L'essentiel media bias and reliability
L'essentiel is held by the ratings provider we draw on, and no rater has placed it on the political spectrum. We have seen it on 20 published stories of ours.
The short answers
Is L'essentiel biased?
L'essentiel is held by the ratings provider we draw on, and no rater has placed it on the political spectrum. An outlet rating describes a broad pattern in its output, not every article it publishes.
Is L'essentiel left or right?
L'essentiel is held by the ratings provider we draw on, and no rater has placed it on the political spectrum.
Is L'essentiel reliable?
We do not hold a factual-reliability assessment for L'essentiel. A political-leaning label would not answer that question on its own, so we do not infer reliability from left, centre or right.
What L'essentiel has been covering
Our account of each story, written from every outlet that ran it, with L'essentiel’s own report linked underneath.
President Donald Trump vetoed CNN, Politico, and MS NOW, impacting audiovisual coverage of his UN trip. In response, CBS, NBC, ABC, and Fox halted their joint television coverage of Trump, citing solidarity with the banned outlets.
L'essentiel reported it asBig TV Channels Boycott Trump in Support of CNN (opens L'essentiel in a new tab)
Russian President Vladimir Putin will deliver a televised address to the nation on September 16 at 6 p.m. Moscow time. The speech is in anticipation of the upcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled to take place from September 18 to 20. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced the president's speech.
L'essentiel reported it asUnsurprisingly, Putin's Party Wins the Legislatures (opens L'essentiel in a new tab)
Russia has begun a three-day parliamentary election, the first since the start of the war in Ukraine. Polling stations opened in the Far East, with President Vladimir Putin's party widely expected to win the 450 seats in the State Duma. Voting is also taking place in occupied Ukrainian territories.
L'essentiel reported it asUnsurprisingly, Putin's Party Wins the Legislatures (opens L'essentiel in a new tab)
The Central Council of Jews has expressed concern over the anticipated election victory of the Left Party in Berlin. President Josef Schuster stated the party lacks credibility in fighting antisemitism and urged other parties not to form a government with them.
L'essentiel reported it asThe Far Right in Sharp Progress, Even in Berlin (opens L'essentiel in a new tab)
President Donald Trump was photographed on Air Force One looking at a poster that appeared to read 'Kennedy Center DEMOLIS[HED]'. The image emerged as the Kennedy Center has been surrounded by fencing and amid a court examination of its controversial closure.
L'essentiel reported it asDestroy the Kennedy Center? Trump Seems to Be Seriously Thinking About It (opens L'essentiel in a new tab)
The U.S. Federal Reserve has raised its key interest rate by 25 basis points, marking the first such increase in over three years. The unanimous decision aims to combat inflation, and was followed by a significant drop in gold prices.
L'essentiel reported it asFed Raises Its Rates Despite Donald Trump's Opposition (opens L'essentiel 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.
L'essentiel reported it asTrump Sings the Kennedy Center to the End (opens L'essentiel in a new tab)
A 25-year-old man died and his 26-year-old wife is missing following a collision between their fishing boat and a water taxi in Venice. The couple had been married for three months.
L'essentiel reported it as"I only Heard the Shock, Gabriella, I Didn't See It" (opens L'essentiel in a new tab)
A former Google DeepMind employee has joined a growing chorus of AI researchers warning that artificial intelligence could pose an existential threat to humanity. Bilal Chughtai stated that time may be running out to avoid this outcome.
L'essentiel reported it as"L的IA Has the Potential to Kill Us All," Says an Ex-Google (opens L'essentiel in a new tab)
Donald Trump confirmed he uses artificial intelligence but declined to specify how, stating only that it can be used for "a lot of things." He also commented on the technology's future, saying "whoever wins in artificial intelligence wins."
L'essentiel reported it as"A Cunning President Is the only Guard Needed Against AI" (opens L'essentiel in a new tab)
Donald Trump has rejected calls for new regulations on artificial intelligence, stating that the U.S. government already possesses adequate power to control AI firms. He described efforts to implement guardrails as a "sick conspiracy" that could cede technological leadership to China.
L'essentiel reported it as"A Cunning President Is the only Guard Needed Against AI" (opens L'essentiel in a new tab)
A fire broke out at an oil refinery in Russia's Yaroslavl region following a Ukrainian drone attack. The fire was extinguished, and regional officials reported that 65 drones were shot down over the area.
L'essentiel reported it asAfter All, Trump Attacks Zelensky: "He Causes a Shortage!" (opens L'essentiel in a new tab)
King Harald's coffin was transported from the National Hospital to the Royal Palace in Oslo on Friday evening. Thousands of people lined the streets to witness the procession, which was accompanied by the royal family. The coffin will remain at the palace until the funeral.
L'essentiel reported it asThe Funeral of King Harald Scheduled for 9 September (opens L'essentiel in a new tab)
Eight South Koreans working on a hydropower plant project are missing and 10 others are stranded after a flash flood in Nepal. South Korea's Foreign Ministry has established a task force and plans to send a response team to the affected Rasuwa district.
L'essentiel reported it as95 Dead and Hundreds of Missing Tourists in Nepal (opens L'essentiel in a new tab)
A 24-year-old Nepali labourer survived a flash flood by clinging to a mango tree after being swept away by a torrent of mud and rock. The disaster has killed at least 150 people and left hundreds missing in Nepal.
L'essentiel reported it as95 Dead and Hundreds of Missing Tourists in Nepal (opens L'essentiel in a new tab)
A cardiologist who treated Dick Cheney has questioned Donald Trump’s health in a New York Times op-ed, citing bruises, leg swelling and undisclosed medical imaging. The White House dismissed concerns as ‘cherry-picked screenshots’, while a Democratic congressman proposes an independent medical commission under the 25th Amendment.
L'essentiel reported it as"Trump Sometimes Seemed Sick": a Cardiologist Wants the Truth (opens L'essentiel in a new tab)
USS Abraham Lincoln crew endure record deployment amid food shortages and mental health crisis
Trust 96The USS Abraham Lincoln has spent over 250 days at sea without docking, the longest continuous deployment on record. Reports describe food shortages, malfunctioning toilets and sailors attempting to jump overboard. Congressional Democrats have demanded an explanation from the defence secretary.
L'essentiel reported it asThe Attempted Suicide, the Hidden Face of Lincoln's Aircraft Carrier (opens L'essentiel in a new tab)
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the disputed Kuril Islands on 13 August 2026, prompting Japan to summon Russia’s ambassador. The US ambassador to Tokyo reaffirmed support for Japan’s sovereignty over the islands, while Russia insisted the visit was not open to foreign discussion.
L'essentiel reported it asPutin's Visit to a Disputed Territory, Japan's Anger (opens L'essentiel in a new tab)
Scott Jennings, a CNN contributor and former Bush adviser, is the early frontrunner to replace outgoing White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, though multiple sources say the selection process remains open. Chief of Staff Susie Wiles met Jennings at a Washington steakhouse, but other names, including Natalie Harp, are also under consideration.
L'essentiel reported it asTrump Politely Turns His Spokesman Karoline Leavitt (opens L'essentiel in a new tab)
Serbia's football association withdrew support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino's re-election bid, joining European opposition after FIFA's failed $4.2 billion tournament stake sale. The reversal came 70 days after Serbia initially backed Infantino, with the association calling for new leadership to restore trust in global football governance.
L'essentiel reported it asFigo Describes Infantino as "Smug, Sneaky and Selfish" (opens L'essentiel in a new tab)
Who says so
No rating organisation we draw on has placed L'essentiel. We asked on 9 September 2026.
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.
We hold no factual-reliability rating for this outlet.
Who owns it
We hold no ownership record for L'essentiel.
Where it publishes from
- Publishes from
- Luxembourg
- Official site
- lessentiel.lu
- Seen publishing on
- lessentiel.lu
- 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
- 20
- Reports listed
- 20
- We could read
- 0
- First seen
- 6 August 2026
20 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.
A blindspot is measured against one side of the spectrum. L'essentiel has not been placed on the spectrum, so there is no side to count against and we publish no figure here.
Across the 20 stories of ours where at least three of the reports we listed carried a time, another outlet was always ahead of L'essentiel: its report arrived a median of 29 hours after the earliest one we logged.
Measured 23 September 2026. Last seen in a coverage list 23 September 2026. Ratings pulled 9 September 2026.
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What we are responsible for is everything else: the ownership chain, where L'essentiel 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.