The Root media bias and reliability
The rating organisations do not give The Root one shared verdict in the records we hold. Their published ratings are AllSides: Leans left; Ad Fontes Media: Left; Media Bias/Fact Check: Left. We have seen it on 18 published stories of ours.
The short answers
Is The Root biased?
The rating organisations do not give The Root one shared verdict in the records we hold. Their published ratings are AllSides: Leans left; Ad Fontes Media: Left; Media Bias/Fact Check: Left. An outlet rating describes a broad pattern in its output, not every article it publishes.
Is The Root left or right?
The rating organisations do not give The Root one shared verdict in the records we hold. Their published ratings are AllSides: Leans left; Ad Fontes Media: Left; Media Bias/Fact Check: Left. In the three-way grouping used on story pages, that puts it under Left.
Is The Root reliable?
The factual-reliability assessments we hold for The Root are Media Bias/Fact Check: High factuality. These are outlet-level assessments, not a guarantee that every report is correct.
What The Root has been covering
Our account of each story, written from every outlet that ran it, with The Root’s own report linked underneath.
Vice President JD Vance's antifraud task force is removing hundreds of thousands of enrollments from the Affordable Care Act's public exchanges. The action targets 760,000 individual accounts for allegedly unauthorized and fraudulent applications, with an estimated $2.2 billion in taxpayer funds expected to be saved.
The Root reported it asExpert Breaks Down Trump’s Obamacare Fraud Crackdown—and Who Could Get Caught Up in It (opens The Root in a new tab)
Converse has removed a social media advertisement featuring K-pop singer Karina after critics said the imagery evoked racist symbols, including those associated with the Ku Klux Klan and lynching. The company issued an apology, stating they understood why the image was upsetting and had made a mistake.
The Root reported it asConverse Pulls Ad Over KKK and Lynching Imagery Backlash (opens The Root in a new tab)
In the Lindsay Clancy murder trial, juror Michael P. Desronvil was the sole holdout against an insanity acquittal, leading to an 11‑1 deadlock and a mistrial declared by Judge William Sullivan. Desronvil maintains prosecutors proved Clancy knowingly killed her three children.
The Root reported it asWho is Michael Desronvil, the Juror at the Center of the Lindsay Clancy Mistrial? (opens The Root in a new tab)
The juror who prevented a unanimous verdict in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial has hired Edward Paltzik, an attorney who previously represented Donald Trump. The juror stated he had no doubts about Clancy's guilt based on the evidence presented.
The Root reported it asWho is Michael Desronvil, the Juror at the Center of the Lindsay Clancy Mistrial? (opens The Root in a new tab)
The Trump administration proposed changes to the U.S. census that would count only citizens and permanent residents, potentially excluding millions and reshaping political representation and federal funding. The changes could also eliminate demographic questions.
The Root reported it asWhat a New 2030 Census Proposal Could Mean for Representation and Civil Rights (opens The Root in a new tab)
Jamaica is to file a petition with King Charles III seeking legal guidance on slavery reparations. The petition asks the King to refer three questions to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council concerning the legality of slavery and the UK's obligation. The delegation will also discuss the repatriation of cultural artefacts.
The Root reported it asJamaica Takes Push for Reparations Straight to King Charles III (opens The Root in a new tab)
The House of Representatives voted to adopt a resolution condemning socialism and the Democratic Socialists of America. The measure passed largely along party lines, though eight Democrats joined Republicans in support. The resolution also included language backing President Trump’s priority voting rights legislation.
The Root reported it asWho Are the Democrats Who Joined Republicans to Condemn Socialism? (opens The Root in a new tab)
A 20-year-old Haitian student died by suicide in Springfield, Ohio, after his Temporary Protected Status was terminated. An advocacy group stated the decision to end TPS contributed to his death.
The Root reported it asHaitian Immigrant’s Tragic Death Shines a Light on the Human Cost of Ending Temporary Protected Status (opens The Root in a new tab)
Thousands of protesters are expected on the National Mall for the "Defend the Vote" March on Washington, organized by the Rev. Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III. The event follows a Supreme Court decision that reinterpreted the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The Root reported it asWhat the March on Washington 2026 Means to Young Black Voters (opens The Root in a new tab)
An August 2026 appeal hearing for Karmelo Anthony, convicted of murdering 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a Texas high school track meet, revealed text messages in which Anthony fantasised about stabbing someone and a photo of a knife. Prosecutors and defence had agreed to omit character evidence, including Metcalf’s juvenile record, from the original trial.
The Root reported it asWhat Jurors Didn’t Hear in the Karmelo Anthony Case (opens The Root in a new tab)
The US Navy is reviewing plans to rename a Ford-class aircraft carrier currently designated USS Doris Miller, a Black sailor recognised for heroism at Pearl Harbor. Sources say internal discussions include honouring Donald Trump, which would be unprecedented for a sitting president.
The Root reported it asU.S. Navy Considers Renaming USS Doris Miller After Trump (opens The Root in a new tab)
Ghent University suspended Nathan Cofnas, a researcher who accused the late Cambridge professor Jason Arday of plagiarism, after opening a disciplinary inquiry. Cofnas, who describes himself as a 'race realist', was previously dismissed from Cambridge in 2024. Arday died in mid-August amid the allegations.
The Root reported it asAcademic Who Accused Jason Arday of Plagiarism is Suspended (opens The Root in a new tab)
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are moving back to the United Kingdom after six years in the US, but will not resume their roles as working royals. Their children will attend British schools from September, and King Charles III was informed of the decision on 16 August 2026.
The Root reported it asBlack TikTok Reacts to Harry & Meghan's Move to England (opens The Root in a new tab)
Surrogate McKenna West sued for $100,000 after refusing abortion for baby with heart condition
Trust 58A nurse from Alaska who carried a baby for a California couple is being sued for over $100,000 after refusing to terminate the pregnancy when the fetus was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect. The biological parents allege breach of contract, while the surrogate says she acted to protect the child’s life. A Texas court will hear custody and parentage disputes on 25 August.
The Root reported it as$100K Lawsuit Adds New Chapter to Bitter Surrogacy Fight (opens The Root in a new tab)
A surrogate mother in Texas refused an abortion request for a baby diagnosed with a heart defect, leading to a custody battle. The intended parents are suing for breach of contract, while Texas law grants parentage to the birth mother.
The Root reported it as$100K Lawsuit Adds New Chapter to Bitter Surrogacy Fight (opens The Root in a new tab)
Oprah Winfrey has responded to criticism over her role in launching the careers of Dr. Phil McGraw and Dr. Mehmet Oz, both now prominent Trump allies. She stated their political paths are unrelated to her, citing their expertise at the time she featured them on her show.
The Root reported it asOprah Addresses Backlash Over Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz (opens The Root in a new tab)
A baby diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome was born in Texas after his surrogate mother refused the biological parents' request for an abortion. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton secured a court order requiring hospitals to provide life-saving care, while the parents and surrogate fight over custody and medical decisions.
The Root reported it asA Black Surrogate Fights For Bodily Autonomy in High-Stakes Legal Battle (opens The Root in a new tab)
Alabama voters in four congressional districts cast ballots in special primaries on 11 August 2026 after Governor Kay Ivey postponed the contests following a U.S. Supreme Court decision. The new map, effective in 2027, eliminates one of the state’s two majority-Black districts, altering electoral dynamics.
The Root reported it asAs Alabama Heads to the Polls For a Second Primary, Organizers Want to Keep Black Voters Engaged (opens The Root 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
- Watering Hole MediaBillionairedirect owner
Where it publishes from
- Publishes from
- New York, New York, United States
- Official site
- theroot.com
- Seen publishing on
- theroot.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
- 18
- Reports listed
- 18
- We could read
- 2
- First seen
- 12 August 2026
16 of those reports were paywalled or blocked to us. Our reading of this outlet is built on the 2 we could open, not on everything it published.
On 8 of those stories, outlets rated left were largely absent from the coverage and The Root ran the story anyway.
Across the 18 stories of ours where at least three of the reports we listed carried a time, another outlet was always ahead of The Root: its report arrived a median of 30 hours after the earliest one we logged.
Measured 26 September 2026. Last seen in a coverage list 26 September 2026. Ratings pulled 11 September 2026.
Other outlets rated the same way
Publishers carrying the same published leaning as The Root, 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 The Root 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.