- Lean
- Least Biased (MBFC)
- Reliability
- High factual reporting (MBFC)
- Founded
- 1926
- Headquarters
- Dublin
- Owner
- RTÉ, Ireland's statutory public broadcaster
- Funding
- RTÉ is Ireland's statutory public broadcaster, funded by the television licence fee and by advertising.
On this page
Is RTÉ Left or Right?
Media Bias/Fact Check rates RTÉ News Least Biased but publishes no numeric score for it, so we place it at the middle of that range. AllSides and Ad Fontes Media have not rated it, and its position on our chart rests on that single rater.
RTÉ's biggest recent crisis concerned its finances rather than its reporting: in June 2023 it disclosed that it had paid presenter Ryan Tubridy €345,000 more between 2017 and 2022 than it had previously declared. Parliamentary hearings and external reviews followed, licence fee payments fell, and the government delayed decisions on its long-term funding.
See where RTÉ sits next to other outlets on our media bias chart.
How Reliable Is RTÉ?
Media Bias/Fact Check rates RTÉ's factual reporting High. As a broadcaster, it is bound by Irish broadcasting law on news impartiality, overseen by the media regulator.
RTÉ Bias: What the Ratings Show
Media Bias/Fact Check rates it Least Biased with High factual reporting.
Compare RTÉ with every other outlet on the media bias chart.
RTÉ Bias Rating From Independent Raters
All bars use one shared scale: the shaded band is each rater's own center zone, lined up. A hollow dot means the rater publishes a category but no number, so we use the middle of that category. How we combine the raters. Not every rater has rated RTÉ.
| Rater | Bias rating | Factual / reliability |
|---|---|---|
| AllSides | Not rated (lean only) | |
| Ad Fontes Media | ||
| Media Bias/Fact Check | Least Biased | High, High Credibility |
Who Funds RTÉ?
RTÉ is Ireland's statutory public broadcaster, funded by the television licence fee and by advertising.
Why RTÉ Is in Aplomb
RTÉ News is Ireland's largest newsroom, covering Irish politics and Ireland's place in Europe. It passes our six source criteria; Ireland has no country tab in the app, so its videos can appear in Today when they cover one of the day's main stories. What to watch for: only Media Bias/Fact Check has rated it so far.
Looking for other apps that take bias seriously? See our comparison of the best unbiased news apps.
Watch RTÉ next to Reuters, BBC and AP, one swipe at a time.
Latest RTÉ Videos
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RTÉ FAQ
Is RTÉ biased?
Media Bias/Fact Check rates RTÉ News Least Biased with High factual reporting. AllSides and Ad Fontes Media have not rated it.
How is RTÉ funded?
By the television licence fee and by advertising. It is Ireland's statutory public broadcaster.
What was the RTÉ payments scandal?
In 2023, RTÉ disclosed that it had underreported payments to presenter Ryan Tubridy. It led to parliamentary hearings, external reviews and a drop in licence fee income. It concerned RTÉ's management, not its news reporting.
Is RTÉ News reliable?
Yes. Media Bias/Fact Check rates its factual reporting High.
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