Rolling Stone

U.S. left-leaning

Background

Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and critic Ralph J. Gleason, originally as a music and counterculture magazine that grew into a mix of music journalism and political reporting, notably through Hunter S. Thompson's gonzo-style coverage. Wenner controlled the publication for decades, cultivating its identity as a voice of the counterculture left, including advocacy on civil rights, anti-war movements, and social justice. In 2017, Wenner sold a majority stake to Penske Media Corporation (in partnership with Singapore's BandLab Technologies), and PMC later acquired full ownership outright, ending the Wenner family's direct control. The outlet has had editorial controversies, most notably a retracted 2014 story about an alleged campus rape at the University of Virginia that was found to be journalistically flawed. Under PMC, Rolling Stone continues as a commercial media brand alongside sister titles like Variety and Billboard, funded through advertising, subscriptions, and licensing rather than a single wealthy patron. It has endorsed Democratic presidential candidates in recent elections, including Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Kamala Harris in 2024, and is widely rated by media-bias trackers as left-leaning with generally high factual standards.

Sources

1. Penske Media Corporation Acquires Full Ownership of 'Rolling Stone'
2. PMC Takes Full Ownership of Rolling Stone
3. Rolling Stone - Bias and Credibility - Media Bias/Fact Check
4. Rolling Stone

Profile compiled 2026-10-02; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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