels fall on the other side of the spectrum.
Fox News
Cable news networkfoxnews.com
AllSides: Right (Digital); Media Bias/Fact Check: Right · Low factual reporting
Fox News is the dominant cable news network on the political right. Its primetime programming is opinion-driven and conservative; its straight-news hours are more conventional but still reflect a right-of-center editorial perspective.
New York Post
Tabloid dailynypost.com
AllSides: Right (News); Media Bias/Fact Check: Right-Center · Mixed factual reporting
The Post is a New York tabloid with a strong conservative editorial voice. It mixes hard news with celebrity, crime, and political opinion in a tabloid format.
National Review
Conservative magazinenationalreview.com
Media Bias/Fact Check: Right · Mostly Factual
National Review is a magazine of conservative opinion and analysis founded by William F. Buckley Jr. It mixes essays, reporting, and commentary from a range of conservative perspectives.
Other center-left outlets
Associated Press
Wire serviceapnews.com
AllSides: Lean Left; Media Bias/Fact Check: Left-Center · High factual reporting
The Associated Press is a not-for-profit cooperative owned by its member newspapers and broadcasters. Its core output is wire copy used by thousands of outlets worldwide, which pushes its reporting toward terse, sourced, and largely descriptive language.
NPR
Public radio networknpr.org
Media Bias/Fact Check: Left-Center · High factual reporting
NPR is a privately and publicly funded non-profit that distributes news and cultural programming to local member stations. Its hard news desk is widely cited; its features and culture coverage typically reflect a center-left lens.
The New York Times
National daily newspapernytimes.com
AllSides: Lean Left (News); Media Bias/Fact Check: Left-Center · High factual reporting
The Times is the largest US national newspaper by subscriptions. Its news desk is rigorous and well-sourced; its opinion section is editorially separate and runs a wide range of voices skewed toward the center-left.