We scored 98 German and English news sources — wires, public broadcasters, quality press, tabloids, TV, briefings, apps and platforms — on the value they deliver to someone who wants a neutral picture of the world, not on how loud they are. This is the general-news counterpart to the crypto study: the loudest sources are not the most reliable, and half of what you read is an echo of five wire wholesalers.
The six findings that matter
Reach barely predicts value
Across 98 sources the correlation between reach and value is r = 0.04 — statistically zero. Bild is Germany’s highest-reach news site (41.8M organic, ~2× Spiegel / Tagesschau) and scores among the weakest in our assessment (Ø 1.8). At the tabloid end, reach is a warning sign.
Half the news world is echo
Cardiff and Pew put 50–80% of hard news as wholly or partly wire copy — the Swiss fög finds one in four; in the 2008 Cardiff sample only ~12% was fully original reporting. The originals are five wholesalers — Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa, Bloomberg. Most portals are SEO-wrapped agency feed.
For Germany, dpa is the backbone
Roughly 87% of agency copy in Germany runs through dpa. Reading Tagesschau is, to a large extent, reading editorially polished dpa / Reuters / AFP.
US bias charts don’t fit German media
AllSides and Ad Fontes anchor their zero on Washington, not Berlin. The lean column draws on AllSides / MBFC where they rate a source, re-anchored editorially to the German / Anglo centre and cross-checked against NewsGuard credibility scores and Reuters Institute trust data.
Public ≠ automatically neutral
Tagesschau, ZDF and BBC score the highest trust (Reuters Institute 2025) — but with a documented establishment lean. The honest read is more neutral, not neutral.
A minimal diet: ~4 sources
A wire primary (Reuters / AP) + one neutral briefing + one quality outlet + a bias-checker covers a genuinely neutral world-view in under a minute a day. Everything past that is redundancy or entertainment.
A genuinely neutral news diet is ~4 sources and under a minute a day — Moonkelp is that diet, automated: the source layer, both sides, the day in 60 seconds.
How to read the map
Each source is placed by political lean (horizontal — left ← centre → right) and average value (vertical — from reliability, quality, incentive cleanliness, time efficiency and fit; currency and reach are shown but not part of Ø). Bubble size is reach; the fill marks the recommendation (essential / optional / cut). Direction-neutral platforms and tools sit in the band on the right.
The vertical scatter of the big bubbles is the finding: how loud a source is says almost nothing about how high it sits. Quality clusters near the centre; the loud extremes sink to the bottom.
Method & limits
98 DE / EN sources scored 1–5 on six value dimensions plus reach, with first-party Semrush organic-traffic figures for hard reach. Lean is anchored to the German / Anglo-American centre, not a US scale — the appropriate references for a German reader are NewsGuard, the Reuters Institute / Leibniz-HBI and Correctiv.
Reach is organic web only; App, TV, newsletter and social reach are under-counted. Check it yourself: r = 0.04 is computable from the scorecard below — reach against Ø, and every Ø from its five parts. Scores are reasoned editorial judgment, not an objective index.
The universe: the highest-reach German and English news sources per category plus the outlets practitioners cite most — 98 in all, a curated field, not a census. Anchors: 5 = consistently strong on the documented record, 1 = consistently weak. Verdicts follow the composite Ø, with an editorial override where the record outweighs the average. One evaluator — deep research plus editorial review. Data as of Jul 23, 2026.
The named verdicts and lean ratings are editorial opinion based on the documented public record. “Cut” means a source doesn’t fit a neutral daily news diet — a fit-for-purpose judgment, not a general one. Perspectives, not investment advice. This study is reviewed quarterly; corrections normally ship within days. Corrections: contact@moonkelp.com.
The map · 98 sources · lean × value
Hover any bubble for its category, lean, value and verdict.
All 98 sources · the full scorecard
Every source, every score
The complete ranking — sorted by Ø value, filterable by category, with each source’s lean, language and six sub-scores laid open. This is the evidence the map compresses into a single dot.
| # | Source | Category | Lean | Lang | Reach | Reliab. | Curr. | Qual. | Incent. | Time | Fit | Ø | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ReutersOne of the three global primary wire agencies; funded by B2B data licensing rather than ad clicks, and the top overall score in our set. | Wire services | Center | Both | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5.00 | Essential |
| 2 | Tagesschau / ARDLicence-fee funded and ad-free online, with the largest German correspondent network and a compact 100-second daily format. | Public broadcasters | Center | DE | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4.80 | Essential |
| 3 | BBC NewsFunded by the UK licence fee under a Royal Charter public-service mandate; free worldwide with compact, high-density briefings. | Public broadcasters | Center | EN | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4.80 | Essential |
| 4 | Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ)Subscription-funded; share statutes cap any single owner’s voting power, and news pages are kept separate from opinion. | German quality press | Ctr-right | DE | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4.80 | Essential |
| 5 | Feedly/RSS (als Methode)RSS is an open standard delivering chosen sources chronologically, with no engagement ranking between reader and outlet. | Aggregators / tools | n/a | Both | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4.80 | Essential |
| 6 | Associated Press (AP)Non-profit cooperative wire owned by its member outlets; free to read, with original reporting from bureaus in 94 countries. | Wire services | Center | Both | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4.60 | Essential |
| 7 | The Economist EspressoA subscription daily built as a five-story global scan readable in minutes; funded by subscriptions rather than advertising. | Briefings & newsletters | Center | EN | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4.60 | Essential |
| 8 | ZDF heute | Public broadcasters | Center | DE | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4.40 | Optional |
| 9 | Financial TimesSubscription-funded; ranked the most trusted non-broadcast UK news brand in the 2025 Reuters Institute survey. | Anglo quality press | Center | EN | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4.40 | Essential |
| 10 | dpa (Deutsche Presse-Agentur) | Wire services | Center | DE | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4.20 | Optional |
| 11 | Ground NewsSubscription-funded tool that averages third-party ratings from AllSides, Ad Fontes and MBFC per source instead of rating outlets itself. | Anti-clickbait apps | n/a | EN | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4.20 | Essential |
| 12 | Der Spiegel | German quality press | Ctr-left | Both | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4.00 | Optional |
| 13 | The GuardianOwned by the Scott Trust and reader-funded with no paywall; the strongest Europe and Germany coverage in its group. | Anglo quality press | Ctr-left | EN | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4.00 | Essential |
| 14 | RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND) – rnd.de | German spectrum / edge | Ctr-left | DE | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4.00 | Optional |
| 15 | Agence France-Presse (AFP) | Wire services | Center | Both | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4.00 | Optional |
| 16 | Deutsche Welle (DW) | Public broadcasters | Center | Both | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4.00 | Optional |
| 17 | Reuters Investigates | Non-profit / investigative | Center | EN | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4.00 | Optional |
| 18 | The New York TimesSubscription-funded primary reporting with its own global correspondent network and a 24/7 breaking desk. | Anglo quality press | Ctr-left | EN | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3.80 | Essential |
| 19 | Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) | German quality press | Ctr-right | DE | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3.80 | Optional |
| 20 | Der Standard (AT) | German quality press | Ctr-left | DE | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3.80 | Optional |
| 21 | Deutschlandfunk | Public broadcasters | Center | DE | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3.80 | Optional |
| 22 | SemaforFree to read; its Semaform layout separates reported facts from analysis, and its briefings look beyond a US frame. | Briefings & newsletters | Center | EN | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3.80 | Essential |
| 23 | Improve the News / Verity (Improve The News Foundation, Max Tegmark) | Anti-clickbait apps | n/a | EN | 1 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3.80 | Optional |
| 24 | Große Regionalzeitungen (DE) | German regional | Center | DE | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3.60 | Optional |
| 25 | Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) | German quality press | Ctr-left | DE | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3.60 | Optional |
| 26 | The Wall Street Journal | Anglo quality press | Ctr-right | EN | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3.60 | Optional |
| 27 | ntv (n-tv, n-tv.de + TV) | TV / cable | Center | DE | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3.60 | Optional |
| 28 | WirtschaftsWoche | German quality press | Ctr-right | DE | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3.60 | Optional |
| 29 | Bloomberg | Wire services | Ctr-left | Both | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3.40 | Optional |
| 30 | Die ZeitWeekly long-form cadence behind the Z+ paywall; a format built for depth rather than a daily fast scan. | German quality press | Center | DE | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3.40 | Cut |
| 31 | Axios | Briefings & newsletters | Center | EN | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3.40 | Optional |
| 32 | USA Today (usatoday.com) | Anglo mass-reach | Ctr-left | EN | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3.40 | Optional |
| 33 | France 24 | Public broadcasters | Center | Both | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3.40 | Optional |
| 34 | ProPublica | Non-profit / investigative | Ctr-left | EN | 2 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3.40 | Optional |
| 35 | Particle | Anti-clickbait apps | n/a | EN | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3.40 | Optional |
| 36 | NYT "The Morning"One deep-dive topic per issue rather than a full daily scan, and redundant next to the NYT subscription already kept. | Briefings & newsletters | Ctr-left | EN | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3.20 | Cut |
| 37 | NPR | Public broadcasters | Ctr-left | EN | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3.20 | Optional |
| 38 | 1440 Daily Digest | Briefings & newsletters | Center | EN | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3.20 | Optional |
| 39 | The Telegraph (telegraph.co.uk) | Anglo mass-reach | Ctr-right | EN | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3.20 | Optional |
| 40 | The Economist | Anglo quality press | Center | EN | 3 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3.20 | Optional |
| 41 | Cicero – cicero.de (Magazin für politische Kultur) | German spectrum / edge | Ctr-right | DE | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3.20 | Optional |
| 42 | Boring ReportDonation-funded app serving AI-rewritten summaries of US agency stories; no German coverage and duplicated by the kept comparison tools. | Anti-clickbait apps | n/a | EN | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3.20 | Cut |
| 43 | t-online (t-online.de) | German tabloid / portal | Ctr-left | DE | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3.00 | Optional |
| 44 | Google News | Aggregators / tools | n/a | Both | 5 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3.00 | Optional |
| 45 | stern (stern.de) | German tabloid / portal | Ctr-left | DE | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3.00 | Optional |
| 46 | Berliner Zeitung – berliner-zeitung.de | German spectrum / edge | Ctr-left | DE | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3.00 | Optional |
| 47 | The Independent (independent.co.uk) | Anglo mass-reach | Ctr-left | EN | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3.00 | Optional |
| 48 | HandelsblattHard paywall and a business-desk focus that overlaps near-fully with the finance coverage already in the lineup. | German quality press | Ctr-right | DE | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3.00 | Cut |
| 49 | Der TagesspiegelPaywalled, with a Berlin and capital-desk focus that adds little world coverage beyond sources already kept. | German quality press | Center | DE | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3.00 | Cut |
| 50 | der Freitag | German edge press | Ctr-left | DE | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3.00 | Optional |
| 51 | Correctiv | Non-profit / investigative | Ctr-left | Both | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3.00 | Optional |
| 52 | WhatsApp Kanäle | Social platforms | n/a | Both | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2.80 | Optional |
| 53 | CNBC (CNBC.com + Cable) | TV / cable | Center | EN | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2.80 | Optional |
| 54 | Politico PlaybookWashington insider briefing owned by Axel Springer; its Hill-level detail sits outside a Germany-plus-world overview. | Briefings & newsletters | Center | EN | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2.80 | Cut |
| 55 | Tagesspiegel Checkpoint | Briefings & newsletters | Center | DE | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2.80 | Optional |
| 56 | PBS NewsHourHour-long broadcast format focused on US domestic affairs; a poor time-per-fact fit for a 60-second bilingual scan. | Public broadcasters | Ctr-left | EN | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2.80 | Cut |
| 57 | Table.Media (Table.Briefings)Professional policy briefings priced near 200 euros per month; specialist depth aimed at policy desks, not a general overview. | Briefings & newsletters | Center | DE | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2.80 | Cut |
| 58 | nd (neues deutschland) | German edge press | Left | DE | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2.80 | Optional |
| 59 | BellingcatPublishes specialist open-source investigations case by case; no daily briefing format to fit a 60-second overview. | Non-profit / investigative | Center | EN | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2.80 | Cut |
| 60 | MastodonNon-profit and ad-free, but its news footprint is small and self-selected; too fragmented to serve as a full daily overview. | Social platforms | n/a | Both | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2.80 | Cut |
| 61 | Welt | German quality press | Ctr-right | DE | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2.60 | Optional |
| 62 | YouTube | Social platforms | n/a | Both | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2.60 | Optional |
| 63 | Business Insider (businessinsider.com) | Anglo mass-reach | Ctr-left | EN | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2.60 | Optional |
| 64 | Rheinische Post / RP OnlineRegional NRW focus outside our reader profile; the online portal leans on aggregation alongside its print reporting. | German regional | Ctr-right | DE | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2.60 | Cut |
| 65 | WAZ / FunkeRuhr-regional focus outside our reader profile, with shared mantle content produced by the Funke central newsroom. | German regional | Center | DE | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2.60 | Cut |
| 66 | Apple NewsNot officially available in Germany and curated around US and UK outlets; unusable for a bilingual DE/EN daily brief. | Aggregators / tools | n/a | EN | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2.60 | Cut |
| 67 | LinkedIn News | Social platforms | n/a | Both | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2.60 | Optional |
| 68 | WELT TV (welt.de + TV) | TV / cable | Ctr-right | DE | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2.60 | Optional |
| 69 | Bluesky | Social platforms | n/a | EN | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2.60 | Optional |
| 70 | Morning BrewAd-funded newsletter owned by Axel Springer since 2025, focused on US business already covered by the kept finance sources. | Briefings & newsletters | Center | EN | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2.40 | Cut |
| 71 | Al Jazeera English (state-funded, Qatar) | Public broadcasters | Ctr-left | EN | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2.40 | Optional |
| 72 | Frankfurter RundschauOnline edition runs through the Ippen central newsroom on an ad-reach model; its ground is covered by sources already kept. | German quality press | Ctr-left | DE | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2.40 | Cut |
| 73 | taz (die tageszeitung)Reader-owned cooperative with a self-declared left-alternative editorial line; built for perspective rather than a neutral fast scan. | German quality press | Left | DE | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2.40 | Cut |
| 74 | The AtlanticA monthly essay magazine behind a paywall; long-form US commentary rather than daily news, with no Germany coverage. | Anglo quality press | Ctr-left | EN | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2.40 | Cut |
| 75 | CNN (CNN.com + Cable) | TV / cable | Ctr-left | EN | 5 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2.20 | Optional |
| 76 | The Washington PostPaywalled and centred on Washington politics, overlapping the NYT already in the set, with almost no Germany coverage. | Anglo quality press | Ctr-left | EN | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2.20 | Cut |
| 77 | junge Welt | German edge press | Left | DE | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2.20 | Optional |
| 78 | Focus Online (focus.de)Aggregation-heavy portal in our review with a reliability score of 2; the underlying wire material is available first-hand. | German tabloid / portal | Ctr-right | DE | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2.00 | Cut |
| 79 | web.de & GMX News (United Internet)An email-login portal that aggregates wire copy rather than reporting; the dpa material behind it is available first-hand. | German tabloid / portal | Center | DE | 5 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2.00 | Cut |
| 80 | Ippen Digital / Merkur.deCentral content desk serving about 50 portals on an ad-reach model; the 2021 halt of its own Reichelt investigation is documented. | German spectrum / edge | Center | DE | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2.00 | Cut |
| 81 | HuffPost (huffpost.com)Ad-funded and aggregation-heavy under BuzzFeed ownership since 2020, with no Germany coverage; rated Left by AllSides and MBFC. | Anglo mass-reach | Left | EN | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2.00 | Cut |
| 82 | Junge Freiheit | German edge press | Right | DE | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2.00 | Optional |
| 83 | ViceEntered insolvency proceedings in 2023 and no longer runs a German-language news desk; effectively discontinued for this purpose. | German edge press | Ctr-left | DE | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2.00 | Cut |
| 84 | ThreadsMeta deprioritises news and political content on the platform; German reach and news usage are too small to add signal. | Social platforms | n/a | Both | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2.00 | Cut |
| 85 | Bild (bild.de) | German tabloid / portal | Ctr-right | DE | 5 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1.80 | Optional |
| 86 | FacebookMeta switched off its dedicated EU News Tab in 2023-24 and ranks the feed by engagement; news arrives mixed with private posts. | Social platforms | n/a | Both | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1.60 | Cut |
| 87 | Reddit r/worldnewsAggregates links via community voting rather than reporting; English-only threads with no German coverage. | Aggregators / tools | n/a | EN | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1.60 | Cut |
| 88 | Tichys Einblick – tichyseinblick.deA commentary-led site in our review with a reliability score of 1, the lowest band in the methodology anchors. | German spectrum / edge | Right | DE | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1.60 | Cut |
| 89 | Artifact (eingestellt Jan 2024, Datenpunkt)Shut down in January 2024; retained in the study only as a data point. | Anti-clickbait apps | n/a | EN | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1.60 | Cut |
| 90 | Daily Mail / MailOnline (dailymail.co.uk)Ad-funded reach model; Wikipedia deprecated it as a citable source in 2017, and it holds the lowest reliability band in our set. | Anglo mass-reach | Right | EN | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1.40 | Cut |
| 91 | InstagramAn image-and-reel format where news appears as headline tiles without context, and Meta has reduced news distribution in its feeds. | Social platforms | n/a | Both | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.40 | Cut |
| 92 | Snapchat DiscoverDiscover carries mainly entertainment and celebrity content; there is no substantial German news offering on the surface. | Social platforms | n/a | EN | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1.40 | Cut |
| 93 | TelegramChannels publish without editorial moderation or pre-distribution review; there is no curated German news product to subscribe to. | Social platforms | n/a | Both | 5 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1.40 | Cut |
| 94 | MS NOW (ehem. MSNBC, msnbc.com + Cable)Prime-time schedule is opinion-led per AllSides and MBFC ratings; it carries a reliability score of 1 in our methodology. | TV / cable | Left | EN | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1.40 | Cut |
| 95 | Fox News (FoxNews.com + Cable)Carries the lowest reliability band in our set (see the methodology anchors); the 2023 Dominion settlement of 787.5M USD is on the record. | TV / cable | Right | EN | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.20 | Cut |
| 96 | X/Twitter (als News-Quelle)Owned by xAI since March 2025; feed-ranking changes are subject to a documented EU inquiry, and it holds reliability 1 in our set. | Aggregators / tools | n/a | Both | 5 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.20 | Cut |
| 97 | TikTokShort decontextualised clips with no pre-distribution review, subject to EU DSA proceedings since 2024; reliability 1 in our set. | Social platforms | n/a | Both | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.00 | Cut |
| 98 | Nius – nius.deFinanced almost entirely by a single patron, with over 50 million euros invested through 2025; reliability score of 1 in our set. | German spectrum / edge | Right | DE | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.00 | Cut |
Ø value = mean of Reliability · Quality · Incentives · Time · Fit (each 1–5, higher is better; Currency and Reach are shown but not part of Ø) — that separation is the whole point. Lean is anchored to the German / Anglo-American centre, not a US scale. Tap a column to sort.
Every score above is our own assessment; the primary sources behind the study are listed at the foot of this page.
Sources & references
What this study is built on
98 German + English news sources, reviewed in July 2026 using independent reliability and bias ratings, media-concentration research, and our own Semrush organic-traffic figures for 69 domains.
Reliability & bias ratings
Media-concentration studies
Traffic & reach data
News wholesalers referenced
Sources were cited by name and date in the research; the exact fetched pages aren’t stored, so each link points to the provider’s own site rather than the specific page. Traffic figures are our own Semrush pulls — primarily the US database, so they compare sources rather than count absolute audiences.