News or Ad? Texan Ken Paxton Gets Barbecued by Broadcast News
The column argues that broadcast networks repeatedly emphasized damaging stories about Paxton during his Senate campaign.
SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYCredibility rates The Daily Signal, where this article appeared. The other scores rate the article itself.
The Daily Signal is an established outlet with a clear editorial identity, but this article is openly polemical and offers little independent verification or counter-perspective. The visible Creators.com copyright notice also indicates that the article is reproduced rather than original Daily Signal reporting.
- Source type — An established national outlet with a distinct conservative editorial orientation.
- Editorial standards — The article is an opinion column, not neutral original reporting.
- Transparency — The author is named and a Creators.com copyright notice is shown.
- Author attribution — The column names the author and attributes much of its account to specific programs and reporters.
The column names programs, reporters and dates and includes selected quotations, but does not provide links or underlying evidence for its broader claims about media motives. It offers no meaningful response from the networks or comparable coverage of the candidates, and its argument relies on a selective set of examples.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The column advances one central claim—that broadcast news coverage is biased against Paxton and toward Democrats—using selected examples and no substantive response from the networks or competing account of their coverage.
- Counterarguments presented — No response from the named networks or reporters is included.
- Loaded language — The author repeatedly uses evaluative language to characterize the coverage and its motives.
- Source diversity — Examples are drawn from multiple outlets, but no independent or opposing interpretation is offered.
- Opinion vs reporting — The piece is an opinion column that presents an argument rather than a balanced report.
The column uses strongly negative language about broadcast coverage and explicitly attributes partisan motives to major networks, while presenting Paxton as their target and Talarico as their favored candidate.
- Language tone — Uses phrases such as “pounded away,” “tilted it,” and “laughable take” to characterize coverage.
- Framing — Frames the reporting as a campaign-like effort against Paxton and in favor of Democrats.
- Source selection — Selects examples of negative Paxton coverage and favorable comments about Talarico without comparable counterexamples.
- Headline — “Gets Barbecued” frames Paxton as unfairly attacked by broadcast news.
Cites Creators
This article cites Creators as its original publisher. ChamberLight has not verified that it is a republication, so the scores are The Daily Signal's own.
Not rated.
The column argues that broadcast networks focused heavily on negative stories about Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton while giving less attention to Democrat James Talarico. It cites reports about Paxton’s leaked comments and contends that the coverage favored Democrats.
The author says networks largely overlooked Talarico’s campaign schedule while repeatedly reporting on Paxton, including an account of a woman’s death linked to Texas abortion laws and leaked audio of Paxton discussing his campaign and political concerns. The column quotes or paraphrases reports by CBS, ABC, PBS, NPR and NBC, and presents those reports as evidence of negative coverage of Paxton.
The author also cites Jimmy Kimmel’s praise of Talarico and a poll lead attributed to him, then argues that Democratic outlets want Paxton to lose and that the coverage could affect control of the Senate. These are the author’s assessments of the coverage and its possible political effects.
Community verdict
7 VOTES
Counts every outlet’s report of this story. See all 13
- Readers of left-leaning coverage: 50% good look
- Readers of right-leaning coverage: not enough votes yet
Votes cast on this page
Votes cast on this page: ▲ 0 · ◆ 0 · ▼ 0
People in this story
SWIPE →Texas Senate candidate and subject of the column’s criticism of broadcast coverage
Democratic Senate candidate contrasted with Paxton in the column’s account of campaign coverage
President discussed as a factor in Paxton’s campaign and Republican political calculations
Part of a bigger story
11 OUTLETSThe articles describe a dispute over James Talarico’s nearly two-week campaign absence, which he attributed to the flu, and Ken Paxton’s questioning of that explanation. Left-leaning outlets link Paxton’s attacks and controversies to political costs, while highlighting Talarico’s responses. Center outlets report the candidates’ competing claims and the false rumor about Talarico, while also examining Paxton’s campaign conduct. Right-leaning outlets foreground Paxton’s challenge to Talarico’s flu account, while a column argues broadcast coverage favors Democrats.
- ARTICLES
- 13
- OUTLETS
- 11
- AVG CRED
- 65
- The New York Times · Republicans Promoted a False Rumor That James Talarico Was in Ohio
- Raw Story · Paxton's faith-based attacks in question as he can't name the last church he attended
- Mediaite · James Talarico’s Absence Handed Republicans a Gift — But Ken Paxton Fumbled it Away With His Media Ineptitude
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