NewsGuard for PC and Mac

Software Reviews and Criticism

• By shwndvs

  Extremely Fair

  I've read reviews that call this biased, but I can't imagine how. This app uses a system called "nutrition labels" that rate news sources based on certain traits. Famously liberal websites like Mother Jones, Huffington Post, and The Nation are punished on the nutrition sheet for failing to "handle the differences between news and opinion responsibly." The Federalist has almost an identical nutrition guide to The Nation, presenting a fair breakdown on both sides. Where this app really shines, however, is in identifiy fake or untrustworthy news. Taking the app to a website such as InfoWars reveals bright red shields, warning the reader that the information on this website may not be factual. All in all, it is a great tool to have if you want to be sure the source you are reading is trustworthy and I would highly recommend it.

  
  
• By BillTheGeek

  This is a Safari extension...

  ... not a standalone app. It will not work with other web browsers, such as Firefox or Chrome. There is a Firefox extension available from Mozilla's web site. I do not know about extensions for other browsers. As to the accuracy of its content, I do not yet have enough experience with it, but I suspect that the reviewers who give it one-star reviews and call it "BIASED!!!!" are probably the biased ones.

  
  
• By ReportThis505

  First-rate nutrition labeling

  While some people may find the nutrition labels to some of their favorite news sites to biased, I think NewsGaurd's approach to fact-checking the news is the most honest system I've seen so far. Legacy newspapers and magazines like WSJ and NYT are rated as highly factual, while opinionated news sites such as The Daily Wire and Huff Post fail certain areas of the nutrition label. The Newsguard website includes substantive reporting that tells the reader which sites are mostly factual and which sites are not. For people wanting to know the biases and factual ratings of the outlets where they get their news, NewsGuard is the perfect companion.

  
  
• By ecodan

  Finally!

  The internet has gone too long without a service like NewsGuard to help identify editorial quality, bias and factualness. Kudos and thanks to Mr Brill and team. Is it perfect? No - nothing can be given the complexity of the challenge. Is it helpful in calling out sources that could be total crap? Absolutely. In the end, it provides a mechanism for the consumer to make an informed choice. I'm not sure where the 1 star reviews are coming from. My guess is they're mostly from people who are upset that NewsGuard isn't validating their pre-existing biases, but then that's the whole point, isn't it?

  
  

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