KPBS media bias and reliability
Ad Fontes Media places KPBS in the centre. We have seen it on 101 published stories of ours.
The short answers
Is KPBS biased?
Ad Fontes Media places KPBS in the centre. An outlet rating describes a broad pattern in its output, not every article it publishes.
Is KPBS left or right?
Ad Fontes Media places KPBS in the centre. In the three-way grouping used on story pages, that puts it under Centre.
Is KPBS reliable?
The factual-reliability assessments we hold for KPBS are Ad Fontes Media: Very high factuality. These are outlet-level assessments, not a guarantee that every report is correct.
What KPBS has been covering
Our account of each story, written from every outlet that ran it, with KPBS’s own report linked underneath.
Italian health authorities have reported over 650 West Nile virus infections this year, representing about half of Europe's total cases. Experts attribute the rise to a warming climate, which extends mosquito breeding seasons and virus survival.
KPBS reported it asAs Europe warms, Italy sees West Nile virus spread (opens KPBS in a new tab)
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.
KPBS reported it asUS and Denmark reach deal to build US military presence in Greenland (opens KPBS in a new tab)
California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed an executive order mandating state agencies to develop recommendations for strengthening AI safety laws. The order calls for a team of experts to propose new regulations within two months, potentially including a 'kill switch' for AI programs.
KPBS reported it asNewsom orders California agencies to develop new AI safety plans after rejecting tougher law (opens KPBS in a new tab)
President Donald Trump reportedly had a heated exchange with Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty during a Kennedy Center board call. A federal judge blocked attempts to add Trump's name to the building, a decision the Justice Department has appealed.
KPBS reported it asTrump threatens to tear down the Kennedy Center, as legal battle continues (opens KPBS in a new tab)
Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong Blocks Warrantless Immigration Arrests in Southern California
Trust 42U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong has blocked immigration officers from making warrantless arrests in Southern California unless they determine a person is likely to escape. The order applies to the Central District of California and follows a lawsuit by immigrant advocacy groups.
KPBS reported it asJudge: Immigration agents must stop the way they’re conducting warrantless arrests (opens KPBS in a new tab)
The US House of Representatives has passed a bill that could allow President Donald Trump to impose up to 100% tariffs on countries buying Russian oil. India's Ministry of External Affairs stated the nation will take necessary steps to protect its trade and economic interests.
KPBS reported it asHouse passes Russia sanctions, sending bill named for Lindsey Graham to Trump's desk (opens KPBS in a new tab)
The U.S. House Oversight Committee voted to recommend holding billionaire Leon Black in contempt of Congress for defying subpoenas in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Reports differ on whether the vote was unanimous, and Black's lawyers denounced the resolution as a complete abomination.
KPBS reported it asHouse holds billionaire Leon Black in contempt of Congress (opens KPBS in a new tab)
The Trump administration plans to erect signs outside the National Museum of American History. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum is overseeing the initiative, which aims to warn visitors about perceived ideological bias within the museum's presentations.
KPBS reported it asTrump administration plans ideological warning signs for Smithsonian (opens KPBS 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.
KPBS reported it asU.S. acknowledges for the first time that it has deployed weapons in space (opens KPBS 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.
KPBS reported it asU.S. acknowledges for the first time that it has deployed weapons in space (opens KPBS in a new tab)
A federal judge has blocked the Department of Homeland Security from issuing further warning notices to David Streever. Streever had sent an email to the former acting director of ICE comparing him to a Nazi. The judge ruled the warning notice likely violated Streever's First Amendment rights.
KPBS reported it asJudge blocks DHS from acting against a man over a harsh email to an ICE official (opens KPBS 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.
KPBS reported it asKennedy Center board votes to close it, as judge again keeps Trump's name off (opens KPBS 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.
KPBS reported it asRepublican Rep. Massie moves to impeach Defense Secretary Hegseth over Iran war (opens KPBS in a new tab)
Lithuanian Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas announced that an explosive device was found on a drone shot down over Lithuania and has been neutralized. The drone had entered Lithuanian airspace from Belarus and was downed by Italian fighter jets.
KPBS reported it asNATO jets shoot down a drone in Lithuanian airspace (opens KPBS 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.
KPBS reported it asSupreme Court rejects Trump mail ballot restrictions for now ahead of midterms (opens KPBS 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.
KPBS reported it asThe Supreme Court rejects Trump's mail voting restrictions for this year's midterms (opens KPBS 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.
KPBS reported it asMitch McConnell returns to Senate after fall that led to an extended medical absence (opens KPBS 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.
KPBS reported it asTexas landowners sue federal government over border wall plans (opens KPBS 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.
KPBS reported it asFederal agents may have broken state laws in voter fraud hunt, whistleblower claims (opens KPBS in a new tab)
The Environmental Protection Agency is set to repeal rules limiting greenhouse gas emissions from coal and natural gas power plants. Administrator Lee Zeldin stated the move could save billions for the industry and boost American energy.
KPBS reported it asTrump's EPA repeals pollution limits on fossil fuel power plants (opens KPBS in a new tab)
Who says so
One organisation has published a rating for this outlet. Where they disagree, the disagreement is the useful part and it is left standing.
- Ad Fontes MediacenterCheck it
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
- Ad Fontes MediaveryHighCheck it
Who owns it
- San Diego State UniversityOtherdirect owner
- California State UniversityOtherparent group
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
- 101
- Reports listed
- 104
- We could read
- 5
- First seen
- 4 August 2026
99 of those reports were paywalled or blocked to us. Our reading of this outlet is built on the 5 we could open, not on everything it published.
A blindspot is measured against one side of the spectrum. KPBS is rated centre, so there is no side for it to be counted against and we publish no figure here.
Across the 101 stories of ours where at least three of the reports we listed carried a time, we logged no report earlier than KPBS’s on 3 of them. Overall it filed a median of 22 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 KPBS, 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 KPBS 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.