Detroit Free Press media bias and reliability
AllSides, Ad Fontes Media and Media Bias/Fact Check place Detroit Free Press as leaning left. We have seen it on 50 published stories of ours.
The short answers
Is Detroit Free Press biased?
AllSides, Ad Fontes Media and Media Bias/Fact Check place Detroit Free Press as leaning left. An outlet rating describes a broad pattern in its output, not every article it publishes.
Is Detroit Free Press left or right?
AllSides, Ad Fontes Media and Media Bias/Fact Check place Detroit Free Press as leaning left. In the three-way grouping used on story pages, that puts it under Left.
Is Detroit Free Press reliable?
The factual-reliability assessments we hold for Detroit Free Press are Ad Fontes Media: Very high factuality; Media Bias/Fact Check: High factuality. These are outlet-level assessments, not a guarantee that every report is correct.
What Detroit Free Press has been covering
Our account of each story, written from every outlet that ran it, with Detroit Free Press’s own report linked underneath.
U.S. Representative Haley Stevens has faced significant backlash after endorsing Republican Mike Rogers for Michigan's U.S. Senate seat. Several members of her staff have resigned in protest, and some Jewish Democrats have publicly disavowed her endorsement.
Detroit Free Press reported it asMore than half of Haley Stevens' staff quit over Rogers endorsement (opens Detroit Free Press in a new tab)
Mississippi's attorney general has determined that a police officer was justified in using deadly force in the June shooting death of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley. The shooting occurred during a response to a shoplifting call at a local Walmart.
Detroit Free Press reported it asVideo of Kohen Wiley's fatal shooting released after police officer cleared (opens Detroit Free Press in a new tab)
Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired American teacher, has been released by Russia after nearly five years of detention. He was convicted of serving as a mercenary. The release was announced by former President Donald Trump, who stated Russia demanded nothing in return.
Detroit Free Press reported it asMichigan teacher Stephen Hubbard freed by Russia, Trump says (opens Detroit Free Press in a new tab)
Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers presented contrasting economic visions to Detroit business leaders. They addressed tariffs, artificial intelligence, and the need for affordable housing, highlighting key policy differences ahead of the election.
Detroit Free Press reported it asEl-Sayed and Rogers field questions in Detroit (opens Detroit Free Press in a new tab)
Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin has stated that Democrats should pursue "signature cases" against individuals associated with a future Trump administration to create a "deterrence message." She made these remarks at a University of Chicago podcast recording, predicting a contested 2028 Democratic primary. Conservatives have condemned her statements.
Detroit Free Press reported it asTrump: Slotkin 'a low-life' for suggesting young people not work for him (opens Detroit Free Press in a new tab)
Christiane Amanpour will depart CNN in June 2027 after 43 years. Her daily shows on CNN and PBS will end by the close of 2026, with a weekly CNN show continuing through May 2027. She will also continue her podcast with ex-husband Jamie Rubin.
Detroit Free Press reported it asCNN's Christiane Amanpour leaving after 43 years (opens Detroit Free Press in a new tab)
US President Donald Trump stated that the US has "knocked the hell out" of Iran and indicated the possibility of further military action. This comes amid reports of US and Israeli military preparations to disrupt Iran's nuclear rebuild.
Detroit Free Press reported it asIran war: Democratic senators demand Pentagon disclose total cost (opens Detroit Free Press in a new tab)
Tom Barrack said a US attack on Iran could happen within two days, but President Donald Trump told reporters he did not know of any such plan and recalled his October pledge not to strike before the midterm elections.
Detroit Free Press reported it asIran war: Democratic senators demand Pentagon disclose total cost (opens Detroit Free Press in a new tab)
Russia launched a significant coordinated assault on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, striking more than 15 critical electricity generation and transmission facilities. President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that emergency restoration is underway and warned Russia is attempting to cause a widespread blackout before winter.
Detroit Free Press reported it asTrump says he won't impose sanctions on Russia, thwarting Congress (opens Detroit Free Press in a new tab)
Federal agents have issued subpoenas to relatives of Rep. Ilhan Omar as part of a criminal investigation into her family's immigration history. The probe follows a search of Omar's Washington, DC home.
Detroit Free Press reported it asIlhan Omar's family members subpoenaed in ongoing federal investigation (opens Detroit Free Press in a new tab)
U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar announced she will move out of her D.C. residence after federal agents conducted a four‑to‑five‑hour search, seized 17 items and sparked safety concerns. The raid is linked to a fraud probe into her family’s immigration records.
Detroit Free Press reported it asRep. Ilhan Omar decries DHS search on home as 'political intimidation' (opens Detroit Free Press in a new tab)
House Speaker Mike Johnson has voiced concerns that a planned Pentagon livestream of the Fort Hood shooter's execution could become a recruiting tool for terrorists. President Donald Trump will make the final decision on whether the execution is broadcast.
Detroit Free Press reported it asMike Johnson says he won't watch Fort Hood shooter's execution livestream (opens Detroit Free Press in a new tab)
President Donald Trump is campaigning in Texas for Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton, visiting the state for the third time in less than a month. Republicans face unexpectedly close midterm election contests in Texas as they aim to maintain control of Congress.
Detroit Free Press reported it asDonald Trump calls for debate in close race for Senate in Texas (opens Detroit Free Press in a new tab)
President Donald Trump announced the completion of automatic enrollment for all eligible children under 18 into "Trump Accounts." He stated the initiative aims to boost private ownership and counter socialist ideologies among young Americans.
Detroit Free Press reported it asMichael and Susan Dell back Trump accounts. See their bond with Trump (opens Detroit Free Press in a new tab)
Flydubai flight FZ1073 experienced a severe mid-air incident on September 30, 2026, when the co-pilot allegedly stabbed Captain Smit Machchhar. The aircraft plummeted thousands of feet before passengers and crew disarmed the co-pilot, allowing a safe emergency landing.
Detroit Free Press reported it asHeroic actions hailed for stopping attack on Flydubai flight to Israel (opens Detroit Free Press in a new tab)
Parents of a 3-year-old boy in Michigan have been charged with misdemeanor crimes after their son brought a loaded gun to a daycare and showed it to other children. No one was injured in the incident.
Detroit Free Press reported it asBoth parents to face charges after toddler brings loaded gun to daycare (opens Detroit Free Press in a new tab)
Ford CEO Jim Farley has warned the US to carefully consider the entry of Chinese automakers into the American market, citing Europe's current struggles with Chinese imports as a cautionary tale. He noted that while it may be too late for Europe, the US still has time to act.
Detroit Free Press reported it asFord CEO Jim Farley defends automaker's ties to Chinese companies (opens Detroit Free Press in a new tab)
US and Iranian delegations held lengthy indirect talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, facilitated by mediators who shuttled between the sides. Special envoy Steve Witkoff expressed hope the discussions would prove constructive and promising, and stated that mediators would continue their work.
Detroit Free Press reported it asTrump expects Iran negotiations to continue after rejecting ceasefire proposal (opens Detroit Free Press in a new tab)
Representative Ashley Hinson has called for an immediate end to the war in Iran, citing the economic impact on Iowans. She stated that high fuel prices are squeezing residents and that the war should be brought to a successful conclusion.
Detroit Free Press reported it asMike Rogers breaks with Trump, calls for Iran war to 'end quickly' (opens Detroit Free Press in a new tab)
Vice President Kamala Harris is campaigning in Michigan to support Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. The events highlight maternal healthcare and voter engagement, aiming to bolster Democratic chances in a crucial swing state.
Detroit Free Press reported it asRabbis ask Kamala Harris to talk to Abdul El-Sayed about their concerns (opens Detroit Free Press 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.
Very high factuality
Who owns it
- GannettMedia Conglomeratedirect owner
Where it publishes from
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
- 50
- Reports listed
- 50
- We could read
- 3
- First seen
- 5 August 2026
47 of those reports were paywalled or blocked to us. Our reading of this outlet is built on the 3 we could open, not on everything it published.
On 16 of those stories, outlets rated left were largely absent from the coverage and Detroit Free Press ran the story anyway.
Across the 50 stories of ours where at least three of the reports we listed carried a time, we logged no report earlier than Detroit Free Press’s on 5 of them. Overall it filed a median of 22 hours after the earliest report we logged.
Measured 5 November 2026. Last seen in a coverage list 4 November 2026. Ratings pulled 9 October 2026.
Other outlets rated the same way
Publishers carrying the same published leaning as Detroit Free Press, 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 Detroit Free Press 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.