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Politics37 outlets ran this3 min read

Nevada Candidate's Forum Linked to Racist Content, AP Finds

An Associated Press review of thousands of posts on 'The Marty Army' forum revealed slurs and extremist theories.

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published Updated
Nevada Candidate's Forum Linked to Racist Content, AP Finds

What this story says

  • An Associated Press review of thousands of posts on the online forum 'The Marty Army' between 2022 and 2026 found racial slurs, minimizations of Nazi Germany, and defenses of white nationalist conspiracy theories.
  • Marty O'Donnell, a Nevada Republican candidate for Congress, controls the forum and has used it to solicit campaign funds.
  • A former group member stated that the popular sentiment in the forum was that slavery should be legal.
  • O'Donnell's campaign spokesman stated that the campaign has banned nearly 200 users for hateful rhetoric since becoming aware of the issue in the spring.

Who covered it

Left 43%(15)Centre 40%(14)Right 17%(6)

Percentages are shares of the 35 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 2 of the 37 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

42/100

Craft

60/100

Hype

20/100

37 sources · methodology

Thin on the right so far

Only 6 of the 35 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.

This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.

An Associated Press review of thousands of posts on an online forum controlled by Nevada Republican congressional candidate Marty O'Donnell found racial slurs, minimizations of Nazi Germany, and defenses of white nationalist conspiracy theories. The forum, known as 'The Marty Army,' has also been used to solicit campaign funds.

O'Donnell, a composer for the 'Halo' video game franchise, has used the forum to rally supporters for his campaign against incumbent Democrat Susie Lee. A former group member, Deacon Dameron, told the AP that the prevailing sentiment on the forum was that slavery should be legal. Dameron stated he was banned from the forum after calling another user a 'dork'.

O'Donnell's campaign spokesman, Keith Schipper, stated that the campaign has banned nearly 200 users for hateful rhetoric since becoming aware of the issue in the spring. Schipper added that a staffer has been dedicated to monitoring and removing racist and antisemitic content. He also said that some posts had been missed over the years.

Disagreements in reporting

The Washington Top News report stated that O'Donnell's campaign denied he dressed up as Benito Mussolini, stating that a mask worn to a Halloween party nearly two decades ago was not labeled as Mussolini's and was purchased because it was 'ugly and creepy.' The campaign claimed O'Donnell jokingly referred to it as a 'Mussolini mask' years later because it vaguely resembled the dictator.

What the coverage left out

None of the left, centre, or right-rated reports printed below mention the specific date range of the Associated Press review, which spanned from 2022 to 2026. The full report from Washington Top News stated that O'Donnell has referred to himself as the forum's 'benevolent dictator' and that the campaign held a two-day event for forum members including a video game tournament and panel discussions. These details were not present in the digests of other outlets.

Tags:#MartyODonnell#NevadaPolitics#OnlineForums#HateSpeech#WhiteNationalism#APReview

Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 4 times, most recently on 18 Oct 2026, 16:45, and will add the sides that appear.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

15 rated outlets

  • Nine left-rated reports led on the Associated Press review finding racial slurs, minimizations of Nazi Germany, and defenses of white nationalist conspiracy theories on the online forum controlled by Nevada Republican congressional candidate Marty O'Donnell. These reports highlighted that O'Donnell controls the forum and uses it to solicit campaign cash. Several mentioned a former group member's statement that the popular sentiment was that slavery should be legal. The campaign's response, including banning users and dedicating a staffer to monitor content, was also noted. Some reports included details about O'Donnell's background as a composer for the 'Halo' video game franchise and his campaign against Susie Lee.

Centre

14 rated outlets

  • All twelve centre‑rated outlets ran a story about an Associated Press review of the online discussion group used by Nevada congressional candidate Marty O’Donnell. The review found posts that included racial slurs, attempts to downplay Nazi Germany and support for white‑nationalist conspiracy theories. Ten outlets presented this information in a short digest, while two published full articles.
  • The Medicine Hat News and Washington Top News pieces added background on O’Donnell, noting his previous work composing music for the Halo video‑game series and his self‑described role as the forum’s “benevolent dictator”. Both reports quoted the campaign spokesman saying a staff member monitors the forum, that roughly two hundred users have been banned, and reiterated O’Donnell’s strong support for Israel and his endorsement by former President Donald Trump.
  • The digests from the remaining ten centre outlets did not include any of the campaign‑specific details found in the full reports. They omitted mention of O’Donnell’s video‑game composing career, the “benevolent dictator” description, the staff monitoring effort, the ban count, his Israel stance, the Trump endorsement and the broader election context.

Right

6 rated outlets

  • Two right-rated reports highlighted the Associated Press review finding racial slurs, minimizations of Nazi Germany, and defenses of white nationalist conspiracy theories on the online forum controlled by Nevada Republican congressional candidate Marty O'Donnell. These reports noted that O'Donnell's campaign stated it has banned nearly 200 users for hateful rhetoric since becoming aware of the issue in the spring and has dedicated a staffer to monitor and remove such content. The campaign's denial regarding O'Donnell dressing as Mussolini was also included. The reports mentioned O'Donnell's background as a 'Halo' composer and his congressional race.

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Nevada Candidate's Forum Linked to Racist Content, AP Finds?
Of the 35 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 43% are rated left, 40% are rated centre, 17% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 37. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is Nevada Candidate's Forum Linked to Racist Content, AP Finds left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 35 rated outlets on this story, 43% are rated left, 40% are rated centre, 17% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of Nevada Candidate's Forum Linked to Racist Content, AP Finds biased?
Nevada Candidate's Forum Linked to Racist Content, AP Finds is one event reported by 37 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 Nevada Candidate's Forum Linked to Racist Content, AP Finds?
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 Nevada Candidate's Forum Linked to Racist Content, AP Finds?
37 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 the Associated Press review find about Marty O'Donnell's online forum?
An Associated Press review of thousands of posts on 'The Marty Army' forum between 2022 and 2026 found racial slurs, minimizations of Nazi Germany, and defenses of white nationalist conspiracy theories. The forum is controlled by Nevada Republican congressional candidate Marty O'Donnell.
What has Marty O'Donnell's campaign said about the content on the forum?
O'Donnell's campaign spokesman stated that the campaign has banned nearly 200 users for hateful rhetoric since becoming aware of the issue in the spring. The campaign claims to have dedicated a staffer to monitor and remove such content, acknowledging that some posts may have been missed.
What is the popular sentiment expressed in the forum, according to a former member?
A former group member, Deacon Dameron, stated that the popular sentiment in the forum was that slavery should be legal. Dameron, who was banned from the forum, also indicated that users sometimes relied on coded language to avoid moderator scrutiny.
What is Marty O'Donnell's background?
Marty O'Donnell is a Nevada Republican candidate for Congress. Before entering politics, he was an award-winning music composer for the popular 'Halo' video game franchise. He has used his online forum, 'The Marty Army,' to solicit campaign funds.

Read it at the source

37 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

15
Show 7 more

Centre

14
Show 6 more

Right

6

Not rated

2

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

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Marty O'Donnell forum racist content | MediaBias News