This tracker applies identical scrutiny to all sources regardless of political lean. Every outlet — left, right, center, and independent — is evaluated using the same criteria: ownership transparency, funding source diversity, editorial independence from funders, and public financial disclosure. UNA does not assign credibility based on ideology. A billionaire-funded progressive outlet receives the same funding scrutiny as a billionaire-funded conservative one. A state-funded broadcaster is flagged identically whether it's the BBC or RT. Dark money is dark money regardless of which direction it flows.

How scores are calculated: Transparency scores (0-100) measure how easy it is to trace where a source's money comes from — not whether the source is "good" or "bad." High scores mean open books; low scores mean opaque funding. Revenue breakdowns use the most recent SEC filings, nonprofit 990s, public financial statements, and investigative journalism where direct disclosures are unavailable. Lean indicators reflect editorial positioning as assessed by AllSides, Ad Fontes Media, and Media Bias/Fact Check — all of which use multi-partisan review panels.