By: Diane Benjamin
Previous stories:
https://blnnews.com/2026/10/10/wglt-bias/
https://blnnews.com/2026/10/12/another-example-of-wglt-bias/
Here’s another one: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2026-10-14/music-teacher-and-normal-firefighter-running-to-represent-mclean-county-boards-district-10?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook
The AI bias analysis is below, I don’t ask AI anything other than analyze the story for bias.
5. Overall effect The piece does not attack Steinkoenig or invent facts, but the cumulative choices — greater positive credit for Beirne on data centers, more detailed airing of problems under Republican officeholders, and more favorable tonal treatment of the incumbent — produce a mild-to-moderate tilt toward Beirne.
Bias level: Mild to moderate.
It is typical of many public-radio local election profiles that favor the incumbent’s framing and institutional voice, especially when the incumbent is a Democrat. A stricter neutrality standard would have given Steinkoenig more specific policy positions and equal weight on the data-center and accountability sections.
WGLT obviously doesn’t care about bias or they would run stories through AI before printing them and fix the problems.
Note WGLT didn’t ask Beirne why he keeps raising property taxes or his vote to raise Board member salaries. They didn’t ask why a music teacher is sexualizing students either. 3 examples:
https://blnnews.com/2026/09/03/court-ruling-pride-flags-in-classrooms/
https://blnnews.com/2025/10/17/libs-of-tiktok-featured-corey-beirne-yesterday/
https://blnnews.com/2022/09/21/the-truth-about-district-10-candidate-corey-beirne/
I had hoped one WGLT reporter wrote all the biased stories. Actually, all 3 were written by different “reporters”.