KATU media bias and reliability
The rating organisations do not give KATU one shared verdict in the records we hold. Their published ratings are AllSides: Centre; Ad Fontes Media: Centre; Media Bias/Fact Check: Leans right. We have seen it on 62 published stories of ours.
The short answers
Is KATU biased?
The rating organisations do not give KATU one shared verdict in the records we hold. Their published ratings are AllSides: Centre; Ad Fontes Media: Centre; Media Bias/Fact Check: Leans right. An outlet rating describes a broad pattern in its output, not every article it publishes.
Is KATU left or right?
The rating organisations do not give KATU one shared verdict in the records we hold. Their published ratings are AllSides: Centre; Ad Fontes Media: Centre; Media Bias/Fact Check: Leans right. In the three-way grouping used on story pages, that puts it under Centre.
Is KATU reliable?
The factual-reliability assessments we hold for KATU 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 KATU has been covering
Our account of each story, written from every outlet that ran it, with KATU’s own report linked underneath.
The United States, Denmark and Greenland plan to sign a security pact at the UN General Assembly next week. President Donald Trump says the deal gives the US permanent control over security matters, while other outlets report no sovereign US control. A joint working group will discuss future cooperation.
KATU reported it asUS, Denmark, and Greenland reach security deal giving U.S. permanent control, Trump says (opens KATU in a new tab)
Thousands of people protested outside the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Friday evening. The demonstration was against President Donald Trump's stated plans to close and potentially demolish the venue.
KATU reported it asThousands protest outside Kennedy Center, expressing concern that Trump might tear it down (opens KATU in a new tab)
Washington state House candidate Krista Perez was arrested for driving under the influence after allegedly causing a multi-vehicle collision. Police video shows her admitting to drinking wine and praying and crying in a patrol car after her arrest. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
KATU reported it asJudge finds probable cause; sets next hearing for WA House candidate’s DUI case (opens KATU 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Three supporting acts have withdrawn from Ed Sheeran's tour following the removal of rapper Macklemore.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.
KATU reported it asEd Sheeran urges Kraft to give $2M in aid amid Macklemore tour fallout (opens KATU in a new tab)
The board of the Kennedy Center voted to close the performing arts venue due to financial problems and a disagreement about naming the building after President Donald Trump. A judge had previously blocked the venue from being renamed.
KATU reported it asTrump says Kennedy Center could be 'ripped down' without recognition for repairs (opens KATU 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.
KATU reported it asSenate farm bill clears key hurdle in razor-thin vote, aided by McConnell’s return (opens KATU 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.
KATU reported it asThe fight for military advantage is increasingly moving into space (opens KATU 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.
KATU reported it asThe fight for military advantage is increasingly moving into space (opens KATU 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.
KATU reported it asTrump plans to send 40,000 bombs to Israel in $2.8 billion deal: report (opens KATU in a new tab)
US Attorney General Todd Blanche stated the FBI has new information regarding the attacker in the 2024 attempt on Donald Trump's life. Trump claimed on social media that the assassination attempt was a "Democrat plot" to remove him from the election, though investigations concluded the shooter acted alone.
KATU reported it asTrump says Butler assassination was a 'Democratic Plot' to get him out of the election (opens KATU in a new tab)
Newly released FBI documents offer further insight into Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump on July 13, 2024. The records, obtained by the Senate Judiciary Committee, include interviews with Crooks' father and describe his withdrawn personality and growing interest in weapons.
KATU reported it asTrump says Butler assassination was a 'Democratic Plot' to get him out of the election (opens KATU in a new tab)
Donald Trump alleged the assassination attempt against him in Butler, Pennsylvania, was a 'Democratic Plot' to remove him from the election. The FBI has found no connections between the suspect and others, and Trump offered no evidence for his claim.
KATU reported it asTrump says Butler assassination was a 'Democratic Plot' to get him out of the election (opens KATU in a new tab)
Donald Trump Jr.'s wedding in the Bahamas was funded by Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev, who is close to Vladimir Putin. Kremlev paid for hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses, including renting a private island. National security experts expressed alarm.
KATU reported it asDonald Trump Jr.'s wife defends wedding present given by Russian oligarch (opens KATU 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.
KATU reported it asSupreme Court rejects Trump mail ballot restrictions for now ahead of midterms (opens KATU in a new tab)
A federal judge in Washington, D.C. ordered the U.S. Postal Service not to implement President Donald Trump's executive order limiting mail balloting. The order came late Sunday, September 13, 2026, adding an obstacle to the administration's efforts to change election rules as the Supreme Court considers an appeal.
KATU reported it asSecond judge blocks Trump mail ballot rule as Supreme Court weighs appeal (opens KATU in a new tab)
California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed 13 new laws designed to shield minors from the potential harms of social media and AI chatbots. The legislation includes penalties for companies found negligent and restrictions on addictive online content.
KATU reported it asCalifornia enacts social media 'age-gating' law: 'We're all leading as parents' (opens KATU in a new tab)
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was granted access to military aircraft for his cross-country travels, including trips to campaign for Republican candidates. The White House and Department of Health and Human Services lawyers approved the plan.
KATU reported it asSecretary Kennedy used $9,000-an-hour military jet to go to campaign events: report (opens KATU in a new tab)
An American flag was unfurled at sunrise at the Pentagon to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The ceremony honored the 184 military personnel and civilians who died at the Pentagon.
KATU reported it asMassive American flag unfurls over Pentagon for 9/11 anniversary (opens KATU in a new tab)
Judicial Watch founder Larry Klayman has filed a lawsuit against streamer Hasan Piker, alleging antisemitism and incitement of violence. Klayman seeks over $150 million in damages and an injunction, citing Piker's alleged statements about Hamas and Jews.
KATU reported it asJudicial Watch founder sues Hasan Piker over alleged antisemitism, 'violence against Jews' (opens KATU in a new tab)
Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico has revised past statements regarding gender and transgender athletes. He now states he opposes transgender girls competing in sports if it compromises safety or fairness, a shift from his previous stances.
KATU reported it asTalarico backtracks controversial gender comments, pushes for Supreme Court overhaul (opens KATU 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
- Sinclair Broadcast GroupMedia 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
- 62
- Reports listed
- 62
- We could read
- 8
- First seen
- 4 August 2026
54 of those reports were paywalled or blocked to us. Our reading of this outlet is built on the 8 we could open, not on everything it published.
A blindspot is measured against one side of the spectrum. KATU is rated centre, so there is no side for it to be counted against and we publish no figure here.
Across the 62 stories of ours where at least three of the reports we listed carried a time, we logged no report earlier than KATU’s on 5 of them. Overall it filed a median of 27 hours after the earliest report we logged.
Measured 19 September 2026. Last seen in a coverage list 19 September 2026. Ratings pulled 5 September 2026.
Other outlets rated the same way
Publishers carrying the same published leaning as KATU, 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 KATU 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.