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Fake Polls Linked to Karen Bass in Los Angeles

4 articles from 4 outlets First seen: August 18, 2026
1 left · 1 center · 2 right · Earliest publisher-stamped report: Washington Examiner

The Pure Report account · 4 sources · as of Aug 19, 03:45 UTC

A fake poll showing Karen Bass with a commanding lead in the L.A. mayoral race was revealed, and Median Strategies admitted the polls were fake. The fake opinion survey comes amid a wave of low-quality polls that have missed the mark in marquee races.

What we know

  • The poll showing Karen Bass with a commanding lead was fake.
    receipt “The fake opinion survey showing Karen Bass with a commanding lead in the L.A. mayoral race comes amid a wave of low-quality polls that have missed the mark in marquee races.” — verbatim from Los Angeles Times · article

Attributed reporting

  • According to Washington Examiner, Karen Bass posted a poll showing her at 50% and Nithya Raman at 39%.
    receipt “Last week, Bass made a post on X showing a poll putting her at 50% and her rival Nithya Raman at just 39%.” — verbatim from Washington Examiner · article

How each side framed it · in their own words

Left
characterization of polling industry
“comes amid a wave of low-quality polls that have missed the mark in marquee races.”
Los Angeles Times
Center
No editorialized framing survived our verification in the center-leaning coverage we ingested (1 outlet, 1 article) — it reported the story straight.
Right
characterization of the poll
“said the survey was entirely fake and part of a social experiment.”
Washington Examiner

Framing spectrum · 4 outlets

Washington Examiner · 4/100 · Wire-neutral The Hill · 4/100 · Wire-neutral Los Angeles Times · 45/100 · Mainstream Fox News — Politics · 45/100 · Mainstream
wirepublicmainstream flavoredpartisanadvocacy
Range 4–45 (Wire-neutral → Mainstream) Average 24/100 Lean: 1 left · 1 center · 2 right

Coverage patterns

Earliest report in our feed set (publisher timestamps): Washington Examiner (right), Aug 18, 00:10 UTC.

Lean Outlets Articles Who
Left 1 1 Los Angeles Times
Center 1 1 The Hill
Right 2 2 Fox News, Washington Examiner
Report-by-report timeline · 4

Coverage patterns reflect only the ~50 feeds Pure Report ingests — not the full media universe. Timestamps are publisher-reported. Lean labels are Pure Report's classification. Articles are grouped by automated clustering, and counts include syndicated wire copies.

Compare the coverage

Washington Examiner
LEANS RIGHT 4 Wire-neutral Poll Claimed by Karen Bass Found to Be Fake, Says Polling Firm The Hill 4 Wire-neutral Company Claims Poll Showing LA Mayor Karen Bass Leading Nithya Raman Was Fake Los Angeles Times
LEANS LEFT 45 Mainstream Challenges in Public Opinion Industry Highlighted by Fake L.A. Mayor Poll Fox News — Politics
LEANS RIGHT 45 Mainstream Polling Firm Median Strategies Closes After Admitting to Fake Surveys

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