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 8 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 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.
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Three supporting acts have withdrawn from Ed Sheeran's tour following the removal of rapper Macklemore.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Three supporting acts have withdrawn from Ed Sheeran's tour following the removal of rapper Macklemore.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
- Media Bias/Fact CheckhighCheck it
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
- 8
- Reports listed
- 9
- We could read
- 0
- First seen
- 4 August 2026
9 of those reports were paywalled or blocked to us. Our reading of this outlet is built on the 0 we could open, not on everything it published.
On 2 of those stories, outlets rated left were largely absent from the coverage and Complex ran the story anyway.
Across the 8 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 22 September 2026. Last seen in a coverage list 22 September 2026. Ratings pulled 8 September 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.