Democrat Lorena Austin calls deepfake images supporting Andy Biggs '100% not me'

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Democrat Lorena Austin calls deepfake images supporting Andy Biggs…?

Of the 6 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 100% are rated left, 0% are rated centre, 0% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 7. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.

Is Democrat Lorena Austin calls deepfake images supporting Andy Biggs… left or right?

Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 6 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.

Is the coverage of Democrat Lorena Austin calls deepfake images supporting Andy Biggs… biased?

Democrat Lorena Austin calls deepfake images supporting Andy Biggs '100% not me' is one event reported by 7 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.

Which side is not reporting Democrat Lorena Austin calls deepfake images supporting Andy Biggs…?

When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.

Which outlets covered Democrat Lorena Austin calls deepfake images supporting Andy Biggs…?

7 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.

What did Democratic state Rep. Lorena Austin say about the images?

Lorena Austin stated that images appearing to show her supporting Republican gubernatorial candidate Andy Biggs were deepfakes. She said the images were generated without her consent and were "100% not me."

Who shared the images that Austin called deepfakes?

The images were shared on X by Matt Whitmire and Mary Ann Mendoza. They are identified as Chase the Vote Managers for Turning Point Action. Both individuals have since deleted the images from their social media accounts.

Did AI-detection systems confirm the images were altered?

Yes, AI-detection systems used by The Arizona Republic indicated that the images were digitally altered. Reports stated that at least one of the images showed signs of digital manipulation.

What was Mary Ann Mendoza's explanation for sharing the images?

Mary Ann Mendoza stated that her post containing the images was intended as a joke with humorous intent. She said that an "open borders radical like Lorena Austin would never stand with a patriot like Andy Biggs."