Sydney Morning Herald media bias and reliability
The rating organisations do not give Sydney Morning Herald one shared verdict in the records we hold. Their published ratings are Ad Fontes Media: Centre; Media Bias/Fact Check: Leans left. We have seen it on 113 published stories of ours.
The short answers
Is Sydney Morning Herald biased?
The rating organisations do not give Sydney Morning Herald one shared verdict in the records we hold. Their published ratings are Ad Fontes Media: Centre; Media Bias/Fact Check: Leans left. An outlet rating describes a broad pattern in its output, not every article it publishes.
Is Sydney Morning Herald left or right?
The rating organisations do not give Sydney Morning Herald one shared verdict in the records we hold. Their published ratings are Ad Fontes Media: Centre; Media Bias/Fact Check: Leans left. In the three-way grouping used on story pages, that puts it under Left.
Is Sydney Morning Herald reliable?
The factual-reliability assessments we hold for Sydney Morning Herald 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 Sydney Morning Herald has been covering
Our account of each story, written from every outlet that ran it, with Sydney Morning Herald’s own report linked underneath.
Earl Charles Spencer claims King Charles sounded 'euphoric' and 'like a lottery winner' in a phone call shortly after Princess Diana's death in 1997. Buckingham Palace has responded, stating that grief can affect memory.
Sydney Morning Herald reported it as‘Like a lottery winner’: Charles ‘elated’ after Diana’s death, her brother’s new book claims (opens Sydney Morning Herald in a new tab)
The U.S. stock market experienced a significant rally, marking its best day in six weeks. This surge was driven by falling oil prices and easing pressure from the bond market, occurring shortly after the Federal Reserve announced a quarter-percentage-point interest rate increase.
Sydney Morning Herald reported it asASX set to rise, Wall Street climbs as oil prices slide and pressure from the bond market eases (opens Sydney Morning Herald 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.
Sydney Morning Herald reported it asFed defies Trump, raises US interest rates for first time in three years (opens Sydney Morning Herald 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.
Sydney Morning Herald reported it asMassie files articles of impeachment against Hegseth (opens Sydney Morning Herald 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.
Sydney Morning Herald reported it asEd Sheeran’s US tour in chaos as supporting acts, band quit after Macklemore axed (opens Sydney Morning Herald 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.
Sydney Morning Herald reported it asUS confirms it deployed space weapons (opens Sydney Morning Herald 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.
Sydney Morning Herald reported it asUS confirms it deployed space weapons (opens Sydney Morning Herald in a new tab)
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate swore at a journalist and left a press conference after being asked about a claimed dinner with Donald Trump. The White House has contradicted Tate's assertion that he dined with the former US president.
Sydney Morning Herald reported it asGold Coast mayor swears at journalist over Trump probe (opens Sydney Morning Herald in a new tab)
A Department of Homeland Security inspector general report found that nearly 80 immigrant detainees at the 'Alligator Alcatraz' facility were held in small metal enclosures for periods ranging from several minutes to nearly two hours. The report described the enclosures as 'highly unconventional' and a risk to detainee health and safety.
Sydney Morning Herald reported it as‘Alligator Alcatraz’ put detainees in metal cages labeled ‘calming areas’ (opens Sydney Morning Herald 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.
Sydney Morning Herald reported it asMitch McConnell returns to the Senate (opens Sydney Morning Herald in a new tab)
Yemen's Houthi rebels have captured the strategic islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish in the southern Red Sea. This move strengthens their control over a vital maritime shipping route and pushes them closer to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Sydney Morning Herald reported it asKey Saudi oil pipeline out of action (opens Sydney Morning Herald 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."
Sydney Morning Herald reported it asDonald Trump dismisses AI concerns (opens Sydney Morning Herald 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.
Sydney Morning Herald reported it asDonald Trump dismisses AI concerns (opens Sydney Morning Herald in a new tab)
Saudi Arabia has shut its 1,200-kilometre East-West oil pipeline following drone attacks launched from Iraq. The closure removes a key route for oil exports, potentially impacting four percent of global supply and driving up crude prices.
Sydney Morning Herald reported it asOil shock fears back on radar as pipeline attack chokes supply (opens Sydney Morning Herald in a new tab)
NSW Police conducted a drug raid on Sydney's Oxford Street, searching 65 people and making 28 drug detections without any arrests. The operation has drawn criticism from the LGBTQ+ community and civil liberties advocates, who question the police tactics and timing.
Sydney Morning Herald reported it asSW Police raiding Oxford Street venues (opens Sydney Morning Herald in a new tab)
A Russian drone struck a train near the Ukrainian-Polish border. Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other European officials had travelled on a train that passed through the area shortly before the attack, according to reports. Poland's Prime Minister warned of intensified Russian attacks.
Sydney Morning Herald reported it asRussia hits train shortly after Boris Johnson leaves station (opens Sydney Morning Herald in a new tab)
During a visit to Dublin, President Donald Trump said he would "love" a unified Ireland and that it would happen eventually. The comment triggered unionist leaders to reject interference, while Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald called the remarks timely and urged preparation for reunification.
Sydney Morning Herald reported it asTrump doubles down on Irish unification comments (opens Sydney Morning Herald in a new tab)
An Indonesian passenger ship carrying 243 people has been reported missing after losing contact on Sunday, September 13, 2026. The vessel was travelling from Surabaya, East Java, to Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, and its last known position was in the Java Sea. Rescuers have launched a search operation.
Sydney Morning Herald reported it asRescuers searching for 140 people from Indonesian passenger ship (opens Sydney Morning Herald in a new tab)
Documents obtained by multiple outlets reveal that Atlantic Industrial Coatings admitted its own design and workmanship flaws caused the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool liner to blister and detach. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office said the damage resulted from a botched installation, and the government agreed to a $14.7 million repair payment.
Sydney Morning Herald reported it as‘Rushed’: Trump’s contractor blamed own work – not vandals – for reflecting pool debacle (opens Sydney Morning Herald 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.
Sydney Morning Herald reported it asThe world marks 25 years since 9/11 (opens Sydney Morning Herald 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
- Nine Entertainment Co. Holdings LimitedMedia Conglomeratedirect owner
Where it publishes from
- Publishes from
- North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Official site
- smh.com.au
- Seen publishing on
- smh.com.au
- 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
- 113
- Reports listed
- 116
- We could read
- 0
- First seen
- 4 August 2026
116 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 26 of those stories, outlets rated left were largely absent from the coverage and Sydney Morning Herald ran the story anyway.
Across the 113 stories of ours where at least three of the reports we listed carried a time, we logged no report earlier than Sydney Morning Herald’s on 1 of them. Overall it filed a median of 24 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 Sydney Morning Herald, also publishing from Australia, 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 Sydney Morning Herald 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.