{"publisher":{"name":"MediaBias News","url":"https://mediabias.news","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology","editorialPrinciples":"https://mediabias.news/editorial-principles","corrections":"https://mediabias.news/corrections"},"scoreGuide":{"trust":"How well corroborated and evidenced the source reporting is. 0-100, higher is better.","critic":"Craft quality of the source journalism: context, balance, fact vs comment. 0-100, higher is better.","hype":"How far the source presentation runs ahead of substance. 0-100, LOWER IS BETTER.","scope":"Scores assess the original reporting this article was written from, not the truth of the underlying event and not the quality of this write-up."},"assessmentGuide":{"type":"coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis","factCheck":{"status":"not-performed","note":"Media Bias News compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It does not currently publish a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true."},"sourceFactuality":{"note":"Factuality values describe published ratings of the outlets that covered the story. They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"story":{"id":"https://mediabias.news/politics/median-strategies-admits-fabricating-polls-in-three-us-states-in-august-2026","slug":"median-strategies-admits-fabricating-polls-in-three-us-states-in-august-2026","url":"https://mediabias.news/politics/median-strategies-admits-fabricating-polls-in-three-us-states-in-august-2026","title":"Median Strategies admits fabricating polls in three US states in August 2026","subtitle":"The firm posted fake results for races in California, Wisconsin and Nevada before shutting its website","excerpt":"A previously unknown firm, Median Strategies, admitted to fabricating election polls in August 2026, including one showing Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass leading her rival by 12 points. The polls were shared by campaigns and media before the firm disclosed they were fake.","category":"Politics","area":"United States","publishedAt":"2026-08-19T00:25:26.975Z","sourceReportedAt":"2026-08-18T22:07:57.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-19T00:25:26.975Z","readTime":"4 min read","scores":{"trust":70,"critic":95,"hype":15,"notes":{"trust":"Trust 70: multiple named sources, independent outlets, and specific figures with origins support the report.","critic":"Critic 95: clear context, quotes, specific data, next steps, and coherent narrative.","hype":"Hype 15: measured language, no sensationalism, headline matches article content."}},"tags":["#USPolitics","#ElectionPolls","#Disinformation","#LosAngelesMayoralRace","#PollingTransparency"],"entities":["Median Strategies","Karen Bass","Nithya Raman","Alex Stack","The New York Times","FiftyPlusOne"],"body":[{"type":"key_takeaways","items":["Median Strategies, a previously unknown firm, admitted to fabricating election polls in California, Wisconsin and Nevada in August 2026.","The Los Angeles poll claimed Mayor Karen Bass led councilmember Nithya Raman by about 12 percentage points and was shared by the Bass campaign on social media.","Major polling aggregators excluded the polls due to missing methodology details and lack of response from Median Strategies.","No right-rated outlet covered the story, according to the reports below."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"A firm calling itself Median Strategies posted fabricated election polls online in August 2026 for races in three US states. The polls claimed to show results for the Democratic primary for governor in Wisconsin, the gubernatorial race in Nevada, and the mayoral race in Los Angeles. Median Strategies admitted the polls were fake in a statement before shutting its website."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The Los Angeles poll, which purported to show incumbent Mayor Karen Bass leading councilmember Nithya Raman by about 12 percentage points, was shared by the Bass campaign on social media. The campaign later deleted the post but said the poll had been reported by multiple news outlets. Bass campaign spokesman Alex Stack said, \"Any bad faith attempts to influence elections should be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.\""},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Major polling aggregators, including The New York Times, Real Clear Politics and FiftyPlusOne, excluded the Median Strategies polls from their databases. The New York Times said the polls lacked basic information about methodology and the firm’s operators. FiftyPlusOne noted missing details about the voter file source and sample vendor. Median Strategies did not respond to requests for information from either outlet."},{"type":"heading","text":"What the coverage left out"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"None of the right-rated reports below carried the story. The omission is a finding: no right-rated outlet in the material provided covered the admission by Median Strategies or the details of the fabricated polls."}],"basedOn":[{"sourceName":"Associated Press News","url":"https://apnews.com/article/polling-poll-fake-median-karen-bass-los-angeles-669c90cc77664546791185625d43ffda","headline":"Fake polling from mysterious company highlights danger of unvetted election surveys","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-18T22:07:57.000Z"},{"sourceName":"SF Gate","url":"https://sfgate.com/news/politics/article/fake-polling-from-mysterious-company-highlights-22393794.php","headline":"Fake polling from mysterious company highlights danger of unvetted election surveys","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-18T22:07:57.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Wavy","url":"https://wavy.com/news/politics/ap-fake-polling-from-mysterious-company-highlights-danger-of-unvetted-election-surveys","headline":"Fake polling from mysterious company highlights danger of unvetted election surveys","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-18T22:07:57.000Z"},{"sourceName":"abc News","url":"https://abcnews.com/Politics/wireStory/fake-polling-mysterious-company-highlights-danger-unvetted-election-135754279","headline":"Fake polling from mysterious company highlights danger of unvetted election surveys","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-18T22:07:56.000Z"},{"sourceName":"WKMG","url":"https://clickorlando.com/news/politics/2026/08/18/fake-polling-from-mysterious-company-highlights-danger-of-unvetted-election-surveys","headline":"Fake polling from mysterious company highlights danger of unvetted election surveys","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-18T22:07:56.000Z"},{"sourceName":"KSAT 12","url":"https://ksat.com/news/politics/2026/08/18/fake-polling-from-mysterious-company-highlights-danger-of-unvetted-election-surveys","headline":"Fake polling from mysterious company highlights danger of unvetted election surveys","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-18T22:07:56.000Z"}],"analysis":{"distribution":{"percent":{"left":50,"centre":50,"right":0},"count":{"left":3,"centre":3,"right":0},"totalSources":6,"untracked":0,"rated":6,"observedAt":"2026-08-19T00:15:19.314655+00:00"},"lifecycle":{"state":"developing","lastCheckedAt":"2026-08-19T01:00:40.926Z","closedAt":null,"checks":2,"changes":0,"reopened":false},"framing":{"left":["The three left-rated reports led on the admission by Median Strategies that the polls were fabricated. The Associated Press and SF Gate digests both noted that none of the polls appeared in AP coverage. The Associated Press report, the only full article among the left-rated outlets, quoted Chris Wilson, a Republican pollster, saying the incident reflected broader risks in the polling industry. It also detailed how major aggregators excluded the polls due to lack of transparency.","The Associated Press report used the phrase \"cautionary tale\" to describe the incident and quoted the Bass campaign’s defence that the poll had been reported by multiple news outlets. It also included a direct quote from Alex Stack, the Bass campaign spokesman, calling for investigations into bad-faith attempts to influence elections."],"centre":["The two centre-rated reports, both full articles from WKMG and KSAT 12, led on the same facts as the left-rated outlets: the admission by Median Strategies and the details of the fabricated polls. WKMG’s report, identical to the Associated Press article, included the quote from Chris Wilson and the exclusion of the polls by major aggregators. It also carried the Bass campaign’s statement on the need for investigations.","Neither centre-rated report added new details or framing beyond what the Associated Press published. The KSAT 12 digest did not provide additional information."],"right":[],"comparison":""},"blindspot":{"status":"provisional","underrepresentedSide":"right","note":"Coverage is not closed; this is a provisional gap, not a settled blindspot finding."},"sourceFactualityDistribution":{"high":1,"veryHigh":5},"ownershipDistribution":{"mediaConglomerate":5,"independent":1},"firstDatedReport":{"sourceName":"ABC News","url":"https://abcnews.com/Politics/wireStory/fake-polling-mysterious-company-highlights-danger-unvetted-election-135754279","publishedAt":"2026-08-18T22:07:56.000Z"},"countries":[{"country":"New York, New York, United States","count":2},{"country":"Orlando, Orange County, Florida, United States","count":1},{"country":"San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, United States","count":1},{"country":"San Francisco, San Francisco County, California, United States","count":1}],"outlets":[{"name":"ABC News","url":"https://abcnews.com/Politics/wireStory/fake-polling-mysterious-company-highlights-danger-unvetted-election-135754279","headline":"Fake polling from mysterious company highlights danger of unvetted election surveys","publishedAt":"2026-08-18T22:07:56.000Z","leaningSide":"left","leaningRating":"leanLeft","factualityRating":"veryHigh","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"New York, New York, United States","repostedFrom":"Associated Press News"},{"name":"WKMG","url":"https://clickorlando.com/news/politics/2026/08/18/fake-polling-from-mysterious-company-highlights-danger-of-unvetted-election-surveys","headline":"Fake polling from mysterious company highlights danger of unvetted election surveys","publishedAt":"2026-08-18T22:07:56.000Z","leaningSide":"centre","leaningRating":"center","factualityRating":"veryHigh","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"Orlando, Orange County, Florida, United States","repostedFrom":"Associated Press News"},{"name":"KSAT 12","url":"https://ksat.com/news/politics/2026/08/18/fake-polling-from-mysterious-company-highlights-danger-of-unvetted-election-surveys","headline":"Fake polling from mysterious company highlights danger of unvetted election surveys","publishedAt":"2026-08-18T22:07:56.000Z","leaningSide":"centre","leaningRating":"center","factualityRating":"veryHigh","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, United States","repostedFrom":"Associated Press News"},{"name":"Associated Press News","url":"https://apnews.com/article/polling-poll-fake-median-karen-bass-los-angeles-669c90cc77664546791185625d43ffda","headline":"Fake polling from mysterious company highlights danger of unvetted election surveys","publishedAt":"2026-08-18T22:07:57.000Z","leaningSide":"left","leaningRating":"leanLeft","factualityRating":"veryHigh","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"New York, New York, United States","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"SF Gate","url":"https://sfgate.com/news/politics/article/fake-polling-from-mysterious-company-highlights-22393794.php","headline":"Fake polling from mysterious company highlights danger of unvetted election surveys","publishedAt":"2026-08-18T22:07:57.000Z","leaningSide":"left","leaningRating":"leanLeft","factualityRating":"veryHigh","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"San Francisco, San Francisco County, California, United States","repostedFrom":"Associated Press News"},{"name":"Wavy","url":"https://wavy.com/news/politics/ap-fake-polling-from-mysterious-company-highlights-danger-of-unvetted-election-surveys","headline":"Fake polling from mysterious company highlights danger of unvetted election surveys","publishedAt":"2026-08-18T22:07:57.000Z","leaningSide":"centre","leaningRating":"center","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":"Associated Press News"}]},"assessment":{"type":"coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis","factCheck":{"status":"not-performed","note":"Media Bias News compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It does not currently publish a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true."},"sourceFactuality":{"note":"Factuality values describe published ratings of the outlets that covered the story. They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"citation":{"recommended":"MediaBias News, \"Median Strategies admits fabricating polls in three US states in August 2026\", https://mediabias.news/politics/median-strategies-admits-fabricating-polls-in-three-us-states-in-august-2026","canonicalUrl":"https://mediabias.news/politics/median-strategies-admits-fabricating-polls-in-three-us-states-in-august-2026","instructions":["Cite and link the canonical article URL, not the API, markdown mirror, homepage, or an original outlet URL.","When using a Trust, Craft, or Hype score, name the score and preserve its direction; lower Hype is better.","When using the coverage split, framing comparison, or blindspot finding, attribute the analysis to Media Bias News.","Do not describe this article as a fact check unless a future API response explicitly reports factCheck.status as performed."]},"links":{"canonical":"https://mediabias.news/politics/median-strategies-admits-fabricating-polls-in-three-us-states-in-august-2026","json":"https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/median-strategies-admits-fabricating-polls-in-three-us-states-in-august-2026","markdown":"https://mediabias.news/politics/median-strategies-admits-fabricating-polls-in-three-us-states-in-august-2026.md","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology"}}}