Fan A.I. Videos Help Long Shot Break Through in L.A. Mayor’s Race

✕ Sensationalism: The headline emphasizes the role of A.I. videos in boosting a 'long shot' candidate, framing the story around disruption and novelty rather than policy or voter concerns. It leans into the sensational appeal of A.I.-driven politics.

"Fan A.I. Videos Help Long Shot Break Through in L.A. Mayor’s Race"

✕ Sensationalism: The lead paragraph vividly describes a dramatic, fictional A.I. video featuring real politicians as villains, immediately immersing the reader in spectacle. While engaging, it foregrounds entertainment over electoral substance.

"The video opens with the Hollywood sign engulfed in flames. Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles sits on a throne, her face painted like that of the Joker. She’s flanked by Gov. Gavin Newsom of California and former Vice President Kamala Harris."

✕ Loaded Adjectives: The article uses emotionally charged descriptions (e.g., 'Hollywood sign engulfed in flames', 'face painted like that of the Joker') that evoke drama and moral decay, contributing to a sensational tone.

"The video opens with the Hollywood sign engulfed in flames. Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles sits on a throne, her face painted like that of the Joker."

✕ Loaded Labels: Describing Pratt as a 'much-loathed antagonist' from 'The Hills' introduces a negative character judgment early, potentially biasing the reader.

"Mr. Pratt rose to fame as a much-loathed antagonist on “The Hills,” a reality show that ran from 2006 to 2010."

✕ Appeal to Emotion: The phrase 'flywheel effect' and descriptions of 'outrageous videos' subtly normalize and even glamorize the use of extreme content for political gain.

"Their success has had a flywheel effect, with an army of fans now competing to produce the catchiest and most outrageous videos supporting his campaign."

✕ Editorializing: The article quotes experts warning about democratic erosion due to A.I., maintaining a critical distance from the campaign's tactics.

"From a democracy perspective, the fact that people will be less trusting of true things is maybe a greater democracy danger."

✓ Viewpoint Diversity: The article includes voices from both supporters and critics of Pratt, including political strategists, campaign officials, and opposing candidates, ensuring a range of perspectives.

"Doug Herman, Ms. Bass’s campaign strategist, noted that, paradoxically, the more enthusiasm Mr. Pratt generates among the MAGA base, the more he risks alienating himself to the actual voters he would need to win over in a runoff."

✓ Proper Attribution: It clearly distinguishes between official campaign materials and fan-made content, attributing claims appropriately and noting when sources did not respond.

"Mr. Curran did not respond to requests for comment, and the Pratt campaign said in a statement that it has “no input on what fans make with A.I.”"

✓ Viewpoint Diversity: The article includes a critic from within Pratt's own ideological sphere (Mike Murphy, a Republican strategist), enhancing the credibility of the skepticism expressed.

"Mike Murphy, a veteran Republican strategist and co-director of the Center for the Political Future at the University of Southern California. He is not backing a candidate in the race."

✕ Narrative Framing: The article frames the story around the disruptive power of A.I. in politics, rather than focusing narrowly on policy, candidate background, or voter issues. This is a legitimate and timely framing.

"That momentum speaks to the disruptive power of artificial intelligence when it comes to politics, and it has already sparked imitators attempting to boost their own political futures with cheap and fast videos made with artificial intelligence."

✕ Framing by Emphasis: It avoids reducing the race to a simple horse-race or conflict frame by examining structural challenges (e.g., party registration, donor eligibility) and broader implications for democracy.

"The more ubiquitous that A.I. is in political life, the more that people will find reasons to doubt anything that they see with their lying eyes,” Mr. Persily said."

✓ Steelmanning: The article includes criticism from within Pratt's ideological camp, avoiding moral framing and allowing for internal dissent.

"People are enjoying them,” Mr. Murphy said of the videos, “but are those at all the same people who are going to be voting to decide who will be the mayor of Los Angeles?"

✓ Contextualisation: The article provides historical context on A.I. use in other recent elections (e.g., Paxton, Cuomo), helping readers understand this as part of a broader trend rather than an isolated incident.

"Earlier this year, Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general and a Republican Senate candidate, released an A.I.-generated video in which two of his opponents were shown dancing with each other. During the 2025 New York City mayoral race, Andrew Cuomo’s campaign posted an A.I. video depicting Zohran Mamdani’s supporters as drug dealers, domestic abusers and pimps."

✓ Contextualisation: It includes systemic context about voter registration in Los Angeles, clarifying the structural challenge for a Republican candidate in a heavily Democratic city.

"The city hasn’t had a Republican mayor since Richard Riordan in 2001. Despite facing legitimate problems like homelessness and lingering resentment over how the city responded to the fire that devastated the Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles remains a heavily Democratic city, with 55 percent of voters registered as Democrats and about 15 percent registered as Republicans."

✓ Contextualisation: The article notes that many top donors to Pratt are out-of-state and ineligible to vote, adding critical context about the disconnect between online enthusiasm and actual electoral impact.

"But more than two-thirds of that money is coming from people who can’t actually vote in Los Angeles."