Leans left
Summarized from more than one independent rater, including AllSides and Ad Fontes Media. We do not rate outlets ourselves.
Founded in 1851 and controlled by the Sulzberger family through a dual-class share structure, the Times is the most cited news source in American public life and employs the largest newsroom in the country.
Its defenders point to a scale of original reporting no other American outlet approaches, and a record of investigations that have changed the law. Its critics on the right argue that story selection and language choices reflect the politics of its newsroom; its critics on the left argue it grants too much legitimacy to positions it should be challenging.