Ottawa won't say if refugee sponsorship policy was misused

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Ottawa won't say if refugee sponsorship policy was misused?

Of the 17 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 65% are rated left, 35% are rated centre, 0% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 18. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.

Is Ottawa won't say if refugee sponsorship policy was misused left or right?

Neither side dominates it. Of the 17 rated outlets on this story, 65% are rated left, 35% are rated centre, 0% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.

Is the coverage of Ottawa won't say if refugee sponsorship policy was misused biased?

Ottawa won't say if refugee sponsorship policy was misused is one event reported by 18 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.

Which side is not reporting Ottawa won't say if refugee sponsorship policy was misused?

When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.

Which outlets covered Ottawa won't say if refugee sponsorship policy was misused?

18 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.

What was the refugee permanent resident sponsorship policy?

The policy offered exemptions that allowed certain refugees to sponsor a family member for permanent residency who was not listed on their initial application. This policy expired last week.

Why did the policy expire?

Ottawa cited "potential integrity concerns" as the reason for the policy's expiration. The Immigration Department has not confirmed whether the policy was misused.

Did any news outlets report on potential misuse of the policy?

All reports stated that the Immigration Department refused to say whether applicants misused the policy. No right-rated outlets covered the story.