AlterNet is an unabashedly left‑wing digital media platform—with roots reaching back to 1987—founded by the Independent Media Institute and designed to aggregate and amplify progressive content from across the ideological ecosystem.
In April 2018, it was acquired by the owners of Raw Story—John K. Byrne and Michael Rogers—who continue to operate it under AlterNet Media as part of their portfolio of overtly progressive outlets.
While financed through advertising and membership donations, the platform historically relied on major left‑leaning foundations and NGOs (e.g. Drug Policy Alliance, Park Foundation) for grant support under the Independent Media Institute era.
Today its leadership—including editor Roxanne Cooper and managing editor Elizabeth Preza—are deeply embedded in progressive media circles.
AlterNet does not pretend to be neutral. Its declared purpose is strategic advocacy journalism: promoting causes like economic justice, civil rights, reproductive rights, environmentalism, and LGBTQ+ activism. Its aim is mobilization, not objectivity. It publishes original reporting as well as syndicated commentary from other progressive outlets including Mother Jones, Salon, Truthdig, and Common Dreams.
According to Media Bias Fact Check, it is rated as Left‑biased and generally reliable, while Ad Fontes Media puts it among the Strong Left outlets with fair but ideologically tinted analysis.
Typical Claims and Outlook
AlterNet’s content is purpose-built: emotionally resonant, ideologically instructive, and unapologetically aligned with progressive activism. It does not aim for nuanced reporting, but for stories that:
- Cast political conservatism and traditional morality as oppressive or conspiratorial.
- Frame public policy through moral absolutes—e.g. abortion as liberation, race consciousness as justice, climate alarmism as moral duty.
- Amplify sensational personal narratives and protest moments, often without broader context or pushback.
- Promote intersectional identity politics and defame dissent as hostile rhetoric.
It functions more like a culture-war training center than a newsroom: AlterNet teaches readers what to feel and whom to hate.
Specific Incidents of Bias
1. Comparisons of Republicans to Nazi War Criminals
AlterNet has published opinion pieces comparing Republican figures and conservative public-health critics to Nazi leaders or genocide perpetrators. For instance, opponents of lockdown policies or vaccine mandates were likened to Auschwitz staff—yet no conservative viewpoints were allowed in rebound, only emotional vilification.
2. Sexual Harassment Cover-Up by Former Executive
In 2017, executive editor Don Hazen—who had run the site since 1991—was placed on leave and later resigned following credible allegations of sexual harassment from multiple women. AlterNet continued operations, but never publicly acknowledged or institutionalized reform, raising questions about internal accountability.
3. Syndicating Activist Opinion as News
AlterNet commonly republishes and aggregates highly ideological essays from sources like Salon, Mother Jones, and Truthdig. These articles frequently use loaded moral language (“fascism,” “white supremacy”), while being presented on the site as though they were reporting, not opinion—blurring lines between journalism and progressive advocacy.
4. Heavy Ideological Framing of Public Health
During COVID‑19, AlterNet elevated alarmist messaging and mocked religious or constitutional objections to mandates. Dissenting voices—especially from faith-based critics—were sidelined or portrayed as conspiracy-minded, while official narratives were accepted without critique.
AlterNet’s Stance on 20 Ideological Flashpoints
1. Election Integrity and Voter Laws
AlterNet portrays election security laws as tools of white supremacy and Republican voter suppression. Voter ID requirements are condemned as modern-day poll taxes, and even minor integrity measures—such as cleaning up voter rolls—are treated as disenfranchisement efforts. Articles accuse conservatives of “anti-democratic” scheming, while ignoring actual vulnerabilities in ballot systems.
2. Abortion and Reproductive Rights
Unapologetically pro-abortion, AlterNet frequently describes abortion as “healthcare” and a “fundamental human right.” It vilifies pro-life advocates as religious extremists or misogynists and celebrates abortion stories as empowering. There is no engagement with fetal development science or the ethical concerns of the other side.
3. Gender Identity and Transgender Policies
AlterNet fully embraces the most radical elements of gender ideology. It supports child transitions, puberty blockers, and school-based social transitioning without parental consent. Dissent is labeled transphobic. The platform advocates for full access to “gender-affirming care” and scorns legal protections based on biological sex.
4. Race and Systemic Racism
The publication frequently asserts that America is irredeemably racist. It promotes critical race theory, white privilege narratives, and reparations without reservation. Crime, education gaps, health disparities—all are blamed on systemic racism. Colorblindness is treated as racist denialism.
5. Climate Change and Energy Policy
AlterNet is among the most radical voices on climate, calling for an immediate end to fossil fuels, sweeping Green New Deal policies, and de-growth economic models. It sees climate skepticism or moderation as moral failure and a product of corporate corruption. Alternative views are not just rejected—they are demonized.
6. Immigration and Border Security
The outlet advocates for open borders and decriminalization of illegal immigration. It supports sanctuary policies and criticizes nearly all forms of immigration enforcement as racist or xenophobic. Stories often center immigrant struggles and paint border security advocates as cruel nationalists.
7. Israel and the Middle East Conflict
AlterNet’s coverage heavily favors Palestinian narratives, often portraying Israel as a colonial or apartheid state. It amplifies accusations of war crimes and occupation while rarely acknowledging Hamas terrorism or Israel’s security dilemmas. U.S. support for Israel is framed as a product of right-wing lobbying and Christian Zionism.
8. Second Amendment and Gun Control
The platform endorses sweeping gun control measures, including bans on semi-automatic weapons and national licensing. Gun owners are depicted as dangerous extremists, and the NRA is frequently vilified. Constitutional defenses of gun rights are dismissed as outdated relics or racist holdovers.
9. LGBTQ+ Rights and Religious Liberty
AlterNet is uncompromising in its promotion of LGBTQ+ causes. It supports compelled pronoun use, LGBTQ+ content in elementary schools, and legal pressure on religious businesses. Religious liberty, when in conflict with LGBTQ+ claims, is dismissed as a cloak for hate. Christian objections are portrayed as bigotry, not conscience.
10. COVID-19 Policy and Mandates
During the pandemic, AlterNet supported extended lockdowns, vaccine mandates, and censorship of dissent. It scorned those who raised concerns about natural immunity, side effects, or the economic impact of mandates. The platform treated critics of COVID orthodoxy as conspiracists or science-deniers.
11. Policing and Criminal Justice
The outlet has repeatedly called for defunding the police and dismantling “white supremacist” law enforcement institutions. It favors leniency, bail reform, and decriminalization of a wide array of offenses. Crime surges are often explained away as the result of systemic injustice, not policy failure.
12. Education and Parental Rights
AlterNet opposes parental involvement in public school curriculum debates, particularly around CRT and gender theory. It defends the teaching of radical social ideologies and frames school choice efforts as racist privatization. Conservative parents are depicted as aggressors, not concerned stakeholders.
13. Censorship and Big Tech
While claiming to support “truth,” AlterNet celebrates censorship when it targets conservative content. It supports content moderation policies that remove so-called “hate speech,” “disinformation,” and “conspiracy theories,” many of which reflect right-of-center viewpoints. The platform rarely questions government–tech collusion.
14. January 6 and Political Violence
AlterNet describes the Capitol riot as an insurrection on par with historical acts of treason and sedition. It supports harsh penalties for those involved and portrays the event as part of a broader fascist threat. By contrast, BLM and Antifa violence are minimized, ignored, or justified.
15. Corporate Wokeness and ESG
AlterNet praises corporate efforts to adopt progressive policies, including ESG frameworks, racial quotas, and LGBTQ+ branding. It views shareholder pushback as part of a right-wing war on equality and criticizes “anti-woke” capitalism efforts as veiled bigotry.
16. Hunter Biden, Biden Family, and Political Corruption
The platform has largely ignored the Hunter Biden laptop scandal and related allegations of foreign influence. It dismisses coverage of these issues as MAGA propaganda or Russian disinformation. The Biden administration is treated with deference and rarely subjected to scrutiny.
17. Trump and the Republican Party
Donald Trump and the MAGA movement are described in apocalyptic terms. The outlet labels GOP candidates as fascists, white nationalists, or Christian theocrats. Even moderate Republicans are often lumped in with the “far right.” The goal is not balance—it’s obliteration.
18. Affirmative Action and Racial Preferences
AlterNet staunchly supports affirmative action and criticizes merit-based admissions as tools of white supremacy. It viewed the Supreme Court’s decision striking down racial preferences as a direct attack on “equity” and diversity. Critics of race-based policies are treated as racist.
19. International Institutions and Sovereignty
The platform extols the UN, WHO, WEF, and similar global bodies. It endorses global governance, vaccine passports, climate treaties, and international courts as tools of “justice.” National sovereignty is viewed with suspicion, particularly when invoked by populist or conservative governments.
20. Culture War Issues
AlterNet embraces nearly every radical culture-war cause: drag queen story hours, anti-Christian speech codes, transgender ideology, and redefinition of hate speech. Traditional moral values are denigrated. The platform promotes intersectionality, queer theory, and anti-colonialism as moral imperatives.
Conclusion
AlterNet is not a news outlet in any traditional or objective sense—it is an activist information depot. Its content is designed to provoke outrage, amplify tribal loyalty to progressive causes, and silence dissent. Unlike legacy outlets that may struggle between objectivity and bias, AlterNet has never pretended to be neutral. Its radicalism is the point.
What makes AlterNet especially problematic is not merely its ideological lean, but its lack of editorial restraint. While other left-wing outlets might try to balance ideological perspectives with journalistic credibility, AlterNet has no such internal checks. It thrives on hyperbole, conspiracy-laced accusations against conservatives, and the assumption that all cultural progress is inherently leftward.
In this context, traditional views—especially those grounded in religious or constitutional principles—are not tolerated. They are pathologized. Faith becomes bigotry. Law enforcement becomes white supremacy. Motherhood becomes oppression. Justice becomes reparations. Science becomes gender ideology.
Rather than elevating discourse, AlterNet inflames division, undermines trust, and actively contributes to the erosion of civic pluralism. It reflects the worldview of an online activist class that is hostile to dissent, allergic to nuance, and intoxicated by ideological self-righteousness.
AlterNet earns its place in the Hall of Shame for several decisive reasons:
- Open Hostility to Traditional Moral and Religious Values: AlterNet vilifies biblical ethics, Christian moral teaching, and traditional family structures, portraying them as hateful relics of an oppressive past.
- Radicalization of Political Discourse: It regularly uses inflammatory language to demonize conservatives, Republicans, and anyone who resists the latest trends in leftist ideology.
- Promotion of Cultural Marxism: It is a full-throated proponent of Neo-Marxist ideologies—such as CRT, intersectionality, and queer theory—presented as unassailable truths.
- Lack of Accountability: Even after a major sexual harassment scandal involving top leadership, the outlet deflected rather than reformed, continuing its mission with little introspection.
- Substitution of Journalism with Activism: AlterNet’s reporting does not seek truth, balance, or public understanding. It seeks compliance with a worldview and uses media as a means of social coercion.
AlterNet is not merely progressive—it is militantly ideological, using its platform not to inform, but to indoctrinate. Its editorial stance is adversarial not just to conservatism, but to constitutional liberty, classical liberalism, and orthodox Christianity.
It is for these reasons—its overt bias, its intolerance for opposing views, and its celebration of radical social movements—that AlterNet earns its place in this series. It is not an outlet that challenges the powerful for the sake of truth. It is an arm of progressive orthodoxy, unashamed and unapologetic, and therefore a fitting entry in the Hall of Shame.
S.D.G.,
Robert Sparkman
MMXXV
christiannewsjunkie@gmail.com
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