The Country

Center · Watch · October 20, 2026

Oct 19 · DOJ charges 28 green card holders in California with voting crimes

KPBS News: Justice Department accuses four people in San Diego of voting crimes

Grade F (46/100). Host framing; unnamed experts

Lehrer score 46/100 (−24 own-voice claim/analysis: host's own-voice claim: [10:38] “President Trump has made unfounded election fraud claims”; −12 loaded wording: loaded wording: [11:03] “meddle with”; −18 unnamed source/unsourced figure: unnamed experts: [3:56] “all the election experts that I've interviewed”). Fixed scale: 90+ A, 80s B, 70s C, 60s D, under 60 F → F. Full transcript read (0:00–14:24).

Host's own voice: [10:38] “unfounded election fraud claims,” [11:03] “meddle with.” Unnamed: [3:56] “all the election experts that I've interviewed.” A former U.S. attorney is on the record [9:26].

Agrees: Same 28 charged, four in San Diego.

Splits: Adds five federal subpoenas for San Diego records.

  • Met. Rule: assume there is at least one other side (former U.S. attorney Philip Talbert)
  • Broken. Rule: carefully separate and label opinion and analysis ([10:38] “unfounded”)
  • Broken. Rule: no anonymous sources or blind quotes except on rare and monumental occasions ([3:56] unnamed experts)

Watch at KPBS News

Same story: CBS LA, Washington Examiner

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