Is ZDF a reliable source?
This is how independent third parties assess the credibility and media bias of this source.
OVERALL RATING:29 +, 3 -
ZDF scores a total of 29 Plus Points and 3 Minus Points in our evaluation of journalistic quality.
This corresponds to a score of 81* resp. the grade A− (very good).
*: (29 + 5 BP) * 100 / (29 + 5 BP + 3 + 5 BP)
This corresponds to a score of 81* resp. the grade A− (very good).
| Grade | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| very good | A+ | > 89 |
| A | 89 - 84 | |
| A− | 83 - 79 | |
| good | B+ | 78 - 74 |
| B | 73 - 67 | |
| B− | 66 - 62 | |
| satisfactory | C+ | 61 - 56 |
| C | 55 - 49 | |
| C− | 48 - 44 | |
| sufficient | D+ | 43 - 39 |
| D | 38 - 32 | |
| poor | D− | 31 - 26 |
| insufficient | F | < 26 |
Grade composition
The overall rating is made up of the following individual ratings from independent third parties:
Media Bias/Fact Check18 +, 2 -
Media Bias/Fact Check (MBFC) is an American fact-checking website founded in 2015. It uses a 0-10 scale to rate sites on two areas: bias and factual accuracy. A source rated by MBFC with minimal bias gets 10 plus points. Maximum bias gets 10 minus points. The same principle applies to factual accuracy.
- "Least Biased"
Bias Rating
- "High"
Factual Reporting
Studies9 +, 1 -
Most scientific publications, though not all, rely on some form of peer review or editorial review to qualify texts for publication. Sources mentioned in studies which rate media quality and/or reliability receive between 10 plus and 10 minus points.
- "ZDF 7.54/10 Points (Average from Accuracy: 8.15/10 Points + 7 more quality-related ratings)"
European Media Systems Survey 2013
Journalism Awards2 +
Journalism prizes are awards for excellent journalistic work in the period covered by the call for entries, which is usually one or two years. Sources receive one plus point for each journalistic award won that we track. We currently track up to three prestigious awards per country.
- "The Jazz Ambassadors"
Peabody Award
Wikipedia
Wikipedia’s reliability was frequently criticized in the 2000s. However, various studies and media reports have noted improvements over time, and in the late 2010s and early 2020s, it was more often praised.
In the scoring model, any positive mention of a source’s credibility or quality in a Wikipedia extract receives a plus point—while negative mentions are treated as minus points.
- "short for Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen,"
English-speaking
- "Das ZDF ist das Hauptprogramm der gleichnamigen Rundfunkanstalt und das zweite öffentlich-rechtliche bundesweite Fernsehprogramm Deutschlands."
German-speaking
- Link
Fact Checkers
We primarily use fact-checkers affiliated with the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN). We have linked to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers' code of principles in the headline. For each failed fact-checker there is one minus point.
- We have not identified any failed fact checks to date.
Press Council Rulings
Press councils are national institutions of media self-regulation. Press councils have their own defined press code. Reprimands are issued in the event of a violation of the press code (e.g. for truthfulness, diligence, sensationalism, separation of advertising and editorial, personal rights). For each reprimand issued by a national press council, a source receives one minus point.
- We are not aware of any press council rulings against this source to date.
Ad Fontes Media
Ad Fontes Media, Inc. is a media watchdog organization based in Colorado that is best known for its Media Bias Chart, which ranks media sources based on political bias and reliability. We combine their ratings of individual articles and episodes to create a weighted average, with low-rated items increasingly weighted higher.
- An Ad Fontes Media rating has not been found.
Are these sources reliable?
nzz.ch
@nzz.ch
DER SPIEGEL
@spiegel.de
zeit.de
@zeit.de
EUobserver
@euobserver.com
volksfreund.de
@volksfreund.de
SWR.de
@swr.de
tagesschau.de
@tagesschau.de
FOCUS online
@focus.de
faz.net
@faz.net
inFranken.de
@infranken.de
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Key FactsHubert Aiwanger Found Dead in Berlin Hotel
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Key FactsCNN projects Democrats to control both chambers
18 hours ago · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: cnn.com
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- The final sizes of the projected majorities remained undetermined while vote counting continued.
- The majorities give Democrats greater scope for investigations and subpoenas; in the Senate, they can block Trump’s judicial nominees.
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Democrat Gina Hinojosa wins election for governor of Texas, defeating Republican incumbent Greg Abbott.apnews.com
Key FactsHinojosa defeats Abbott in Texas governor’s race
18 hours ago · Reading time: ~30 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: texastribune.org
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- At 52, Hinojosa will become Texas’s first Latina governor, while Abbott was denied a fourth term.
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Pope Leo XIV met with American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan in a private audience on Wednesday, November 4. The Vatican press said that during the brief meeting ... Show more
Key FactsBob Dylan Meets Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican
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Summary created with AI assistance · Source: independent.co.uk
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Summary created with AI assistance · Source: nbcnews.com
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19 hours ago · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: time.com
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- AP reported Acton at 50.8% and Ramaswamy at 45.9%, with 86% of votes counted.
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Vice President JD Vance attributed Republican midterm losses to the war in Iran in a social media post Wednesday.
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Summary created with AI assistance · Source: premiumtimesng.com
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“The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night. If you’d like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so.”— JD Vance wrote this in a post on X after the US midterm elections, referring to the Iran war’s impact on the Republicans.
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Key FactsVance blames Iran war for Republicans’ midterm losses
6 hours ago · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: abcnews.com
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“If you'd like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that's at least honest.”— Vice President JD Vance wrote this in a social media post about Republicans’ midterm losses and the Iran war.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis described Tuesday's election results, which saw Democrats make massive gains in previously-red states ... Show more

Illinois is sending another Black woman to the U.S. Senate.
Juliana Stratton has defeated Republican Don Tracy, becoming the second Black woman elected to ... Show more
Key FactsJuliana Stratton wins Illinois Senate seat
21 hours ago · Reading time: ~30 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: pbs.org
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: pbs.org
- On Tuesday, Democrat Juliana Stratton defeated Republican Don Tracy to win Illinois’s Senate seat.
- The current lieutenant governor will succeed Senator Dick Durbin, who is retiring after five terms.
- Stratton will be Illinois’s second Black woman senator and one of three Black women serving simultaneously in the Senate for the first time.
- She supports Medicare for All and criticizes President Donald Trump, including over his deployment of National Guard troops and federal immigration agents in Chicago.
NEW: Democrat Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, has won the South Carolina U.S. Senate race, The Associated Press reports in a race call.
Key FactsBottoms projected to become the US’s first Black woman governor
20 hours ago · Reading time: ~30 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: huffpost.com
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: huffpost.com
- Her projected victory would make her Georgia’s first Democratic governor in 23 years.
- Republican opponent Rick Jackson, a billionaire healthcare executive, spent tens of millions of dollars more.
- In the only debate with Jackson, Bottoms said she wanted to make Georgia more affordable and protect abortion and voting rights.
- If elected, Bottoms could use her veto to block many Statehouse measures; Republicans have held a majority there for over 20 years.
Key FactsVance blames Iran war for Republican losses
4 hours ago · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: abcnews.com
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: abcnews.com
- In a social media post, Vance said the war was the reason for the defeat.
- ABC News Voter Polls found that about six in ten House-race voters disapproved of Trump’s performance, including 53% who strongly disapproved.
- According to multiple sources familiar with the call, Mike Johnson told his staff Wednesday that he would not run for House minority leader.
- Jim Jordan launched his bid Wednesday; candidates for the November 10 leadership election must declare by November 6 at noon.
“This is a staggering day for our Conference. As we look to the future, we must learn from these results.”— Republican Rep. Jim Jordan wrote this in a letter to his colleagues after the party’s election losses.
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