Mail & Guardian

Mail & Guardian is generally regarded as left-leaning in its editorial orientation, according to widely cited media-bias assessments of South Africa's press. In South Africa, News24 and TimesLIVE are listed as Centrist — so you can open Mail & Guardian beside a title of a different orientation and compare the same day's front pages directly.

Read Mail & Guardian beside another title from South Africa and the differences show up fastest in what leads the page. Two South Africa dailies covering the same day will usually agree on the facts and differ on the ordering: which story is worth the top of the page, how the headline characterises it, and which follow-ups get space. Those are Mail & Guardian's editorial choices, and they are easiest to see side by side. Because Mail & Guardian is listed as left-leaning, the sharpest contrast is usually a right-leaning title from South Africa on the same morning: the facts rarely differ, but which consequence is treated as the story often does.

This is an approximate orientation, not a definitive judgement — and not a rating of quality or accuracy. Read how Crosswire classifies editorial leanings, including the sources behind each label. Directory last reviewed 2026-07-28. Think this label is wrong? Suggest a correction.