Tallahassee Reports has received a 92.5 out of 100 credibility rating from NewsGuard, an independent media-rating organization that evaluates news organizations based on journalistic credibility and transparency standards. Other independent ratings services also rate Tallahassee Reports journalism as credible and fact based.
NewsGuard has evaluated the reliability of more than 36,000 news sources worldwide. A 2025 peer-reviewed analysis of NewsGuard’s ratings database found an average score of 63.6, placing TR’s score nearly 29 points above that benchmark. In the U.S., the 92.5 assigned to Tallahassee Reports is 35.7 points above the U.S. average of 56.8.
Tallahassee Reports publisher Kathy Stewart responded to the ratings by saying, “over the last 15 years we have strived to provide the community with a credible source of fact-based local news. The ratings from these independent groups indicate we are succeeding.”
NewsGuard designated Tallahassee Reports as “Generally Credible,” stating that the website “mostly adheres to basic standards of credibility and transparency.” TR received credit for eight of the organization’s nine criteria.
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NewsGuard’s review noted that Tallahassee Reports does not publish false or egregiously misleading information, gathers and presents information responsibly, maintains effective correction practices, responsibly distinguishes news from opinion, avoids deceptive headlines, clearly labels advertising, identifies those in charge and provides information about its writers.
In its assessment of the publication’s journalism, NewsGuard concluded that articles on TallahasseeReports.com are “typically fact-based and well-sourced,” frequently relying on elected officials, government releases and government data. The review also found that headlines accurately reflect story content and that news articles are typically neutral in tone.
NewsGuard also reviewed TR’s corrections practices and found that the publication has a policy to post corrections identifying any mistake and explaining how it was corrected.
TR lost 7.5 points on one transparency criterion. While Tallahassee Reports identifies itself as a project of the nonprofit Red Hills Journalism Foundation, NewsGuard said the website does not disclose its donors, which does not satisfy NewsGuard’s standard for nonprofit financing disclosure.
In response, Stewart said “in a small media market like Tallahassee, it is import to offer privacy for those small donors who want to be involved with journalism. Also, any donor that contributes more than 5% of Red Hills’ annual revenue is identified in a publicly available document.”
Local Government Advertising
NewsGuard also investigated recent criticisms related to Tallahassee Reports receiving local government advertising.
NewsGuard confirmed that city expense data show that the city paid Tallahassee Reports $28,000 from January 2024 to March 2026. NewsGuard stated that “all payments were classified as advertising, a common practice for city governments” and added “over the same period from January 2024 to March 2026, the city paid the Tallahassee Democrat $40,500 for advertisements..”
On the issue Stewart said, “these findings indicate news consumers need to be diligent in evaluating the statements from community leaders who challenge the messenger rather than TR’s fact-based journalism.”
Other Rating Services, Political Bias
Media Bias/Fact Check, another rating group, currently describes Tallahassee Reports as having a right-leaning editorial perspective but fact-based local reporting. Its November 2024 review specifically says TR’s local news uses relatively neutral language and cites government records. It reported no failed fact checks at the time of its review.
There is some disagreement about political orientation. A current aggregation of ratings reports that Ad Fontes Media rates TR “Center,” while Media Bias/Fact Check rates it “Right.” Ground News currently gives Tallahassee Reports a “Lean Right” bias rating and “High” factuality rating.
For comparison, the Media Bias/Fact Check rates the Tallahassee Democrat and WFSU as Left-Center Bias and Florida Phoenix as Left Bias.
NewsGuard Nutrition Label – Tallahassee Reports
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