Common Dreams media bias and reliability
AllSides, Ad Fontes Media and Media Bias/Fact Check place Common Dreams on the left. We have seen it on 110 published stories of ours.
The short answers
Is Common Dreams biased?
AllSides, Ad Fontes Media and Media Bias/Fact Check place Common Dreams on the left. An outlet rating describes a broad pattern in its output, not every article it publishes.
Is Common Dreams left or right?
AllSides, Ad Fontes Media and Media Bias/Fact Check place Common Dreams on the left. In the three-way grouping used on story pages, that puts it under Left.
Is Common Dreams reliable?
The factual-reliability assessments we hold for Common Dreams are Ad Fontes Media: High factuality; Media Bias/Fact Check: High factuality. These are outlet-level assessments, not a guarantee that every report is correct.
What Common Dreams has been covering
Our account of each story, written from every outlet that ran it, with Common Dreams’s own report linked underneath.
Global freshwater reserves have fallen significantly, with the World Meteorological Organization reporting 2025 as one of the driest years for river flows in 35 years. The UN warns the water cycle is becoming more unpredictable, potentially exacerbated by El Niño.
Common Dreams reported it as'We Are Spending Our Reserves,' WMO Chief Warns as UN Drops Global Water Report (opens Common Dreams in a new tab)
Two Oklahoma mothers, Sheena Hamlin and Magon Hoffman, filed a lawsuit with the Center for Reproductive Rights alleging that state abortion restrictions compelled them to leave Oklahoma for out‑of‑state abortions costing thousands after their fetuses were diagnosed as non‑viable. State officials have not commented.
Common Dreams reported it asOklahoma Women Sue Over Being Denied Abortions Despite Fatal Fetal Diagnoses (opens Common Dreams in a new tab)
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that rapidly advancing artificial intelligence poses significant risks that require global coordination and stronger oversight. This comes as public alarm about AI's potential dangers grows, while former US President Donald Trump maintains existing safeguards are sufficient.
Common Dreams reported it asNot Just AI and Climate—Inequality Also an 'Existential' Threat That Demands Global Cooperation: UN Chief (opens Common Dreams in a new tab)
Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs or halt trade with the European Union if Canada is granted associate membership. He described the prospect as 'laughable' and a 'hostile act', while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed a desire for Canada to be the bloc's first associate member.
Common Dreams reported it asAfter Threatening Canada, Trump Suggests Its Potential EU Partnership Is a ‘Hostile Act’ (opens Common Dreams in a new tab)
The United Nations General Assembly has voted to allow Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to address the 81st session via video link. The decision follows the United States' denial of a visa to Abbas, preventing his in-person attendance in New York.
Common Dreams reported it as'Unjustified' Palestinian Authority Decries US Visa Ban on Abbas (opens Common Dreams in a new tab)
House Speaker Mike Johnson has sent representatives home early for their pre-election recess. This move postpones a vote on impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, which had been initiated by Rep. Thomas Massie over Hegseth's actions in Iran and Venezuela.
Common Dreams reported it asDid Johnson Just Adjourn Congress for 7 Weeks to Avoid Massie's Impeachment Articles Against Hegseth? (opens Common Dreams in a new tab)
A report documented 124 killings of land and environmental defenders worldwide in 2025. Latin America was the region with the highest number of deaths, making up 85% of the global total. Colombia and Brazil reported the most killings.
Common Dreams reported it as124 Land Defenders Killed in 2025 Amid Trump-Driven Lawlessness and Aid Cuts (opens Common Dreams in a new tab)
A major scientific report indicates Greenland and Antarctica have lost between 11.3 and 12.5 trillion tons of ice since 1979. This loss has contributed to a global sea level rise of approximately 3 to 3.14 centimeters, primarily driven by accelerated glacier flow into the ocean.
Common Dreams reported it asAntarctic, Greenland Sheets Have Melted Enough Since the '70s to Cover US in 5 Feet of Ice (opens Common Dreams in a new tab)
Three supporting acts have withdrawn from Ed Sheeran's tour following the removal of rapper Macklemore. Macklemore was dropped by tour promoters for pro-Palestinian comments made during a performance. The departing acts cited solidarity with Macklemore and opposition to perceived silencing of voices speaking out against Israeli actions.
Common Dreams reported it asEd Sheeran Openers Quit Tour as Boycott Begins Over 'Silencing' of Macklemore's Palestine Speech (opens Common Dreams in a new tab)
The Trump administration is preparing to sell Israel a $2.8 billion arms package that includes 40,000 heavy aerial bombs. The sale, reported by The Washington Post, involves munitions that have been linked to civilian casualties in Gaza and Lebanon.
Common Dreams reported it asTrump Plans New Sale of 2,000-Pound Bombs to Israel, Which Keeps Using Them to Massacre Gazans (opens Common Dreams in a new tab)
FBI Director Kash Patel declined to rule out sending agents to polling places on Election Day, telling senators he wasn’t certain the bureau is legally barred from doing so. Patel stated the FBI has agents in each field office devoted to addressing election crimes.
Common Dreams reported it as'Cowardly' Kash Patel Accused of Bolstering Election Lies Under Oath to Stroke Trump's Ego (opens Common Dreams in a new tab)
Representative Thomas Massie has introduced articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Massie alleges Hegseth continued U.S. military operations in Iran without congressional approval and criticizes his actions in Venezuela and Yemen.
Common Dreams reported it asMassie Files Impeachment Articles Against Hegseth for Illegal Iran War, Boat Murders (opens Common Dreams in a new tab)
Donald Trump has stated the United States can afford to send $5,000 to every adult American if Republicans retain control of Congress. He indicated the payments would be made after the election, and a White House budget official discussed the funding plan.
Common Dreams reported it asWould You Buy a $5,000 Used Car From a Scammer Like Trump? (opens Common Dreams in a new tab)
The Supreme Court has rejected the Trump administration's request to enforce new U.S. Postal Service mail ballot regulations ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The court's order leaves in place a lower court injunction blocking the rules.
Common Dreams reported it as'Major Win' for Democracy as Supreme Court Rejects Trump Attack on Mail-In Voting (opens Common Dreams in a new tab)
Senator Mitch McConnell cast a vote to advance the farm bill in committee on September 16, after receiving voting instructions from Senator John Hoeven. The bill passed the committee 12-11 along party lines.
Common Dreams reported it asMcConnell Returns to Congress—After 3 Months of Paid Leave With Taxpayer-Subsidized Healthcare (opens Common Dreams in a new tab)
A Department of Homeland Security whistleblower has alleged that the "Unlawful Voter Initiative" uses legally questionable tactics and unreliable data to investigate non-citizen voting. The initiative reportedly targets hundreds of thousands of individuals across the US, with agents allegedly instructed to pose as voters.
Common Dreams reported it asSenate Dems: Whistleblower Says DHS Voter Fraud Hunters Were Ordered to Break Laws (opens Common Dreams in a new tab)
Landowners, ranchers, and business owners in Texas are suing the Trump administration to stop border wall construction in the Big Bend region. The lawsuit argues the government is misusing powers to waive environmental and other regulations in an area with low rates of illegal crossings.
Common Dreams reported it asTexas Landowners Challenge 'Legally and Factually Unsound' Trump Rationale for Big Bend Border Barrier (opens Common Dreams in a new tab)
A Department of Homeland Security inspector general report found that nearly 80 immigrant detainees at the 'Alligator Alcatraz' facility were held in small metal enclosures for periods ranging from several minutes to nearly two hours. The report described the enclosures as 'highly unconventional' and a risk to detainee health and safety.
Common Dreams reported it as'Nothing Short of Torture': Critics Decry Abuse Affirmed by DHS Alligator Alcatraz Probe (opens Common Dreams in a new tab)
The US Space Force has confirmed the deployment of weapons in Earth orbit, marking the first public acknowledgement of such capabilities. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink stated the weapons are intended for defence against hostile actions, though specific details remain undisclosed.
Common Dreams reported it as'I Don't Think Any US Government Official Has Ever Said That Before': On-Orbit Space Weapon Confirmed? (opens Common Dreams in a new tab)
The United States has confirmed for the first time that it has deployed weapons in orbit. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said the Space Force placed "space control weapons" to deter adversaries, drawing accusations from China and Russia.
Common Dreams reported it as'I Don't Think Any US Government Official Has Ever Said That Before': On-Orbit Space Weapon Confirmed? (opens Common Dreams in a new tab)
Who says so
3 organisations have published a rating for this outlet, in their own words. Where they disagree, the disagreement is the useful part and it is left standing.
How reliably it reports fact
A rating of the newsroom in general, by others, and a different thing from the Trust score we publish on each story, which judges one piece of reporting.
High factuality
Who owns it
- Common Dreams, Inc.Independentdirect owner
Where it publishes from
- Publishes from
- Portland, Cumberland County, Maine, United States
- Official site
- commondreams.org
- Seen publishing on
- commondreams.org
- Access
- Free to read
- Wikipedia
- Entry
What we have seen ourselves
Counted across the stories this site has published, which is the only denominator a reader can check: every one of them has a page, and every page lists the reports it was written from.
- Stories
- 110
- Reports listed
- 112
- We could read
- 28
- First seen
- 3 August 2026
84 of those reports were paywalled or blocked to us. Our reading of this outlet is built on the 28 we could open, not on everything it published.
On 24 of those stories, outlets rated left were largely absent from the coverage and Common Dreams ran the story anyway.
Across the 110 stories of ours where at least three of the reports we listed carried a time, another outlet was always ahead of Common Dreams: its report arrived a median of 24 hours after the earliest one we logged.
Measured 19 September 2026. Last seen in a coverage list 19 September 2026. Ratings pulled 3 September 2026.
Other outlets rated the same way
Publishers carrying the same published leaning as Common Dreams, also publishing from United States, ordered by how often we have seen them on a story. Sharing a rating is not the same as being alike.
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What we are responsible for is everything else: the ownership chain, where Common Dreams publishes from, which of our stories we have listed it on, and whether we have the right publisher at all. Tell us what is wrong and an editor reads it.
Report something wrong on this page
Anything we correct is written up in the public corrections log. We do not publish reader votes as a rating, because an unattributed rating is the thing this site exists to argue against.
Every rating on this page is a named third party’s published work, republished with its author and, where one exists, a link to it. Our own coverage record is the section we measure ourselves. Neither is a judgement of any individual report: those are scored story by story, and the reasoning is on our methodology page.