FAIR
AllSides rates FAIR bias as Lean Left.
FAIR calls itself a "progressive group" on its About page.
An October 2019 independent review by an AllSides staffer found that FAIR often reports on media bias from a left-leaning perspective. FAIR does criticize both Left and Right-leaning media outlets equally; for this reason, AllSides considered giving FAIR a Center bias, but FAIR's criticisms, while targeted at both sides, come from a Lean Left perspective.
In one piece, a FAIR writer criticized CNN and The New York Times Democratic Debate moderators for not asking more questions about LGBT issues, climate change, race, education and abortion — topics typically emphasized by those on the left (though the right often emphasizes abortion as an important topic as well). Another FAIR piece criticized the media for representing the "investor class" and for having a Business section but not a Labor section:
"It’s not hard to figure out that corporate media represent the perspectives and interests of a small elite investor class of the US population, rather than its vast working class majority. Simply compare the size of the “Business” section in major newspapers like the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times—ostensibly on opposite sides of the political spectrum—with the nonexistence of their “Labor” sections."
In another piece on fascism and anti-fascism, FAIR writes, "Right-wing terror is a feature of daily life in present-day America" — an assertion many on the right would disagree with (the right believes it is the far left-wing group Antifa that is the purveyor of much modern-day terror and violence).
About FAIR
FAIR calls itself a "national media watch group, has been offering well-documented criticism of media bias and censorship since 1986." On its About page, FAIR says it works to "invigorate the First Amendment by advocating for greater diversity in the press and by scrutinizing media practices that marginalize public interest, minority and dissenting viewpoints. As an anti-censorship organization, we expose neglected news stories and defend working journalists when they are muzzled. As a progressive group, FAIR believes that structural reform is ultimately needed to break up the dominant media conglomerates, establish independent public broadcasting and promote strong non-profit sources of information."
FAIR works with both activists and journalists and "encourage[s] the public to contact media with their concerns, to become media activists rather than passive consumers of news."
Asked on ABC‘s Good Morning America (1/7/22) about “encouraging headlines that we’re talking about this morning, this new study showing just how well vaccines are working to prevent severe illness,” CDC director Rochelle Wallensky responded:
The overwhelming number of deaths, over 75%, occurred in people who had at least four comorbidities, so really these are people who were unwell to begin with. And, yes, really encouraging news in the context of Omicron; this means not only just to get your primary series but to get your booster series, and, yes, we’re really encouraged by these results.
As the hashtag #MyDisabledLifeIsWorthSaving began trending on Twitter, disability rights activists like Ady Barkan were asking, “Are our deaths less tragic? Are our lives less valuable? Are we less human?”
Because they were picked up by right-wingers as proof that Covid concerns are overblown, media outlets like CNN (1/12/22) went into factcheck mode to explain that Wallensky’s comments were distorted and taken from context.
Crucial seconds were missing from the tape, you see, which would clarify that Wallensky was referring specifically to the results of a study that found that a majority of deaths among the vaccinated involved comorbidities, not deaths overall. The subtext seemed to be that it’s a confusing time and, just maybe, some people might be looking for something to be offended by.
Yeah, no. Information may certainly be unclear or shift with time, but priorities and attitudes remain—and those reflected in a statement that, within whatever subgroup, fatalities affecting primarily those with preexisting health issues are “good news” is disturbing. (For what it’s worth, some of the things the CDC defines as comorbidities: diabetes, high blood pressure, Down’s syndrome, cystic fibrosis, obesity, pregnancy and asthma).