The establishment media will have another fact checker monitoring bias in their reporting. Accuracy In Media (AIM), a prominent media watchdog group, is launching their brand new media bias rating system. The tool is designed to help consumers of news identify the veracity of the various stories with which they come into contact on a daily basis.

While there are already several different fact-checking sites in existence, the majority tend to exhibit their own left-wing biases. Politifact and Snopes have both been accused of skewing their results to favor left-wing opinions. Moreover, most of their efforts are focused on targeting conservatives for criticism. AIM intends to fix this.

Accuracy In Media’s New Rating System

Accuracy In Media is an organization whose mission is to “promote accuracy, fairness and balance in news reporting.” The group focuses on exposing biased news reports and encouraging the American public to think critically about the news stories they consume.

AIM’s new media bias rating system features a scorecard that rates the accuracy of a given news story. Each report is ranked on the five-color scale. At best, a particular news item can be rated “accurate,” which means it includes no bias. At worst, it could be ranked “fake news,” which means the story is skewed to the point that it holds little to no truth. Other stories will fall somewhere in between the “accurate” and “fake news” designations.

In each examination of a news story, AIM will explain why they came to a particular conclusion. They will flag stories labeled “misleading,” “clear bias,” or “fake news” to alert the reader that the information they are digesting is incomplete, lacking important facts, or an all out fabrication.

Another Weapon Against Left-Wing Media Bias

AIM’s new rating system is a welcome addition to those who have grown weary of the overwhelming bias in our establishment media. In an interview with The Daily Wire, AIM’s Executive Director Gus Portela stated, “Most people can tell within the first few minutes what the journalist is trying to say. If they are saying or writing something wrong, we want to be able to straighten the record and give it a rating.”

Portela is right. For decades legacy media outlets like NBC, The New York Times, CBS, and several others have constantly published reports with a decidedly left-wing bias. Previously, these organizations attempted to hide their bias under the guise of journalism.

However, in the age of Donald Trump, the left-wing media establishment isn’t even trying to conceal their left-wing agenda. Even the most popular fact-checking websites are biased. In light of this, rating systems like AIM’s are needed.

The reality is that extreme bias in the media can be dangerous because the American public is only presented with one point of view. In this way, the left can influence millions of Americans. They can convince an unwitting public to support left-wing ideas. Portela gives the example of CNN’s handling of the Parkland school shooting when discussing this issue:

“We see this recently in coverage of the Parkland mass shooting. CNN essentially took on the gun control agenda. They went as far as dropping one of the survivors as a guest on one of their shows because he wanted to talk about solutions to the firearms debate that did not necessarily include gun control. After having on other survivors who spoke out about gun control, they could have had him on as a balance.”

Consuming The News Now Requires More Effort

In the digital age, consumers are bombarded by media everywhere they go. Nearly all Americans can conceivably carry every newspaper, television news station, and radio in their pockets as they go through their everyday lives. News reports on important current events are at our fingertips. While this reality means that it is easier for us to become informed, it also means we are far more susceptible to deception. Why? Because we are busy.

Most people don’t have time to check the veracity of each story they read, watch, or hear. If CNN reports that President Donald Trump moved Dr. Martin Luther King’s bust from the oval office, there is a good chance that we will miss the moment when the news organization retracts their false report.

When people share fake news memes by groups like Occupy Democrats on social media, Americans don’t have time to verify their claims. They might come away believing that Republican lawmakers are passing laws making it possible for companies to fire single mothers. Or perhaps they might believe that a Republican official wants schools to “check children’s genitals before they enter restrooms.”

Fact checking systems like AIM’s are essential to Americans who want to make sure they are informed. The legacy media has shown that they are not willing to engage in actual journalism. Instead, they use their platform to advocate for the Democratic Party. Without tools such as this, the left would be able to use the media to sway the opinions of the American public rather than inform. This scorecard has the potential to be the most potent weapon against the left-wing media agenda.