Media Bias / Fact Check--- FiveThirtyEight
...Funded by / Ownership
FiveThirtyEight is owned by ABC News, which in turn is owned by the Walt Disney Company. The website is funded through online advertising.
Analysis / Bias
In review, FiveThirtyEight is different from other polling sources in that they do not conduct the polls, but rather deeply analyze other polls and apply a strict methodology to determine accuracy. For example, Real Clear Politics simply takes the averages of all polls to come up with a score, whereas 538 uses weights on each individual poll based on demographics and much more. One can argue this is more accurate and 538’s early track record proved it was. However, in 2016 they gave President Trump a 29% chance of winning. This does not mean they were wrong, because they still had a 29% chance of being correct, but they clearly were not very close on this one with their methods.
538 also reports news on their website that tends to lean left, however, they have been criticized as being opposed to the progressive left. News articles typically utilize moderate to minimal loaded language such as this: How Amy Klobuchar Could Win The 2020 Democratic Nomination. This article relies on proper sourcing from the likes of ABC News, Monmouth University and Senate.gov. A review of news stories reveals a more positive tone toward the left such as this: Trump Is Wrong. When The Opposition Party Runs The House, The President Gets Investigated.
In general, 538 tends to stick to poll related news, but when discussing politics, they usually slightly favor the left through story selection and wording...
