- Lean
- Lean Left (AllSides)
- Reliability
- High factual reporting (MBFC)
- Founded
- 1945
- Headquarters
- New York City
- Owner
- The Walt Disney Company
- Funding
- ABC News is the news division of ABC, owned by The Walt Disney Company.
On this page
Is ABC News Left or Right?
AllSides gives ABC News a Bias Meter score of -1.58, inside its Lean Left range, and Media Bias/Fact Check rates it Left-Center (-3.3). Ad Fontes Media scores its content -2.47, inside its Middle band. Averaged on our shared scale, ABC News sits just left of the center zone, close to NBC News and Axios.
Raters place ABC News slightly left of center. Two recent episodes involve its owner and the government: in December 2024, ABC paid $15 million to settle a defamation suit by Donald Trump after an anchor misstated a jury verdict on air; in 2026, Disney and ABC sued the FCC, saying the regulator was pressuring them over their programming. We found no record of the owner or the government directing ABC News coverage, and Disney is defending its newsroom in court.
See where ABC News sits next to other outlets on our media bias chart.
How Reliable Is ABC News?
Media Bias/Fact Check rates ABC News's factual reporting High, and Ad Fontes Media rates it Reliable for analysis and fact reporting (43.66). Its most costly recent error was an anchor's on-air misstatement of a jury verdict in 2024, which led to the defamation settlement with Donald Trump.
ABC News Bias: What the Ratings Show
AllSides rates ABC News Lean Left; Ad Fontes Media scores its bias at -2.47 (Middle) and its reliability at 43.66 (Reliable, Analysis/Fact Reporting); and Media Bias/Fact Check rates it Left-Center with High factual reporting.
Compare ABC News with every other outlet on the media bias chart.
ABC News Bias Rating From Independent Raters
All bars use one shared scale: the shaded band is each rater's own center zone, lined up. How we combine the raters
| Rater | Bias rating | Factual / reliability |
|---|---|---|
| AllSides | Lean Left | Not rated (lean only) |
| Ad Fontes Media | Middle (-2.47) | 43.66: Reliable, Analysis/Fact Reporting |
| Media Bias/Fact Check | Left-Center (-3.3) | High, High Credibility |
Who Funds ABC News?
ABC News is the news division of ABC, owned by The Walt Disney Company. It is funded mainly by advertising.
Why ABC News Is in Aplomb
ABC News is one of the three big US broadcast networks, with reporters across the country and abroad. It satisfies our six source criteria; in the app, its reports live in the United States tab, on by default like every country section. What to watch for: raters see a slight left lean, and its owner has been in open disputes with the federal government, so read it alongside AP.
Looking for other apps that take bias seriously? See our comparison of the best unbiased news apps.
Watch ABC News next to Reuters, BBC and AP, one swipe at a time.
Latest ABC News Videos
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ABC News FAQ
Is ABC News left or right?
Slightly left of center: Lean Left (-1.58) according to AllSides and Left-Center according to Media Bias/Fact Check. Ad Fontes Media places it in the Middle (-2.47).
Is ABC News reliable?
Yes. It scores 43.66 on Ad Fontes Media's reliability scale (Reliable) and High for factual reporting at Media Bias/Fact Check.
Who owns ABC News?
The Walt Disney Company, through the ABC television network. ABC News is funded mainly by advertising.
Why did ABC News pay Donald Trump $15 million?
In December 2024, ABC settled a defamation lawsuit Trump had filed after an anchor misstated the verdict in a civil case on air. The settlement went to his future presidential library.
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