What does a “Lean Right” media bias rating mean?

Sources with a Lean Right AllSides Media Bias Rating™ display media bias in ways that moderately align with conservative, traditional, libertarian, or right-wing thought and/or policy agendas. A Lean Right bias is a moderately conservative rating on the political spectrum.

Outlets with a Lean Right AllSides Media Bias Rating™ fall between and +1.00 to +2.99 on the AllSides Media Bias Meter™. 

The numerical rating categories are as follows:

Left: -6.00 to -3.00

Lean Left: -2.99 to -1.00

Center: -0.99 to +0.99

Lean Right: +1.00 to +2.99

Right: +3.00 to +6.00

Sources with a Lean Right rating may moderately show favor for at least some of the following:

• Freedom of speech
• Traditional family values
• Decreasing taxes
• Preserving the rights of gun owners
• Outlawing or restricting abortion
• Reliance on personal responsibility rather than government fiat
• Decreasing federal regulations, giving more power to state laws
• Decreasing government spending and involvement in economic issues 
• Preserving the philosophy and rules enshrined in the U.S. Constitution
• Rejection of total equality or equity as an organizing principle of society
• Belief in equality under the law and equal opportunity, with no favoritism, subsidies, or targeted prohibitions imposed by government
• Belief in the sovereignty of the individual over the collective and the preservation of all personal freedoms (libertarian thought)
• Belief that some personal freedoms may need to be limited (such as drug use) to maintain public order and societal flourishing (conservative thought)
• Belief that government should be as small and non-intrusive as possible, leaving individuals to make their own decisions (libertarian thought)
• Belief that government should encourage decisions that lead to societal flourishing (such as family formation) and discourage harm (conservative thought)
• Rejection of left-wing identity politics, gender identity, affirmative action, the “welfare state”
• Maintaining strong border security; ensuring all immigrants enter through a legal process or restricting immigration entirely
• Rejection of laws that impose unnecessary burdens on businesses/the economy
• Belief that the government needs to provide some collective goods (water, public parks, libraries) but its scope should be very limited
• Belief that tradition and prevailing cultural norms contain wisdom that has been handed down and should be preserved
• Preserving a traditional moral framework, often as outlined in religious traditions, through the use of state laws
• Balanced government budgets and fiscal conservatism

Learn more about media bias