--- title: "Median Strategies admits fabricating polls in three US states in August 2026" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/median-strategies-admits-fabricating-polls-in-three-us-states-in-august-2026" api: "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" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/median-strategies-admits-fabricating-polls-in-three-us-states-in-august-2026" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-08-19T00:25:26.975Z" source_reported: "2026-08-18T22:07:57.000Z" updated: "2026-08-19T00:25:26.975Z" trust_score: 70 critic_score: 95 hype_score: 15 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-19T00:15:19.314655+00:00" --- # Median Strategies admits fabricating polls in three US states in August 2026 *The firm posted fake results for races in California, Wisconsin and Nevada before shutting its website* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 70 of 100, higher is better. Trust 70: multiple named sources, independent outlets, and specific figures with origins support the report. - Craft 95 of 100, higher is better. Critic 95: clear context, quotes, specific data, next steps, and coherent narrative. - Hype 15 of 100, lower is better. Hype 15: measured language, no sensationalism, headline matches article content. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - 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. 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. 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." 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. ## What the coverage left out 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. ## Who covered it Shares of the 6 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 50% (3) - Centre: 50% (3) - Right: 0% (0) 0 of 6 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-19T00:15:19.314655+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 2 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-19T01:00:40.926Z. ## How the sides framed it ### 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 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. - high: 1 - veryHigh: 5 ## 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 - [Associated Press News](https://apnews.com/article/polling-poll-fake-median-karen-bass-los-angeles-669c90cc77664546791185625d43ffda) — Fake polling from mysterious company highlights danger of unvetted election surveys - [SF Gate](https://sfgate.com/news/politics/article/fake-polling-from-mysterious-company-highlights-22393794.php) — Fake polling from mysterious company highlights danger of unvetted election surveys - [Wavy](https://wavy.com/news/politics/ap-fake-polling-from-mysterious-company-highlights-danger-of-unvetted-election-surveys) — Fake polling from mysterious company highlights danger of unvetted election surveys - [abc News](https://abcnews.com/Politics/wireStory/fake-polling-mysterious-company-highlights-danger-unvetted-election-135754279) — Fake polling from mysterious company highlights danger of unvetted election surveys - [WKMG](https://clickorlando.com/news/politics/2026/08/18/fake-polling-from-mysterious-company-highlights-danger-of-unvetted-election-surveys) — Fake polling from mysterious company highlights danger of unvetted election surveys - [KSAT 12](https://ksat.com/news/politics/2026/08/18/fake-polling-from-mysterious-company-highlights-danger-of-unvetted-election-surveys) — Fake polling from mysterious company highlights danger of unvetted election surveys ## Questions **Which polls did Median Strategies fabricate?** Median Strategies admitted to fabricating polls for the Democratic primary for governor in Wisconsin, the gubernatorial race in Nevada, and the mayoral race in Los Angeles in August 2026. The Los Angeles poll claimed Mayor Karen Bass led councilmember Nithya Raman by about 12 percentage points. **Why were the polls excluded by major aggregators?** Major polling aggregators like The New York Times and FiftyPlusOne excluded the Median Strategies polls because they lacked basic information about methodology and the firm’s operators. Median Strategies did not respond to requests for details, which is standard practice for inclusion in aggregator databases. **Did any right-rated outlet cover the story?** No right-rated outlet covered the story, according to the reports provided. The omission is a finding of the coverage comparison: the admission by Median Strategies and the details of the fabricated polls were not reported by any right-rated outlet in the material below. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/median-strategies-admits-fabricating-polls-in-three-us-states-in-august-2026. Please cite as: 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