Spiegel media bias and reliability
Ad Fontes Media and Media Bias/Fact Check place Spiegel as leaning left. We have seen it on 218 published stories of ours.
The short answers
Is Spiegel biased?
Ad Fontes Media and Media Bias/Fact Check place Spiegel as leaning left. An outlet rating describes a broad pattern in its output, not every article it publishes.
Is Spiegel left or right?
Ad Fontes Media and Media Bias/Fact Check place Spiegel as leaning left. In the three-way grouping used on story pages, that puts it under Left.
Is Spiegel reliable?
The factual-reliability assessments we hold for Spiegel 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 Spiegel has been covering
Our account of each story, written from every outlet that ran it, with Spiegel’s own report linked underneath.
The UN Human Rights Office documented 1,004 cases of sexual violence in Ukraine between February 2022 and July 2026. The report, based on interviews with hundreds of victims, attributes 89% of cases to Russian authorities and 11% to Ukrainian authorities.
Spiegel reported it asPutin's War in Ukraine: Uno Report Documents More than a Thousand Cases of Sexual Violence (opens Spiegel in a new tab)
Researchers have identified a new wild cat species, Leopardus tilcayo, in Bolivia's Yungas forest. The small feline, measuring about 45-46 cm and weighing 1.4 kg, is the first new wild cat species described in more than 100 years.
Spiegel reported it asNew Cat Species Discovered in Bolivia: Allowed, Leopardus Tilcayo (opens Spiegel in a new tab)
RTL Deutschland and Sky plan to eliminate approximately 500 jobs by the end of 2027, following RTL Group's acquisition of Sky Deutschland. The majority of these cuts are anticipated in 2026, as the companies aim to achieve significant annual synergies.
Spiegel reported it asRTL Group Removes About 500 Posts (opens Spiegel in a new tab)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to address the European Parliament. This follows a proposal by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for Canada to become the EU's first associate member, a move US President Donald Trump has criticised.
Spiegel reported it asCarney's Speech to the EU Parliament: Canada Is Open to the Idea of an EU Special Membership (opens Spiegel in a new tab)
A major scientific report indicates Greenland and Antarctica have lost between 11.3 and 12.5 trillion tons of ice since 1979. This loss has contributed to a global sea level rise of approximately 3 to 3.14 centimeters, primarily driven by accelerated glacier flow into the ocean.
Spiegel reported it asRising Sea Level: Earth's Large Ice Sheets Have Lost More than Eleven Trillion Tons Since 1979 (opens Spiegel in a new tab)
Global freshwater reserves have fallen significantly, with the World Meteorological Organization reporting 2025 as one of the driest years for river flows in 35 years. The UN warns the water cycle is becoming more unpredictable, potentially exacerbated by El Niño.
Spiegel reported it as(S+) New Uno Report: Soil Is Losing Water – and Agriculture Is Intensifying the Crisis (opens Spiegel in a new tab)
Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs or halt trade with the European Union if Canada is granted associate membership. He described the prospect as 'laughable' and a 'hostile act', while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed a desire for Canada to be the bloc's first associate member.
Spiegel reported it asBecause of Rapprochement with Canada: Trump Threatens the EU with "Very High Tariffs" and a Trade Stop (opens Spiegel 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.
Spiegel reported it asPutin's War in Ukraine: US Congress Adopts Law on Sanctions Against Russia (opens Spiegel 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.
Spiegel reported it asUS Federal Reserve Fed Raises Key Interest Rate for the First Time Since 2023 (opens Spiegel in a new tab)
Military leaders from the US, Israel, and eight Arab countries convened in Germany last week for a closed-door meeting. Organized by CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper, the summit focused on security cooperation in the Middle East, particularly concerning Iran and Houthi actions in Yemen.
Spiegel reported it asMedia Report: US to Have Invited Israel and Seven Arab States to Undercover Meetings in Germany (opens Spiegel 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.
Spiegel reported it as(S+) Midterms: Trump Loses in Court, His Attack on the Election Continues (opens Spiegel in a new tab)
Russian Major General Anton Grunis has been killed in Ukraine, according to Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces. Grunis commanded the 4th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade and had reported to Vladimir Putin about the alleged capture of Konstantinovka.
Spiegel reported it asUkraine War: Russian General Anton Grinus Dead Two Weeks After Hero Worship (opens Spiegel 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.
Spiegel reported it as(S+) Ed Sheeran and Macklemore: What's Behind the Tour Scandal? (opens Spiegel in a new tab)
A Pakistan Navy vessel collided with an Indian Navy warship in the North Arabian Sea on September 15, 2026. India lodged a strong protest, citing a violation of a 1991 agreement on advance notice of military exercises. The incident occurred in international waters and caused no major damage.
Spiegel reported it asCollision of Marine Ships – India Protests at Pakistan (opens Spiegel in a new tab)
The European Commission plans to propose a ban on social media for children under 13. Those aged 13 to 15 would have restricted access, potentially via parent-supervised 'mini-accounts'. The legislation is to be known as the 'EU Kids Act'.
Spiegel reported it asSocial Media-Bann: European Commission Wants to Ban Accounts for Children Under 13 (opens Spiegel 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.
Spiegel reported it asUS Could Soon Deliver Tens of Thousands of Heavy Bombs to Israel (opens Spiegel in a new tab)
Ursula von der Leyen plans to propose a European Security Council to coordinate responses to growing threats. The body would include EU member states alongside the UK, Canada, Norway, and Ukraine, and feature a consultation mechanism inspired by NATO's Article 4.
Spiegel reported it asThat's What Ursula Von Der Leyen Says About the Situation in the EU (opens Spiegel in a new tab)
A report documented 124 killings of land and environmental defenders worldwide in 2025. Latin America was the region with the highest number of deaths, making up 85% of the global total. Colombia and Brazil reported the most killings.
Spiegel reported it asSouth America Remains the Most Dangerous Region for Environmentalists (opens Spiegel in a new tab)
Germany and the United States have signed a letter of intent to deepen cooperation between their defense industries. The agreement, signed by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, aims to accelerate weapons production and strengthen manufacturing capacity.
Spiegel reported it as(S+) Boris Pistorius at Pete Hegseth: When the Model Student Comes, the "Minister of War" Is Friendly (opens Spiegel 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.
Spiegel reported it asEd Sheeran: All Vorbands Get Out of Tour to Macklemore-Eklat (opens Spiegel in a new tab)
Who says so
2 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
We hold no ownership record for Spiegel.
Where it publishes from
- Publishes from
- Hamburg, Germany
- Official site
- spiegel.de
- Seen publishing on
- spiegel.de
- Access
- Paywalled
- 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
- 218
- Reports listed
- 225
- We could read
- 0
- First seen
- 3 August 2026
225 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 79 of those stories, outlets rated left were largely absent from the coverage and Spiegel ran the story anyway.
Across the 218 stories of ours where at least three of the reports we listed carried a time, another outlet was always ahead of Spiegel: its report arrived a median of 25 hours after the earliest one 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 Spiegel, also publishing from Germany, 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 Spiegel 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.