The Economist media bias and reliability
The rating organisations do not give The Economist one shared verdict in the records we hold. Their published ratings are AllSides: Leans left; Ad Fontes Media: Centre; Media Bias/Fact Check: Centre. We have seen it on 37 published stories of ours.
The short answers
Is The Economist biased?
The rating organisations do not give The Economist one shared verdict in the records we hold. Their published ratings are AllSides: Leans left; Ad Fontes Media: Centre; Media Bias/Fact Check: Centre. An outlet rating describes a broad pattern in its output, not every article it publishes.
Is The Economist left or right?
The rating organisations do not give The Economist one shared verdict in the records we hold. Their published ratings are AllSides: Leans left; Ad Fontes Media: Centre; Media Bias/Fact Check: Centre. In the three-way grouping used on story pages, that puts it under Centre.
Is The Economist reliable?
The factual-reliability assessments we hold for The Economist are Ad Fontes Media: High factuality; Media Bias/Fact Check: High factuality. These are outlet-level assessments, not a guarantee that every report is correct.
What The Economist has been covering
Our account of each story, written from every outlet that ran it, with The Economist’s own report linked underneath.
Democrats are projected to win a majority in the House of Representatives and have taken control of the Senate following the US midterm elections. The results mark a significant setback for Donald Trump and the Republican Party.
The Economist reported it asA landslide for Democrats. A rebuke to Donald Trump (opens The Economist in a new tab)
Gold prices surpassed $4,000 per ounce and silver neared $52 as the US dollar index dropped to a five-week low. Markets reacted to potential Democratic control of Congress and geopolitical tensions.
The Economist reported it asA landslide for Democrats. A rebuke to Donald Trump (opens The Economist in a new tab)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Moscow for talks, with assurances of safety. Ukrainian officials confirmed Zelensky's readiness for a meeting and a partial ceasefire, though they noted Russia's continued attacks.
The Economist reported it asWorld in Brief: Nordic leaders speak with Putin ... (opens The Economist in a new tab)
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has secured a fourth term as Brazil's president, defeating right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro challenged the election results, while international leaders congratulated Lula on his victory and commitment to democracy.
The Economist reported it asLula, the great survivor, makes history (opens The Economist in a new tab)
Asian stock markets saw a significant rise following Anthropic's initial public offering filing, which disclosed strong revenue growth alongside substantial losses. Meta Platforms' large equity fundraising also contributed to the positive sentiment.
The Economist reported it asDon’t expect supersize profits from Anthropic soon (opens The Economist in a new tab)
China's Communist Party began its Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee in Beijing on October 26. President Xi Jinping opened the meeting, which is scheduled to last four days and focuses on enhancing party discipline and self-governance.
The Economist reported it asChina’s leaders gather for the fifth plenum (opens The Economist in a new tab)
Benjamin Netanyahu posted an AI-generated image depicting a nuclear explosion over Tel Aviv, warning that a loss in the upcoming election could lead to a 'Second Holocaust'. The post, which included text from a right-wing activist, drew criticism from opposition leaders.
The Economist reported it asPolitics, not strategy, could mean more Israeli strikes on Iran (opens The Economist in a new tab)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted an AI-generated image of an atomic bomb over Tel Aviv, warning of Iran's nuclear ambitions. The post, made two days before an election, also suggested domestic political issues were distractions from the threat. It drew criticism from a political opponent.
The Economist reported it asPolitics, not strategy, could mean more Israeli strikes on Iran (opens The Economist in a new tab)
Weekend unrest in France left roughly 3,000 shops damaged and could generate claims exceeding €13 billion. Authorities launched a digital tool to identify looters, and insurers prepared to assist, though coverage may be limited.
The Economist reported it asFrance braces for more clashes (opens The Economist in a new tab)
Vladimir Putin proposed a summit with Donald Trump and Xi Jinping to discuss the Ukraine conflict. The Kremlin confirmed discussions are underway, but no agreement has been reached on the meeting or its agenda.
The Economist reported it asWorld in Brief: Zelensky meets Steve Witkoff; France’s “massive” security operation (opens The Economist in a new tab)
Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are reportedly travelling to Norway this week for talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is also expected to attend the tentative meetings, which come as tensions rise between Washington and Kyiv.
The Economist reported it asWorld in Brief: Zelensky meets Steve Witkoff; France’s “massive” security operation (opens The Economist in a new tab)
Russia's Kremlin has called for an urgent resumption of dialogue with the United States on strategic nuclear stability, stating the world is in an unprecedented situation without a legal framework. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov also hopes for a meeting between President Putin and US envoy Steve Witkoff soon.
The Economist reported it asWorld in Brief: Zelensky meets Steve Witkoff; France’s “massive” security operation (opens The Economist in a new tab)
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended the Trump administration's record on Russia, stating no sanctions were lifted and that President Trump imposed the toughest sanctions. He noted a 60-day pause is in effect to examine the sanctions situation.
The Economist reported it asThe War Room newsletter: Ukraine’s Starlink starvation is a warning (opens The Economist in a new tab)
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that recent Ukrainian attacks on oil refineries did not cause significant damage. He also said Russia would respond to the attacks. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on European countries' "destructive position" regarding Russian diesel exports.
The Economist reported it asWorld in Brief: Ukraine resumes strikes on Russian oil (opens The Economist in a new tab)
President Donald Trump announced a deal to purchase diesel fuel from Russia following a phone call with Vladimir Putin. The US Treasury Secretary has affirmed the agreement's legality and benefit to Americans, while concerns remain regarding sanctions law.
The Economist reported it asDonald Trump is again threatening to cut off arms to Ukraine (opens The Economist in a new tab)
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has welcomed an announced energy truce between Russia and Ukraine but expressed doubt that Russia will abide by it. She stated that the truce would benefit Russia more than Ukraine and called for continued pressure on Moscow.
The Economist reported it asDonald Trump is again threatening to cut off arms to Ukraine (opens The Economist in a new tab)
US President Donald Trump stated that the Houthis in Yemen are 'behaving very badly'. He made the comments to reporters before leaving for Alaska, as a conflict escalation continues in Yemen following the breakdown of a 2022 truce.
The Economist reported it asWorld in Brief: Houthis attack Riyadh airport: Trump ... (opens The Economist in a new tab)
Donald Trump announced an agreement for Russia to supply over 300,000 tonnes of diesel immediately, with further shipments planned. Kirill Dmitriev, a Russian special representative, stated the cooperation would benefit global markets.
The Economist reported it asWorld in Brief: Trump agrees diesel deal with Putin (opens The Economist in a new tab)
The United Kingdom has introduced 38 new sanctions against Russia, targeting key sectors including oil companies, shadow fleet tankers, cryptocurrency exchanges, and suppliers of military equipment. The measures aim to restrict Russia's revenue and disrupt its ability to fund and equip its war in Ukraine.
The Economist reported it asWorld in Brief: Trump agrees diesel deal with Putin (opens The Economist in a new tab)
US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant asserted the government possesses the legal authority to proceed with a diesel deal involving Russia. He stated the agreement is intended to reduce fuel prices for American consumers.
The Economist reported it asWorld in Brief: Trump agrees diesel deal with Putin (opens The Economist 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.
High factuality
Who owns it
- The Economist Groupunknowndirect owner
- Exor (company)unknownparent group
- Agnelli familyBillionaireparent group
- Rothschild familyBillionaireparent group
- Cadbury familyBillionaireparent group
- SchrodersPrivate Equityparent group
Where it publishes from
- Publishes from
- London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom
- Official site
- economist.com
- Seen publishing on
- economist.com
- 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
- 37
- Reports listed
- 37
- We could read
- 0
- First seen
- 7 August 2026
37 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. The Economist is rated centre, so there is no side for it to be counted against and we publish no figure here.
Across the 37 stories of ours where at least three of the reports we listed carried a time, another outlet was always ahead of The Economist: its report arrived a median of 2 days after the earliest one we logged.
Measured 8 November 2026. Last seen in a coverage list 8 November 2026. Ratings pulled 10 October 2026.
Other outlets rated the same way
Publishers carrying the same published leaning as The Economist, also publishing from United Kingdom, 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 The Economist 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.