Cato Institute - Bias and Credibility (original) (raw)

These media sources are slight to moderately conservative in bias. They often publish factual information that utilizes loaded words (wording that attempts to influence an audience by appeals to emotion or stereotypes) to favor conservative causes. These sources are generally trustworthy for information but may require further investigation. See all Right-Center sources.

Detailed Report

Bias Rating: **RIGHT-CENTER (4.7)**Factual Reporting: HIGH (1.8) Country: USA MBFC’s Country Freedom Rank: MOSTLY FREE Media Type: Organization/Foundation Traffic/Popularity: Medium Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: HIGH CREDIBILITY

History

The Cato Institute is an American libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. It was founded as the Charles Koch Foundation in 1974 by Ed Crane, Murray Rothbard, and Charles Koch. In July 1976, the name was changed to the Cato Institute. The mission of the Cato Institute is to originate, disseminate, and increase understanding of public policies based on the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace.

Read our profile on the United States government and media.

Funded by / Ownership

The Cato Institute is a 501(c)(3) Non-profit think tank whose current CEO and President is Peter N. Goettler. According to their about page, “Cato receives approximately 80 percent of its funding through tax-deductible contributions from individuals, many responding to informative, direct mail solicitations and program updates.” Cato offers an annual report that shows the percentages of money received and their IRS 990 form. The Cato Institute is funded by various organizations, including the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, Charles Koch Foundation, and Sarah Scaife Foundation.

Analysis / Bias

In review, The Cato Institute is a right-leaning Libertarian think tank that advocates for privatizing many aspects of Government, such as schools and social security. Cato is also opposed to Campaign Finance Reform and often is criticized for human-influenced climate change denial. While Cato advocates for right-wing economic policies, they support socially liberal positions such as Gay Marriage, Marijuana Legalization, and liberalized immigration.

Cato Institute uses moderately loaded language in its headlines and articles such as this: The Myth of the Cyber Offense: The Case for Restraint. Sourcing and proper research are the norms for articles. However, the website’s sidebar offers curated news from other sources that generally lean right, such as the National Review and the factually mixed Federalist. Story selection typically revolves around limited government issues, emphasizing free-market capitalism.

In the past, Cato published misleading or false information regarding climate science. Here is Cato’s current position on Global Warming: “Global warming is indeed real, and human activity has been a contributor since 1975. But global warming is also a complicated issue that can provoke a very unwise policy in response to political pressure. Although there are many different legislative proposals for substantial reductions in carbon dioxide emissions, there is no operational or tested suite of technologies that can accomplish the goals of such legislation. Fortunately, and contrary to much of the rhetoric surrounding climate change, there is ample time to develop such technologies, which will require substantial capital investment by individuals.” This position has led to criticism.

Failed Fact Checks

Overall, we rate the Cato Institute Right-Center Biased. While Cato’s economic and environmental positions are strongly right, they also hold liberal positions on immigration and social liberty issues. This places them Right-Center as we weigh economic theory more heavily in the overall score. We also rate them High for factual reporting due to proper sourcing of information and recognizing the consensus of science. (7/12/2016) Updated (D. Van Zandt 12/20/2024)

Source: https://www.cato.org/