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QUESTIONABLE SOURCE

A questionable source exhibits one or more of the following: extreme bias, consistent promotion of propaganda/conspiracies, poor or no sourcing to credible information, a complete lack of transparency, and/or is fake news. Fake News is the deliberate attempt to publish hoaxes and/or disinformation for profit or influence (Learn More). Sources listed in the Questionable Category may be very untrustworthy and should be fact-checked on a per-article basis. Sources on this list are not considered fake news unless specifically written in the reasoning section for that source. See all Questionable sources.

• Overall, we rate Badlands Media as Far-Right biased and Questionable based on the use of poor sources, the promotion of propaganda and conspiracy theories, and demonstrably false information.

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History

Badlands Media is a U.S.-based news and commentary website founded in 2022 that primarily covers U.S. politics, federal institutions, and culture-war topics. The outlet brands itself as independent and positions its reporting as adversarial to what it characterizes as establishment media and government narratives. Its content frequently features contributors and sources popular within conservative and anti-establishment media circles. The operation was later formalized as Badlands Media LLC and expanded its programming across multiple streaming channels.

Read our profile on the United States media and government.

Funded by / Ownership

Badlands Media operates under Badlands Media LLC. The company does not publicly disclose a detailed ownership structure, but available information indicates that Jon Herold is a key founding figure and part of the leadership team. The outlet is funded through sponsorships, paid subscriptions, donations, advertisements, and merchandise sales.

Analysis / Bias

Badlands Media shows a Right‑leaning bias through its story selection and framing, which emphasizes distrust of federal institutions. Both reviewed articles, “Sources Say Intelligence Community Targeting DNI Gabbard’s Directors Initiative Group” and “Fulton County Challenges FBI Warrant, Seeks Return of 2020 Election Records,” focus on themes common in conservative and anti‑establishment media, including alleged intelligence‑community misconduct and disputes over the 2020 election.

The Fulton County piece sources Reuters but strips its political and contextual framing, altering the reader’s interpretation. For example, Reuters explicitly states the FBI search was tied to President Donald Trump’s false claims of widespread 2020 election fraud. Badlands omits those evaluative and contextual statements and presents the episode primarily as a procedural dispute over a warrant and record custody. This specific removal of key context is consistent with bias by omission, in which the core facts remain, but the framing shifts toward a more neutral-sounding account that downplays Reuters’ stated rationale and political stakes.

The intelligence‑community article relies on anonymous sources and adversarial framing without on‑record evidence or primary documentation.

In another story NJ Man Secures Nearly 1 Million Detroit 2020 Election Records Through FOIA Lawsuit, they rely on reporting from the far-right and factually questionable Gateway Pundit.

In general, Badlands Media relies on poor sources and amplifies false or misleading claims, such as promoting the debunked claim that the 2020 election was stolen.

Failed Fact Checks

• None by a third-party fact checker. See examples above.

Overall, we rate Badlands Media as Far-Right biased and Questionable based on the use of poor sources, the promotion of propaganda and conspiracy theories, and demonstrably false information. (M. Huitsing 02/08/2026)

Source: https://badlandsmedia.tv/

Last Updated on February 8, 2026 by Media Bias Fact Check

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Left vs. Right Bias: How we rate the bias of media sources