Complex media bias and reliability
The rating organisations do not give Complex one shared verdict in the records we hold. Their published ratings are AllSides: Centre; Ad Fontes Media: Leans left; Media Bias/Fact Check: Leans left. We have seen it on 16 published stories of ours.
The short answers
Is Complex biased?
The rating organisations do not give Complex one shared verdict in the records we hold. Their published ratings are AllSides: Centre; Ad Fontes Media: Leans left; Media Bias/Fact Check: Leans left. An outlet rating describes a broad pattern in its output, not every article it publishes.
Is Complex left or right?
The rating organisations do not give Complex one shared verdict in the records we hold. Their published ratings are AllSides: Centre; Ad Fontes Media: Leans left; Media Bias/Fact Check: Leans left. In the three-way grouping used on story pages, that puts it under Left.
Is Complex reliable?
The factual-reliability assessments we hold for Complex 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 Complex has been covering
Our account of each story, written from every outlet that ran it, with Complex’s own report linked underneath.
A Red Baron employee, Walt Z, became the subject of a viral prank that caused him distress. A GoFundMe fundraiser organized for him has since raised over $500,000, with his employer confirming he remains employed and supported.
Complex reported it asRed Baron Employee’s GoFundMe Raises Over Half a Million After Apple Pay Prank Goes Viral (opens Complex in a new tab)
Twitch streamer Hasan Piker has filed a federal defamation lawsuit against conservative commentator Scott Jennings, seeking $72.5 million. Piker alleges Jennings used an edited video to falsely portray him as advocating for the lynching of Black Americans.
Complex reported it asHasan Piker Hits Conservative Commentator With $72 Million Defamation Suit for 'Manipulated Footage' (opens Complex in a new tab)
Police responded to a youth soccer game in Florida after a league director called 911. The director stated the call was due to disruptive parents, while the child's mother claims the police were called because her son was too talented.
Complex reported it asPolice Called on 3-Year-Old Soccer Player After Parents Complained He Was Hogging the Ball (opens Complex in a new tab)
Rapper Nicki Minaj announced her continued support for Donald Trump at a Republican rally in Michigan. She stated she would back him if he runs for president again, appearing alongside him at the event.
Complex reported it asDonald Trump Praises Nicki Minaj's Backside at Michigan Rally: 'One Hell of a Beautiful Ass'' (opens Complex in a new tab)
Hassan Kariem, a teacher at Wesley International Academy, died after falling from the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia. Police stated he was ejected from the ride and struck other patrons before falling. Six Flags temporarily closed nine similar roller coasters.
Complex reported it asSix Flags Roller Coaster Victim Survived Car Fire, COVID-19, Cancer Twice (opens Complex in a new tab)
Donald Trump has suggested renaming either the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean, proposing names such as 'Trump Ocean' or 'Ocean of the Americas.' He also stated he would not rename the Hudson or Mississippi rivers.
Complex reported it asTrump Suggests Renaming an Ocean to ‘Trump Ocean’ or ‘Ocean of the Americas’ (opens Complex in a new tab)
Kid Rock has announced a new 17-track Christian album titled 'Halfway to Jesus,' set for release on October 17, 2026. The album features a collaboration with Eminem on the song '7 Sins,' and a new single, 'James 1:17 (Jesus Is King),' has been released.
Complex reported it asEminem and Kid Rock Prioritize Friendship Over Politics on New Track: 'We Hope That Sets an Example' (opens Complex in a new tab)
La Bola Negra has won the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film, directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, spans the interconnected lives of three gay men in Spain and is seen as an Oscar contender.
Complex reported it as'La Bola Negra' Wins The People’s Choice Award At The 2026 Toronto International Film Festival (opens Complex in a new tab)
Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour has seen all supporting artists withdraw after the removal of rapper Macklemore. Macklemore was reportedly dropped due to his pro-Palestine stance. Greta Thunberg and Shane MacGowan's widow have commented on the situation.
Complex reported it asEd Sheeran Breaks Silence on Gaza During Concert After Macklemore Tour Ousting (opens Complex 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.
Complex reported it asMacklemore Donating $1 Million to Palestine Relief After Being Kicked Off Ed Sheeran Tour (opens Complex 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.
Complex reported it asFinneas Drops Out of Ed Sheeran Tour After Macklemore Was Removed for 'Free Palestine' Comments (opens Complex in a new tab)
PETA plans to meet with Steven Kolb, CEO of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, after he was filmed restraining two protesters at New York Fashion Week. Kolb has apologized for the incident and is currently on leave.
Complex reported it asCFDA Boss Apologizes for Restraining PETA Protesters at NYFW Show, Says He Acted ‘Innapropriately' (opens Complex in a new tab)
Tennessee's governor has proposed renaming Nashville International Airport for Dolly Parton, days after her death. The proposal faces a policy hurdle regarding naming rights for recently deceased individuals and will be discussed by the airport authority on September 17.
Complex reported it asDolly Parton Could Have Nashville’s Airport Named After Her (opens Complex in a new tab)
Elon Musk posted on X that Derek Chauvin was 'unjustly convicted of murder' and should be freed, aligning with Chauvin's third legal attempt to overturn his 2021 conviction. Chauvin's attorneys allege procedural errors, including Governor Tim Walz's transfer of prosecutorial oversight to state officials.
Complex reported it asElon Musk Says Derek Chauvin Was ‘Unjustly Convicted,’ Calls for His Release (opens Complex in a new tab)
Actress Hayden Panettiere, 36, was found dead in her Greenville, South Carolina apartment on 16 August 2026. Police and the coroner’s office reported no signs of foul play. Her father confirmed her death in a statement to ABC News, and tributes followed from co-stars and fans.
Complex reported it asHayden Panettiere Was Found Unresponsive in Her South Carolina Home by a Friend (opens Complex in a new tab)
Usher responded to social media speculation that he sent a lookalike to perform at his New Jersey concert, calling the theory 'funny' and stating artificial intelligence is not advanced enough to clone him. Fans compared video clips, noting differences in appearance and mannerisms.
Complex reported it asUsher Denies Having Body Double During New Jersey Performance: 'They Can't Clone This' (opens Complex in a new tab)
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark spoke publicly for the first time on teammate Sophie Cunningham’s remarks about transgender athletes, calling it a matter for governing bodies to resolve. The comments followed a 108-100 loss to the Minnesota Lynx, where coach Cheryl Reeve defended trans inclusion in sports.
Complex reported it asCaitlin Clark Shuts Down Reporter’s Question About Sophie Cunningham’s Anti-Trans Athlete Comments (opens Complex 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
- Commerce Media Holdings, LLCCorporationdirect owner
Where it publishes from
- Publishes from
- Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, United States
- Official site
- complex.com
- Seen publishing on
- complex.com
- Access
- Free to read
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
- 16
- Reports listed
- 17
- We could read
- 1
- First seen
- 4 August 2026
16 of those reports were paywalled or blocked to us. Our reading of this outlet is built on the 1 we could open, not on everything it published.
On 4 of those stories, outlets rated left were largely absent from the coverage and Complex ran the story anyway.
Across the 16 stories of ours where at least three of the reports we listed carried a time, another outlet was always ahead of Complex: its report arrived a median of 26 hours after the earliest one we logged.
Measured 6 November 2026. Last seen in a coverage list 5 November 2026. Ratings pulled 8 October 2026.
Other outlets rated the same way
Publishers carrying the same published leaning as Complex, 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.
Think this page is wrong?
The leanings above are published by AllSides, Ad Fontes Media and Media Bias/Fact Check, and we republish them rather than make them. If you think one is misapplied, the strongest place to say so is with the organisation that made it, and every verdict here links to their page.
What we are responsible for is everything else: the ownership chain, where Complex 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.