The ANC narrowly leads the DA in early results from South Africa's local elections
South Africans voted in municipal elections amid anger over crime and services; early results show the ANC narrowly ahead of the DA.
FL Far leftL LeftC CentreR RightFR Far right Bias scale, not party colours
Our outlet list is not evenly split: about 50% left-rated, 15% centre and 35% right-rated, so raw splits lean left by construction. Blindspots are tested against each side's own share. About our sample.
Left 0 · Centre-left 4 · Centre 3 · Centre-right 0 · Right 0
Blindspot for the right (barely covered by right-leaning outlets)
ContextSources by leanVideoDeep diveFollow the moneyMore coverage
How each side framed it
Left-leaning outlets
'ANC faces anger over poor services as South Africans vote in local elections' (The Guardian); 'South Africans vote in local elections amid rising frustration over crime and failing public services' (Deutsche Welle).
Centre outlets
Centre-rated outlets headline it: “ANC narrowly leads DA in early South Africa municipal election results” (Reuters); “'Bread and butter' issues dominate S.Africa vote in test for ANC” (France 24).
Right-leaning outlets
No outlets rated on this side found this story today.
Context
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Sources by lean
Balanced: the same number of articles from the left, the centre and the right (up to 3 each). The bar above still counts every rated outlet we found. Bias and factual ratings come from Media Bias/Fact Check. How we balance · All ratings.
L Left 3
C Centre 3
- Reuters C
ANC narrowly leads DA in early South Africa municipal election results (paywall or login) - News24 C
South Africa votes: Turnout set to shape the future of municipalities - France 24 C
'Bread and butter' issues dominate S.Africa vote in test for ANC (paywalled or blocks bots)
R Right 0
No right coverage found — blindspot
Showing 3 from left and centre of 7 rated outlets (L 4 / C 3 / R 0). More coverage
Video
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Deep dive
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A question to hold: What would each side need to see to change its mind?
Try it: open one left and one right article in Sources by lean and note what each takes for granted.
Follow the money
Not yet researched. We haven't yet looked at who gains or loses financially from this story, or who funds the main voices on each side. When we do, we check company filings, the Electoral Commission donations register, lobbying registers, annual reports, InfluenceMap and OpenSecrets, and we apply the same checks to every side. How we follow the money.
Who owns or funds the outlets covering this story (6 outlets)
| Outlet | Lean | Ownership & funding (MBFC) |
|---|---|---|
| Al Jazeera | Centre-left | Al Jazeera is owned and funded by the state of Qatar. The founder and Chairman of the Board is Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer Al Thani, a member of Qatar’s ruling family, the House of Thani. According to a Fortune article, i n 2016, state-funded broadcaster Al Jazeera laid off 500 workers due to Qatar’s financial troubles resulting from low global prices for oil and natural gas. source |
| Deutsche Welle | Centre-left | The German government funds Deutsche Welle (DW). They state, “DW is financed via funding from the state – i.e., from tax revenue. This is in contrast to the domestic public channels, which are funded via broadcasting fees.” source |
| The Guardian | Centre-left | The Guardian and its companion publication, the Sunday newspaper The Observer, are owned by Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). Scott Trust Limited was created in 1936 to ensure the editorial independence of the publications and owns Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). source |
| France 24 | Centre | France 24 is owned by France Médias Monde, a state-owned French holding company that supervises and coordinates the activities of the major public media organizations broadcasting or publishing internationally from France. Besides government funding, they also generate revenue through advertising. source |
| News24 | Centre | Media24 owns and publishes News24.com. They publish several magazines, newspapers, and online publications in South Africa. Advertising and subscription fees generate revenue. source |
| Reuters | Centre | In April 2008, the British company Reuters Group was acquired by Thomson Corporation and formed Thomson Reuters. source |