Texas Republican Bo French faces backlash for social media post
GOP candidate Bo French called University of Texas students 'foreigners' in a social media post.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Texas Republican Bo French faces backlash for social media post
Photograph: Joe.My.God. (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Bo French, the Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner, posted a social media photo of University of Texas students.
- French described the students as 'foreigners' who were displacing Americans.
- Several prominent Texas Republicans, including U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, publicly condemned the post.
- Cornyn called the post an example of 'intolerance and racism'.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 27 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 2 of the 29 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
54/100
Craft
67/100
Hype
25/100
29 sources · methodology
Missing from the left
Only 7 of the 27 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
A reader who follows the left would not have seen this. We report the absence rather than explain it: outlets choose what to cover for many reasons, and we have no evidence about which one applies here.
Bo French, the Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner, posted a social media photo of University of Texas students. He described the students as 'foreigners' who were displacing Americans. The post drew condemnation from several prominent Texas Republicans, including U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, who called it racist and intolerant.
Coverage comparison
The digests agree that Bo French, the Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner, posted a photo of University of Texas students and described them as 'foreigners' displacing Americans. They also agree that U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and other Texas Republicans condemned the post as racist and intolerant.
What the coverage left out
None of the left-rated digests mention that the post specifically targeted Asian American students. None of the centre-rated digests mention that the post specifically targeted Asian American students. None of the right-rated digests mention that the post specifically targeted Asian American students.
Coverage settled. We checked this 26 times and stopped on 19 Sept 2026, 03:45. The figures above are what it finished at.
How other outlets pictured it
Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.
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
7 rated outlets
- Left-rated outlets reported that Bo French, a Republican candidate for Texas Railroad Commissioner, posted a photo of South Asian students at a University of Texas football game. French claimed the students were "foreigners" displacing Americans.
- Several Republican figures, including U.S. Senator John Cornyn and Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows, condemned French's post. They described it as intolerant and racist, with some calling for him to delete it.
- Some reports noted that 80.5% of the University of Texas student body are Texas residents. Other outlets highlighted that Governor Greg Abbott did not denounce French's post, instead calling the image a selective picture.
Centre
8 rated outlets
- Centre-rated digests reported that Bo French, the Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner, faced backlash from fellow Republicans for his social media comments. These digests stated that French mischaracterized a photo of University of Texas football fans as evidence of Americans being displaced by foreigners. They also mentioned that prominent Texas Republicans, including U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, condemned the post.
Right
12 rated outlets
- The right-rated digest highlighted U.S. Sen. John Cornyn's public rebuke of fellow Republican Bo French over a social media post targeting students of color celebrating at a University of Texas football game. The digest noted Cornyn called the post an example of 'intolerance and racism'.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Texas Republican Bo French faces backlash for social media post?
- Of the 27 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 29% are rated left, 25% are rated centre, 46% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 29. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Texas Republican Bo French faces backlash for social media post left or right?
- Neither side dominates it. Of the 27 rated outlets on this story, 29% are rated left, 25% are rated centre, 46% 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 Texas Republican Bo French faces backlash for social media post biased?
- Texas Republican Bo French faces backlash for social media post is one event reported by 29 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 Texas Republican Bo French faces backlash for social media post?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left 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 Texas Republican Bo French faces backlash for social media post?
- 29 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.
- Who is Bo French?
- Bo French is the Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner, a statewide position responsible for regulating the state's oil and gas industry. He recently posted a social media photo of University of Texas students.
- What did Bo French post on social media?
- Bo French posted a photo of University of Texas students celebrating a football game and described them as 'foreigners' who were displacing Americans. He called the students a 'problem'.
- Who condemned Bo French's post?
- Several prominent Texas Republicans, including U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, publicly condemned Bo French's social media post. Cornyn described the post as an example of 'intolerance and racism'.
Read it at the source
47 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
16- Who’s to blame if Ken Paxton goes down in flames: former Fox News analyst (opens Alternet in a new tab)
Alternet — is Alternet biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- GOP's $50m ad blitz exposes a fear even 'rock-ribbed' Republicans can't hide: strategist (opens Raw Story in a new tab)
- Thune’s Texas PAC Drops a Whopping $54 Million for Paxton’s Senate Race (opens washingtonsun.com in a new tab)
washingtonsun.com — is washingtonsun.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Fifty days ahead of Election Day, Republicans pour money into Paxton campaign (opens Fairfield Sun Times in a new tab)
Fairfield Sun Times — is Fairfield Sun Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Fifty days ahead of Election Day, Republicans pour money into Paxton campaign (opens Daily Post-Athenian in a new tab)
Daily Post-Athenian — is Daily Post-Athenian biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Paxton and Abbott refuse to condemn Texas Republican’s racist post (opens Daily Kos in a new tab)
- Ken Paxton Tries To Turn Racist Post Against Talarico (opens Joe.My.God. in a new tab)
Joe.My.God. — is Joe.My.God. biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Texas Republicans call out railroad commissioner candidate over racist social media post (opens NBC News in a new tab)
Show 8 more
- Bo French Called UT Crowd' Foreigners'—but 80.5% of the University's Students Are Texans (opens IBTimes UK in a new tab)
IBTimes UK — is IBTimes UK biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Texas Republicans call out railroad commissioner candidate over racist social media post (opens NBC Dallas-Fort Worth in a new tab)
NBC Dallas-Fort Worth — is NBC Dallas-Fort Worth biased? Our profile of this outlet
- GOP senator criticizes 'racism' from fellow Texas Republican (opens USA Today in a new tab)
- Several Texas Republicans condemn Bo French’s racist posts calling Asian students at UT a “problem” (opens tpr.org in a new tab)
- 'Will you condemn this?' Republican's post sparks national debate about GOP racism (opens Raw Story in a new tab)
Raw Story
- Republicans Call Out GOP Nominee For Racist Post (opens Joe.My.God. in a new tab)
Joe.My.God.
- Cornyn calls out Bo French over racist social media post (opens The Texas Tribune in a new tab)
The Texas Tribune — is The Texas Tribune biased? Our profile of this outlet
- John Cornyn Rips GOP for Silence on Bo French Post (opens Mediaite in a new tab)
Centre
15- Fifty days ahead of Election Day, Republicans pour money into Paxton campaign (opens charitonleader.com in a new tab)
charitonleader.com — is charitonleader.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Fifty days ahead of Election Day, Republicans pour money into Paxton campaign (opens Ashley County Ledger in a new tab)
Ashley County Ledger — is Ashley County Ledger biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Fifty days ahead of Election Day, Republicans pour money into Paxton campaign (opens The Guam Daily Post in a new tab)
The Guam Daily Post — is The Guam Daily Post biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Fifty days ahead of Election Day, Republicans pour money into Paxton campaign (opens romesentinel.com in a new tab)
romesentinel.com — is romesentinel.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Fifty days ahead of Election Day, Republicans pour money into Paxton campaign (opens SF Weekly in a new tab)
- Fifty days ahead of Election Day, Republicans pour money into Paxton campaign (opens Star Local in a new tab)
Star Local — is Star Local biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Fifty days ahead of Election Day, Republicans pour money into Paxton campaign (opens The Indiana Gazette Online in a new tab)
The Indiana Gazette Online — is The Indiana Gazette Online biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Fifty days ahead of Election Day, Republicans pour money into Paxton campaign (opens Columbia Gorge News in a new tab)
Columbia Gorge News — is Columbia Gorge News biased? Our profile of this outlet
Show 7 more
- Texas Republican’s Racist Social Media Post Draws Condemnation (opens INTELLINEWS in a new tab)
INTELLINEWS — is INTELLINEWS biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Several Texas Republicans condemn Bo French’s racist posts calling Asian students at UT a 'problem' (opens WFAA 8abc in a new tab)
- Bo French faces backlash over posts criticizing UT student demographics (opens KTBC in a new tab)
- Bo French faces backlash over posts criticizing UT student demographics (opens KRIV in a new tab)
- Bo French faces backlash over posts criticizing UT student demographics (opens KDFW in a new tab)
- Several Texas Republicans condemn Bo French’s racist posts calling Asian students at UT a “problem” (opens KPRC-TV in a new tab)
- Texas Republicans Denounce GOP Statewide Candidate (opens Political Wire in a new tab)
Political Wire — is Political Wire biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
14- Fifty days ahead of Election Day, Republicans pour money into Paxton campaign - The Daily Bo Snerdley (opens thedailybs.com in a new tab)
thedailybs.com — is thedailybs.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Fifty days ahead of Election Day, Republicans pour money into Paxton campaign (opens Rochester Sentinel in a new tab)
Rochester Sentinel — is Rochester Sentinel biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Fifty days ahead of Election Day, Republicans pour money into Paxton campaign (opens Webster County Citizen in a new tab)
Webster County Citizen — is Webster County Citizen biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Fifty days ahead of Election Day, Republicans pour money into Paxton campaign (opens The Elkhart Truth in a new tab)
The Elkhart Truth — is The Elkhart Truth biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Fifty days ahead of Election Day, Republicans pour money into Paxton campaign (opens The Herald Palladium in a new tab)
The Herald Palladium — is The Herald Palladium biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Fifty days ahead of Election Day, Republicans pour money into Paxton campaign (opens The Center Square in a new tab)
The Center Square — is The Center Square biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Fifty days ahead of Election Day, Republicans pour money into Paxton campaign (opens The Daily Courier in a new tab)
The Daily Courier — is The Daily Courier biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Ken Paxton Buries James Talarico with the Perfect Comeback After Talarico Taunts Him Over This Highly Provocative Tweet from Another GOP Statewide Candidate * The Gateway Pundit * by Cullen Linebarger (opens The Gateway Pundit in a new tab)
The Gateway Pundit — is The Gateway Pundit biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
Show 6 more
- Ken Paxton Absolutely Schooled James Talarico, and It Was Brutal (opens PJ Media in a new tab)
PJ Media — is PJ Media biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- 'This Is the Way': Paxton Takes the Bull by the Horns, Wrecks Talarico Over ‘Racism’ Question (opens RedState in a new tab)
- Talarico Pulls Race Card for Some Reason – Hilarity Ensues (opens Hot Air in a new tab)
Hot Air — is Hot Air biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- BOOM! James Talarico Demands Racism Condemnation From Ken Paxton — What Happened Next Is LEGENDARY (opens Twitchy in a new tab)
- Bo French faces backlash over post targeting South Asian UT students (opens India Today in a new tab)
India Today — is India Today biased? Our profile of this outlet
- ‘Intolerance and racism’: US senator slams Texas Republican nominee over post targeting Asian students (opens Times of India in a new tab)
Times of India — is Times of India biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
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