The National media bias and reliability
Media Bias/Fact Check places The National as leaning left. We have seen it on 73 published stories of ours.
The short answers
Is The National biased?
Media Bias/Fact Check places The National as leaning left. An outlet rating describes a broad pattern in its output, not every article it publishes.
Is The National left or right?
Media Bias/Fact Check places The National as leaning left. In the three-way grouping used on story pages, that puts it under Centre.
Is The National reliable?
The factual-reliability assessments we hold for The National are Media Bias/Fact Check: High factuality. These are outlet-level assessments, not a guarantee that every report is correct.
What The National has been covering
Our account of each story, written from every outlet that ran it, with The National’s own report linked underneath.
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.
The National reported it as'Europe and Canada stronger together,' Canadian PM says amid Trump tariff threats (opens The National 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Three supporting acts have withdrawn from Ed Sheeran's tour following the removal of rapper Macklemore.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.
The National reported it asMacklemore donates $1 million of his Ed Sheeran tour earnings to Palestine after being dropped (opens The National 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.
The National reported it asHas the US Federal Reserve entered a new major tightening cycle? (opens The National in a new tab)
The global gender gap has closed by 69.2%, according to the World Economic Forum's 2026 Global Gender Gap Report. However, at the current rate of progress, full gender parity is estimated to be 120 years away, with political empowerment remaining the furthest from parity.
The National reported it asGlobal gender equality will take 120 years, says WEF (opens The National 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.
The National reported it asAll of Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour supporting acts quit after Macklemore dropped (opens The National 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.
The National reported it asAll of Ed Sheeran's opening acts withdraw from tour in support of Macklemore over Palestine (opens The National in a new tab)
Failure to reform the World Trade Organization could reduce global GDP by approximately 10% by 2050, according to a new WTO report. The organization faces challenges from geopolitical tensions and shifts in trade dynamics.
The National reported it asFailure to reform WTO could cost global economy 10% of output by 2050 (opens The National 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.
The National reported it asBoris Johnson narrowly escapes Russian drone attack 'possibly meant for him' (opens The National 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.
The National reported it asOil nears $108 after Saudi Arabia shuts pipeline amid attacks (opens The National 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.
The National reported it asDonald Trump addresses Scottish independence after sparking Irish reunification row (opens The National in a new tab)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has voiced confidence in the upcoming BRICS Summit, anticipating positive and meaningful discussions on global welfare. Leaders from member and partner nations are set to attend the event in Delhi.
The National reported it asSheikh Khaled bin Mohamed meets Russia's Putin as Brics summit wraps up in New Delhi (opens The National 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.
The National reported it asUnionists fume as Donald Trump triggers row with backing for united Ireland (opens The National in a new tab)
President Donald Trump is visiting his golf resort in Doonbeg, Ireland, for the Irish Open. His trip includes planned meetings with Irish leaders and is met with objections from lawyers and planned protests.
The National reported it asProtests planned as Donald Trump set to touch down in Ireland (opens The National in a new tab)
Irish police have successfully mitigated drone use at recent security events. The measures come as the country prepares for the arrival of US President Donald Trump and amid concerns over drone technology following an incident in Germany.
The National reported it asDrones ‘mitigated’ during recent security events, Irish police say (opens The National in a new tab)
The Venice Film Festival has added 'NAZA,' a documentary directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, to its main competition. The film, produced by The Guardian and filmmakers behind 'The Zone of Interest,' examines the civilian impact of the Israel-Hamas war.
The National reported it asNaza review: Israeli testimonies expose machinery of killing in Gaza (opens The National in a new tab)
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, has warned that artificial intelligence poses an 'existential' risk to humanity. He called for immediate action and 'cast-iron guarantees' to ensure AI safety and security, citing potential disruptions to critical infrastructure and democratic institutions.
The National reported it asAI researcher quits job warning companies are 'gambling with our lives' (opens The National in a new tab)
Jacob Coxon has resigned from AI company Anthropic, warning that the rapid development of artificial intelligence poses an existential threat to humanity. His departure and warnings have been reported across several outlets, highlighting concerns about AI safety and the race for superintelligence.
The National reported it asAI researcher quits job warning companies are 'gambling with our lives' (opens The National in a new tab)
Jacob Coxon, a researcher formerly with OpenAI and Anthropic, has resigned, stating that leading AI developers are acting irresponsibly and "gambling with our lives." His departure has drawn comparisons to the Skynet scenario from the Terminator film.
The National reported it asAI researcher quits job warning companies are 'gambling with our lives' (opens The National in a new tab)
A 27-year-old British researcher, Jacob Coxon, has resigned from Anthropic and the AI industry, citing concerns over the rapid, irresponsible development of self-improving superintelligence. He fears this race poses a significant risk to humanity, with some reports suggesting an existential threat by the end of the decade.
The National reported it asAI researcher quits job warning companies are 'gambling with our lives' (opens The National in a new tab)
An Anthropic researcher has warned of a greater than 10% chance of AI causing human extinction in the next ten years. The warning follows a colleague's resignation over concerns about reckless AI development.
The National reported it asAI researcher quits job warning companies are 'gambling with our lives' (opens The National in a new tab)
Who says so
One organisation has published a rating for this outlet. Where they disagree, the disagreement is the useful part and it is left standing.
- Media Bias/Fact CheckleanLeftCheck it
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
- Media Bias/Fact CheckhighCheck it
Who owns it
- Newsquestunknowndirect owner
- GannettMedia Conglomerateparent group
Where it publishes from
- Publishes from
- Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Official site
- thenational.scot
- Seen publishing on
- thenational.scot, thenationalnews.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
- 73
- Reports listed
- 81
- We could read
- 7
- First seen
- 4 August 2026
74 of those reports were paywalled or blocked to us. Our reading of this outlet is built on the 7 we could open, not on everything it published.
A blindspot is measured against one side of the spectrum. The National is rated centre, so there is no side for it to be counted against and we publish no figure here.
Across the 73 stories of ours where at least three of the reports we listed carried a time, we logged no report earlier than The National’s on 1 of them. Overall it filed a median of 17 hours after the earliest report we logged.
Measured 18 September 2026. Last seen in a coverage list 18 September 2026. Ratings pulled 4 September 2026.
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 National 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.