WJCL media bias and reliability
Ad Fontes Media and Media Bias/Fact Check place WJCL in the centre. We have seen it on 144 published stories of ours.
The short answers
Is WJCL biased?
Ad Fontes Media and Media Bias/Fact Check place WJCL in the centre. An outlet rating describes a broad pattern in its output, not every article it publishes.
Is WJCL left or right?
Ad Fontes Media and Media Bias/Fact Check place WJCL in the centre. In the three-way grouping used on story pages, that puts it under Centre.
Is WJCL reliable?
The factual-reliability assessments we hold for WJCL 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 WJCL has been covering
Our account of each story, written from every outlet that ran it, with WJCL’s own report linked underneath.
Two Oklahoma mothers, Sheena Hamlin and Magon Hoffman, filed a lawsuit with the Center for Reproductive Rights alleging that state abortion restrictions compelled them to leave Oklahoma for out‑of‑state abortions costing thousands after their fetuses were diagnosed as non‑viable. State officials have not commented.
WJCL reported it asLawsuit filed on behalf of women facing fatal fetal diagnoses forced to leave Oklahoma for abortions (opens WJCL in a new tab)
The United States, Denmark and Greenland plan to sign a security pact at the UN General Assembly next week. President Donald Trump says the deal gives the US permanent control over security matters, while other outlets report no sovereign US control. A joint working group will discuss future cooperation.
WJCL reported it asTrump says he has a deal with Denmark to bolster US military presence in Greenland (opens WJCL in a new tab)
Abu Zubaydah, held at Guantanamo Bay for two decades without charges, appeared at a hearing to review his detention. A U.S. official described him as a trusted facilitator for Osama bin Laden, while his attorneys argued he was never an al-Qaida member and poses no threat.
WJCL reported it asMan accused of ties to bin Laden and tortured after 9/11 has 20-year Guantanamo detention reviewed (opens WJCL 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.
WJCL reported it asNew wild cat species identified for first time in 100 years (opens WJCL in a new tab)
USPS halts Trump‑linked mail‑voting system, Postmaster General David Steiner says work stopped
Trust 56The United States Postal Service stopped work on a computer system designed to support President Donald Trump's plan to limit mail voting. Postmaster General David Steiner confirmed the pause on Thursday, following the Supreme Court's rejection of the related executive order earlier that week.
WJCL reported it asUSPS top official says work stopped on computer system key to Trump effort to limit mail voting (opens WJCL 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.
WJCL reported it asEd Sheeran stadium drama turns to donations and humanitarian cooperation (opens WJCL 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.
WJCL reported it asFossil fuel pollution contributing to Earth's water cycle being 'off balance,' officials say (opens WJCL in a new tab)
The United Nations General Assembly has voted to allow Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to address the 81st session via video link. The decision follows the United States' denial of a visa to Abbas, preventing his in-person attendance in New York.
WJCL reported it asTrump administration again denies visas for Palestinian delegation to attend the UN General Assembly (opens WJCL in a new tab)
A Government Accountability Office report found the Trump administration spent $9.5 billion on paid administrative leave for federal workers in 2025. The initiative, known as DOGE, led to a 435% increase in such leave, with an estimated $6.7 billion spent on a deferred resignation program.
WJCL reported it asGovernment paid federal employees $9.5 billion not to work in 2025 under DOGE plan (opens WJCL in a new tab)
The board of the Kennedy Center voted to close the performing arts venue due to financial problems and a disagreement about naming the building after President Donald Trump. A judge had previously blocked the venue from being renamed.
WJCL reported it asFencing goes up around Kennedy Center building after board votes to close it (opens WJCL in a new tab)
The United States has imposed new visa restrictions on certain South African nationals, citing race-based discrimination and uncompensated land seizures. South Africa has rejected the US allegations, stating the measures are based on mischaracterised policies and fringe group information.
WJCL reported it asUS to restrict visas for some South African officials amid alleged 'race based discrimination' (opens WJCL 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.
WJCL reported it asTrump administration plans to send powerful bombs to Israel in $2.8 billion weapons sale (opens WJCL 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.
WJCL reported it as4 supporting acts quit Ed Sheeran's tour after Macklemore dropped over pro-Palestinian comments (opens WJCL 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.
WJCL reported it asSupreme Court rejects Trump mail ballot restrictions for now ahead of midterms (opens WJCL in a new tab)
A Pentagon Inspector General report estimates Iranian attacks caused $184 million in damage to U.S. diplomatic facilities in Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. The report also details U.S. war costs and casualties.
WJCL reported it asUS government watchdog tallies Iran war's hit to weapons stockpiles, military bases and more (opens WJCL 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.
WJCL reported it asMitch McConnell returns to Senate after monthslong recovery (opens WJCL 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.
WJCL reported it asTrump says warnings about AI are 'a hoax' amid calls for more regulation (opens WJCL 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."
WJCL reported it asTrump says warnings about AI are 'a hoax' amid calls for more regulation (opens WJCL in a new tab)
Landowners, ranchers, and business owners in Texas are suing the Trump administration to stop border wall construction in the Big Bend region. The lawsuit argues the government is misusing powers to waive environmental and other regulations in an area with low rates of illegal crossings.
WJCL reported it asTexas landowners ask a court to stop Trump's Big Bend wall plans (opens WJCL in a new tab)
The Environmental Protection Agency is set to repeal rules limiting greenhouse gas emissions from coal and natural gas power plants. Administrator Lee Zeldin stated the move could save billions for the industry and boost American energy.
WJCL reported it asEPA set to eliminate rule that limits pollution from coal and gas-fired power plants (opens WJCL 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.
- Ad Fontes MediacenterCheck it
- Media Bias/Fact Checkcenter
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
- Ad Fontes MediahighCheck it
- Media Bias/Fact Checkhigh
Who owns it
- Hearst TelevisionCorporationdirect owner
- Hearst CommunicationsMedia Conglomerateparent group
Where it publishes from
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
- 144
- Reports listed
- 147
- We could read
- 0
- First seen
- 4 August 2026
147 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. WJCL is rated centre, so there is no side for it to be counted against and we publish no figure here.
Across the 144 stories of ours where at least three of the reports we listed carried a time, we logged no report earlier than WJCL’s on 1 of them. Overall it filed a median of 26 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 WJCL, 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 WJCL 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.