Real Clear Politics media bias and reliability
The rating organisations do not give Real Clear Politics one shared verdict in the records we hold. Their published ratings are AllSides: Leans right; Ad Fontes Media: Right; Media Bias/Fact Check: Leans right. We have seen it on 56 published stories of ours.
The short answers
Is Real Clear Politics biased?
The rating organisations do not give Real Clear Politics one shared verdict in the records we hold. Their published ratings are AllSides: Leans right; Ad Fontes Media: Right; Media Bias/Fact Check: Leans right. An outlet rating describes a broad pattern in its output, not every article it publishes.
Is Real Clear Politics left or right?
The rating organisations do not give Real Clear Politics one shared verdict in the records we hold. Their published ratings are AllSides: Leans right; Ad Fontes Media: Right; Media Bias/Fact Check: Leans right. In the three-way grouping used on story pages, that puts it under Right.
Is Real Clear Politics reliable?
The factual-reliability assessments we hold for Real Clear Politics are Media Bias/Fact Check: High factuality. These are outlet-level assessments, not a guarantee that every report is correct.
What Real Clear Politics has been covering
Our account of each story, written from every outlet that ran it, with Real Clear Politics’s own report linked underneath.
A Government Accountability Office report found the Trump administration spent $9.5 billion on paid administrative leave for federal workers in 2025. The initiative, known as DOGE, led to a 435% increase in such leave, with an estimated $6.7 billion spent on a deferred resignation program.
Real Clear Politics reported it asDOGE Works. Let's Keep It Going (opens Real Clear Politics in a new tab)
Joe diGenova, the top prosecutor in a Justice Department probe into former officials targeting Donald Trump, has resigned. His departure followed a tense phone call with Attorney General Todd Blanche and could lead to further delays in the investigation.
Real Clear Politics reported it asWhat the Heck Is Happening in Florida? (opens Real Clear Politics in a new tab)
Ayanle Siad Barre, son of former Somali dictator Mohamed Siad Barre, is reportedly living in the Columbus, Ohio area. A company linked to his sister received over $1.8 million in Medicare funding, prompting calls for a US investigation.
Real Clear Politics reported it asSon of Somali Dictator Living in Ohio, Linked to Medicare Firm (opens Real Clear Politics in a new tab)
The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History is commemorating the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks with an exhibit of artifacts. The display includes personal items from the day, presented openly due to fragility, as museum leadership navigates political criticism.
Real Clear Politics reported it asSept. 11 Tested Us, But It Did Not Break Us (opens Real Clear Politics in a new tab)
Senator John Fetterman delivered a prerecorded video to introduce Republican Senator Dave McCormick at the Republican National Committee's midterm convention in Dallas, then affirmed he will remain a Democrat and caucus with his party if they win the Senate. Rep. Madeleine Dean called the move a disappointing stunt and said her constituents are angry.
Real Clear Politics reported it asIs Fetterman Done as a Democrat? (opens Real Clear Politics in a new tab)
Two protesters were arrested outside the Republican National Committee's midterm convention in Dallas. Mounted police and officers in riot gear were deployed as demonstrators marched near the venue. Organisers estimated up to 10,000 people would attend separate rallies.
Real Clear Politics reported it asTrump and the GOP Take Their Midterm Show to Dallas (opens Real Clear Politics in a new tab)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has excluded two measles-associated deaths reported by Pennsylvania from its latest weekly update. The agency stated the decision was made pending further investigation into the cause of the deaths.
Real Clear Politics reported it asPower-Hungry Josh Shapiro Owes RFK, Jr. an Apology (opens Real Clear Politics in a new tab)
William Lawrence, the Democratic nominee for Michigan's 7th Congressional District, deleted hundreds of old social media posts. The posts included calls for police and prison abolition, nationalizing fossil-fuel companies, and attacking moderate Democrats. Lawrence has since stated some of his past views are out of step with his current beliefs.
Real Clear Politics reported it asSwing-Seat Dem Deletes Posts on 'World Without Police' (opens Real Clear Politics in a new tab)
Beverly Vance Aikins, mother of U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, said she would “probably punch” Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El‑Sayed and called him an “idiot” after he criticised her son’s family on Fox News and Tomi Lahren’s show.
Real Clear Politics reported it asVance's Mom Takes On El-Sayed: 'That Man's an Idiot' (opens Real Clear Politics in a new tab)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has excluded two measles-associated deaths reported by Pennsylvania from its latest weekly update. The agency stated the decision was made pending further investigation into the cause of the deaths.
Real Clear Politics reported it asGov. Shapiro's Cynical Move and the Truth About Measles (opens Real Clear Politics in a new tab)
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer plans to introduce a bill to stop President Donald Trump's latest tariffs on Canadian goods. The legislation, described as largely symbolic, aims to repeal a 50% tariff and duties related to forced labour. Canada plans retaliatory measures.
Real Clear Politics reported it asSchumer Takes Aim at Trump's Tariffs With New Bill (opens Real Clear Politics in a new tab)
Donald Trump has threatened to report NBC News anchor Kristen Welker to the Federal Communications Commission. The president took issue with Welker's characterisation of his primary endorsements as having 'mixed results'. NBC News has publicly defended its anchor.
Real Clear Politics reported it asTrump Sics FCC on NBC's Welker Over Offhand Comment (opens Real Clear Politics in a new tab)
Vice President JD Vance told Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed to stop mentioning his wife, Usha Vance, during a campaign rally. Vance also accused El-Sayed of promoting a divisive ideology.
Real Clear Politics reported it asJD Vance: Abdul El-Sayed "Has A Weird Habit Of Talking About My Family" (opens Real Clear Politics in a new tab)
A New York prosecutor sent an agency-wide email alleging he was directed to target Donald Trump and affiliated organisations without credible reasons. The email was later deleted from servers and employee inboxes. The Attorney General's office called it a personnel matter and denied political targeting.
Real Clear Politics reported it asWhistleblower Lays Bare Letitia James' Abuses of Power (opens Real Clear Politics in a new tab)
New York Attorney General Letitia James' office is investigating a police shooting that occurred after Pamela Cisneros fatally stabbed Bank of America executive Erin Piacenti. The incident has sparked criticism from a Republican candidate who argues the focus should be on mental health failures.
Real Clear Politics reported it asWhistleblower Lays Bare Letitia James' Abuses of Power (opens Real Clear Politics in a new tab)
Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed has faced questions regarding his association with streamer Hasan Piker, who has been involved in an antisemitism controversy. El-Sayed has tried to downplay his connection to Piker, but was pressed on the issue during an interview.
Real Clear Politics reported it asEl-Sayed on Hasan Piker: "If folks want to make this about a streamer in California, they're welcome to do that" (opens Real Clear Politics in a new tab)
A CNN poll indicates that 53% of Republicans consider Donald Trump the most admired Republican president. The results place him significantly ahead of Ronald Reagan and Abraham Lincoln, with Trump also linked to a recent primary victory.
Real Clear Politics reported it asEnten: Trump Is The Most Admired President Among ... - RealClearPolitics (opens Real Clear Politics in a new tab)
New York's new law prohibits local police from cooperating with ICE on civil immigration enforcement, with exceptions for proven crimes. However, some counties are challenging the law with a lawsuit, and a federal grant program is reportedly funding border security assistance.
Real Clear Politics reported it asHochul's Ban on Cops Working With ICE an Attack on Public Safety (opens Real Clear Politics in a new tab)
Former Anchorage Mayor Dan A. Sullivan has endorsed incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan, urging voters to distinguish him from another candidate named Dan J. Sullivan. The latter is accused by critics of being a 'Decoy Dan' intended to confuse voters in the competitive race.
Real Clear Politics reported it asAlaska Is What a Rigged Election Looks Like (opens Real Clear Politics in a new tab)
Enes Kanter Freedom was ejected from a WNBA game between the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky after a confrontation with Sky guard Natasha Cloud. Freedom, who declared himself eligible for the WNBA draft identifying as a woman, was wearing a shirt with a definition of 'woman'.
Real Clear Politics reported it asDefinitional Lunacy: WNBA Banishes Freedom In Every Sense (opens Real Clear Politics 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.
Mixed factuality
- Media Bias/Fact CheckhighCheck it
Who owns it
We hold no ownership record for Real Clear Politics.
Where it publishes from
- Publishes from
- Northbrook, Cook County, Illinois, United States
- Official site
- realclearpolitics.com
- Seen publishing on
- realclearpolitics.com
- Access
- Free to read
- Wikipedia
- Entry
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
- 56
- Reports listed
- 58
- We could read
- 0
- First seen
- 3 August 2026
58 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 12 of those stories, outlets rated right were largely absent from the coverage and Real Clear Politics ran the story anyway.
Across the 56 stories of ours where at least three of the reports we listed carried a time, we logged no report earlier than Real Clear Politics’s on 2 of them. Overall it filed a median of 29 hours after the earliest report we logged.
Measured 18 September 2026. Last seen in a coverage list 18 September 2026. Ratings pulled 3 September 2026.
Other outlets rated the same way
Publishers carrying the same published leaning as Real Clear Politics, 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 Real Clear Politics 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.