--- title: "Family asks Republicans to remove ad using crash victims' photos" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/family-asks-republicans-to-remove-ad-using-crash-victims-photos" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/family-asks-republicans-to-remove-ad-using-crash-victims-photos" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/family-asks-republicans-to-remove-ad-using-crash-victims-photos.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/family-asks-republicans-to-remove-ad-using-crash-victims-photos" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-08-28T23:45:31.786Z" source_reported: "2026-08-28T19:06:27.000Z" updated: "2026-08-28T23:45:31.786Z" trust_score: 42 critic_score: 61 hype_score: 41 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-29T01:00:34.385213+00:00" --- # Family asks Republicans to remove ad using crash victims' photos *Grieving relatives say their tragedy is not political 'raw material' after ad blames candidate for fatal crash.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 42 of 100, higher is better. Central claim attributed to named family member; one full report and 12 digests; no documents or independent outlets cited. - Craft 61 of 100, higher is better. Reports quote affected family member, name specific individuals and locations, and state what is still unknown. - Hype 41 of 100, lower is better. Headlines and digests use loaded language like 'grieving family asks Republicans to take down ad' and 'classless'. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - A family has asked Republicans to remove a TV advertisement that uses images of their deceased relatives. - The ad supports Republican Senator Jon Husted and blames his Democratic opponent, Sherrod Brown, for a fatal car crash. - The family stated they were not asked for permission to use the names and faces of the crash victims. - The immigrant charged in relation to the crash arrived in the U.S. in the 1990s, according to FactCheck.org. A family has requested that Republicans remove a television advertisement that blames a Democratic Senate candidate for a fatal car crash. The ad, which supports the reelection campaign of Senator Jon Husted (R-Ohio), claims his opponent, Sherrod Brown, "opened our borders to dangerous illegals." The crash resulted in the deaths of Ohio parents Luke and Lynnea Soposki and their one-year-old child. Lynnea Soposki’s brother, Jesse Mallen, stated that the family had not given permission for the names and faces of the deceased to be used in the advertisement. He told HuffPost that the family had privately asked Husted’s campaign to remove the ad but received no response. Mallen described the situation as "shocking" and stressed that the family did not want to be political, stating, "Our grief is not raw material for a campaign, and their images are not public property to repurpose for anyone’s advantage." ## Disagreement on immigration policy link HuffPost reported that the immigrant charged in relation to the crash came to the U.S. in the 1990s, a fact also noted by FactCheck.org. The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), which paid for the ad, stated that "radical leftist Sherrod Brown backed open border policies that cost Ohioans their lives, without ever apologizing." The NRSC spokesman did not mention the Soposki family. HuffPost also noted that the National Republican Senatorial Committee pointed to a vote Brown took as a House member against an immigration enforcement bill in 1996, although he later voted in favor of its final passage as part of a larger bill. ## What the coverage left out None of the left or centre-rated reports mention the specific number of views the ad had on YouTube, although HuffPost stated it had more than 5 million views and The Independent noted over 5.6 million views. No right-rated outlet ran this story. ## Who covered it Shares of the 13 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 62% (8) - Centre: 38% (5) - Right: 0% (0) 1 of 14 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-29T01:00:34.385213+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 6 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-29T01:30:25.333Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - Left-rated reports led on the family’s request for the ad to be removed and their statement that their grief was not "raw material" for political campaigns. These reports highlighted that the family was not consulted before their relatives' images were used. Several left-rated outlets, including HuffPost and Raw Story, noted that the immigrant charged in the crash arrived in the U.S. in the 1990s, questioning the ad's premise. HuffPost quoted Jesse Mallen saying, "The lack of empathy for a grieving family is pretty shocking," and that "Our grief is not raw material for a campaign." ### Centre - Centre-rated reports focused on the family's request for the ad's removal and the use of their photo without permission. The Hill reported that Republicans were facing backlash over the ad. WCPO Cincinnati stated the family was asking the Husted campaign to "pull the ad using their photo." Cleveland.com reported that the GOP used the crash victims' photos "without permission." ### Right No separate framing summary. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 1 - high: 7 - unknown: 2 - veryHigh: 4 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [WKYC](https://wkyc.com/article/news/politics/elections/loved-ones-soposki-family-71-crash-political-ad-removal/530-71b54864-494f-4b30-88fe-b94957eef36a) — Loved ones of family killed in Ohio I-71 crash call for removal of political ad - [The Hill](https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/6057983-republicans-ad-backlash-brown-husted) — Ohio family decries use of photo in Republican Senate ad - [Ohio Capital Journal](https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2026/08/28/family-asks-national-republican-senatorial-committee-to-remove-pro-husted-ad-showing-deadly-crash) — Family asks National Republican Senatorial Committee to remove pro-Husted ad showing deadly crash - [tiffinohio.net](https://tiffinohio.net/posts/soposki-family-asks-nrsc-remove-husted-ad-deadly-crash) — Family asks National Republican Senatorial Committee to remove pro-Husted ad showing deadly crash - [The Independent](https://independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/ohio-family-crash-republican-ad-b3040648.html) — Relatives of Ohio family killed in crash ask Republican to take down attack ad - [The Independent (US)](https://the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/ohio-family-crash-republican-ad-b3040648.html) — Relatives of Ohio family killed in crash ask Republican to take down attack ad - [CDLLife](https://cdllife.com/2026/photo-of-victims-in-i-71-pile-up-involving-fraudulent-truck-driver-used-in-disrespectful-political-ad-family-says) — Photo of victims in I-71 pile up involving fraudulent truck driver used in “disrespectful’ political ad, family says - [WCPO Cincinnati](https://wcpo.com/news/local-news/family-of-i-71-crash-victims-asks-jon-husted-campaign-to-pull-ad-using-their-photo) — Family of I-71 crash victims asks Jon Husted campaign to pull ad using their photo - [Raw Story](https://rawstory.com/jon-husted-2677782646) — 'Classless' GOP senator walloped by grieving family over 'raw material' in attack ad - [Joe.My.God.](https://joemygod.com/2026/08/gop-senator-ignores-familys-pleas-to-take-down-ad-depicting-couple-killed-by-illegal-immigrant-driver) — GOP Senator Ignores Family’s Pleas To Take Down Ad Depicting Couple Killed By “Illegal Immigrant” Driver - [Cleveland](https://cleveland.com/news/2026/08/gop-senate-ad-uses-ohio-crash-victims-photos-without-permission.html) — GOP used Ohio crash victims' photos in Senate ad without permission - [HuffPost](https://huffpost.com/entry/jon-husted-ad-sherrod-brown-grieving-family_n_6a8ed286e4b0229baac3d369) — Grieving Family Asks Republicans To Take Down Ad Blaming Sherrod Brown For Fatal Car Wreck - [Cincinnati Enquirer](https://cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/08/26/soposki-family-asks-husted-senate-ad-be-removed/91464148007) — 'Our grief is not raw material' for Husted Senate ad, family says in call for removal - [The Repository](https://cantonrep.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/08/26/soposki-family-asks-husted-senate-ad-be-removed/91464148007) — 'Our grief is not raw material' for Husted Senate ad, family says in call for removal ## Questions **Why is the Soposki family asking for the ad to be removed?** The family of Luke and Lynnea Soposki, who died in a car crash with their infant child, have asked Republicans to remove a TV ad. They stated they were not asked for permission to use the names and faces of the deceased in the advertisement, calling their grief "raw material" for a campaign. **What does the Republican ad claim?** The ad supports the reelection campaign of Senator Jon Husted (R-Ohio) and claims his opponent, Sherrod Brown, "opened our borders to dangerous illegals." The ad links these policies to the fatal car crash that killed the Soposki family. **What is the background of the immigrant charged in the crash?** According to FactCheck.org and HuffPost, the immigrant charged in relation to the crash came to the United States in the 1990s. This information is used to question the ad's assertion that current immigration policies, influenced by Sherrod Brown, led to the crash. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/family-asks-republicans-to-remove-ad-using-crash-victims-photos. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Family asks Republicans to remove ad using crash victims' photos", https://mediabias.news/politics/family-asks-republicans-to-remove-ad-using-crash-victims-photos