Even Google couldn’t mask PBS's bias when comparing how the outlet treated former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).
MRC researchers asked Google’s AI chatbot Gemini on Monday, “Does PBS coverage favor Nancy Pelosi or Mike Johnson?” The chatbot tried to hedge its answer, citing PBS’s purported “commitment to journalistic integrity.” But ultimately, when Google referred to the outlet’s actual reporting, it became clear where PBS’s biases lie. While Google subtly highlighted PBS reporting on Pelosi’s achievements and “legacy,” the chatbot primarily focused on divisions within the GOP and Johnson’s challenges and criticisms. MRC researchers asked the same question about NPR’s coverage of the two U.S. House speakers, but in the end, Gemini hedged its answer to the questions concerning both outlets by calling it a matter of “interpretation.”