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Mediaite’s Media Analyst Media Newsletter on Media Analysts Gets Suspended (We Swear That Makes Sense)

Brad Slager
Brad Slager  |  Apr 15, 2026
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.

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Reporting On The Mirror – MEDIAITE

  • This feels like press inception…

Recently, at the media-centric news site Mediaite, they launched a new newsletter, “One Sheet that was centered on…newsletters. The intention was to compile content from an array of news site subscription offerings and deliver details in digest form for subscribers.

But, after its launch four months ago, a series of severe errors were seen from the newsletter, penned by Mediaite veteran Colby Hall. Several incorrect quotes, misattribution to sources, and other errors were found. In one case, Hall described a quote from Oliver Darcy’s “Status” that was allegedly retracted. 

It was then that Hall was suspected of overusing AI, which was then hallucinating quotes. He denied this to be the case, saying he has gotten names transposed incorrectly when setting up the voluminous data sheets for the newsletter, leading to misattributed names. 

But this does not quite link up, as the quote cited was never actually made, and even if he got names wrong, it would not indicate that the outlet had made the error.

After many instances, it was then announced that Hall had been suspended and the site was reviewing the matter.


Stealth Story Evolution – NEW YORK TIMES

  • You would expect a Democrat leader to get this one correct.

Hasan Piker is presenting big problems for the Democratic Party. They rushed to embrace the man, since he is anti-Trump, while hoping his large audience would serve as their version of Joe Rogan. But then they came to learn he is a rabid communist, is pro-Hamas, and has a history of praising the 9-11 attacks. 

So now the party is in turmoil, trying to grapple with what to do after embracing him as one of their own. As a sign of their dismay, christened Democratic Party leader Ezra Klein wrote an op-ed, and after publication, there was a quiet alteration to the headline in how it approached the Piker issue.


Body Checking The Fact Checkers – POLITIFACT

  • You do know there are dictionary apps you can use?

The fact-checkers are at it again, striving to recalibrate Republicans who are accurate. For the latest, Brandon Gill was analyzed after he made a comment on X, discussing the particulars of “The Dignity Act”, legislation to deal with immigration and asylum processing. 

Gill described this as “mass amnesty” for arrivals, as his means of explaining why he opposes the bill. This is not an inaccurate description, but when judging a Republican on PolitiFact, the last thing they want to do is credit them with a TRUE rating.

Time to parse the language! Writer Samantha Putterman elects to muddy the waters.

  • When it comes to immigration, what constitutes amnesty is up for debate. Some consider amnesty to be granting citizenship to immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally. Others use it as a catch-all term for policies that allow immigrants in the country illegally to remain in the U.S. without the threat of deportation

Ah, so since no one allegedly really knows the definition of “Amnesty”, Gill gets graded with a HALF-TRUE rating. That’s a Relief!


Both Kinds Of Standards – NEW YORK TIMES

  • Your blanket praise for independent journos seems rather selective.

In a review of a documentary, “Steal This Story, Please”, about journalist Amy Goodman, film critic Alissa Wilkinson raves that the film actually praises independent journalism.

Now, we do not mean to question or impugn Goodman’s work, but we do ask just how impactful her work is, given that with her program “Democracy Now!” she plies her trade on the noted leftist Pacifica Network, which is comprised of five stations.

Again, not to denigrate her work. But as Wilkinson raves that America needs more independent journalists, and there is criticism of corporate consolidation (Pacifica ran on public broadcasting funds), there is a bit of a disconnect. 

Nick Shirley made a huge impact late last year with his investigations into the rampant public money fraud in Minnesota, and he was not only criticized for his work by many in the press, but he was also degraded by the same New York Times, now raving about independent journalism.

  • Mr. Shirley and other right-wing YouTubers and livestreamers zigzag around the country — and overseas — in search of politically charged footage. In many cases, these digital activists pick up on themes that have circulated for months, or even years, but still generate online outrage and action from a government primed to jump into the fray.”


News Avoidance Syndrome – THE YOUNG TURKS

  • Tell us, Cenk, is it ALL foreign indicators, or just some?

Cenk Uygur was strolling the halls of Congress, and he got really miffed outside the office of Republican Rep. Lloyd Smucker (PA-11). He saw a small sign beneath the plaque at Smucker’s office showing support for Israel, going so far as to suggest he is being bribed by the Israelis. 

That sane rationale aside, we could not help but wonder if Mr. Uygur is upset at all members of Congress who resort to these displays of allegiance to other lands and groups.