Concluded

Fake Polls Linked to Karen Bass in Los Angeles

6 articles from 5 outlets First seen: August 18, 2026

Outlets: 2 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

We found no editorialized framing in the center-leaning coverage we ingested (1 outlet, 2 articles) — 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 · 5 outlets

The Hill · 4/100 · Wire-neutral New York Times · 20/100 · Public broadcaster The Hill · 20/100 · Public broadcaster Washington Examiner · 45/100 · Mainstream Los Angeles Times · 45/100 · Mainstream Fox News · 45/100 · Mainstream

wirepublicmainstream flavoredpartisanadvocacy

Range 4–45/100 (Wire-neutral → Mainstream) Average 30 Articles by lean: 2 left · 2 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	2	2	Los Angeles Times, New York Times
Center	1	2	The Hill
Right	2	2	Fox News, Washington Examiner

Report-by-report timeline · 6

Aug 18 00:10 Washington Examiner Poll Claimed by Karen Bass Found to Be Fake, Says Polling Firm Aug 18 02:56 The Hill Company Claims Poll Showing LA Mayor Karen Bass Leading Nithya Raman Was Fake Aug 18 20:40 New York Times Median Strategies Admits to Fabricating Poll Results in Wisconsin Aug 18 22:41 Los Angeles Times Challenges in Public Opinion Industry Highlighted by Fake L.A. Mayor Poll Aug 18 22:58 Fox News Polling Firm Median Strategies Closes After Admitting to Fake Surveys Aug 19 19:51 The Hill Turley discusses legal implications of fake polling claims

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.