Sacha Baron Cohen's Ali G returns in a new film to divided reviews
Sacha Baron Cohen has brought back Ali G in a new film, Ali G: Who Iz I?, which has divided critics. A Republican politician who appears in it says he plans to sue.
Left 1 · Centre-left 4 · Centre 1 · Centre-right 2 · Right 2
Sources by leanFollow the moneyMore coverage
How each side framed it
Left-leaning outlets
Left-rated outlets headline it: “Sacha Baron Cohen's Ali G returns to the big screen in 'Ali G: Who Iz I?'” (NPR); “‘Ali G: Who Iz I?’: Sacha Baron Cohen’s Incendiary Comedy Will Infuriate Both the MAGA Right and Woke Left” (Daily Beast).
Centre outlets
Centre-rated outlets headline it: “Ali G: Who Iz I? film review — is the arch-prankster too tired to shock America?” (Financial Times).
Right-leaning outlets
Right-rated outlets headline it: “Ali G: Who Iz I? is praised for 'pushing comedy to its limits' but not everyone is a fan as Sacha Baron Cohen's mockumentary on cancel culture receives mixed reviews” (Daily Mail); “Ali G: Who Iz I? review — Sacha Baron Cohen pushes comedy to its limits” (The Times).
Sources by lean
Balanced: the same number of articles from the left, the centre and the right (up to 3 each). The bar above still counts every rated outlet we found. Bias and factual ratings come from Media Bias/Fact Check. How we balance · All ratings.
Left 2
Centre 2
- Financial Times
Ali G: Who Iz I? film review — is the arch-prankster too tired to shock America? (paywalled or blocks bots) - BBC News top-up
Ali G is back. But is the character past its sell-by date?
Right 2
Showing 2 from each side of 10 rated outlets (L 5 / C 1 / R 4). Capped at 2 because that is all we found on the thinnest side. 1 found by a targeted top-up search (marked; not counted in the split). More coverage
Follow the money
Not yet researched. We haven't yet looked at who gains or loses financially from this story, or who funds the main voices on each side. When we do, we check company filings, the Electoral Commission donations register, lobbying registers, annual reports, InfluenceMap and OpenSecrets, and we apply the same checks to every side. How we follow the money.
Who owns or funds the outlets covering this story (10 outlets)
| Outlet | Lean | Ownership & funding (MBFC) |
|---|---|---|
| Daily Beast | Left | The Daily Beast’s parent company is IAC (InterActiveCorp). which is run by Barry Diller, who had led the creation of the Fox network. IAC’s CEO is Joey Levin. IAC (InterActiveCorp) is a media and Internet company comprised of some of the world’s well-known brands, such as HomeAdvisor, Vimeo, About.com, Dictionary.com, Investopedia, and more. source |
| NPR | Centre-left | According to a Columbia Journalism Review article dated 2010, a large portion of NPR’s revenue comes from dues and fees paid by Member stations and corporate sponsorships. In another article by Columbia Journalism Review, they state that as of 2017, NPR receives less than 1 percent of its total funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting(CPB). source |
| The Guardian | Centre-left | The Guardian and its companion publication, the Sunday newspaper The Observer, are owned by Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). Scott Trust Limited was created in 1936 to ensure the editorial independence of the publications and owns Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). source |
| The Independent | Centre-left | The Independent is owned by Independent Print Limited, a company owned by the Lebedev family (Alexander Lebedev and his son Evgeny Lebedev). In 2017, Saudi Businessman Sultan Muhammad Abuljadayel bought a 30% stake in the Independent online newspaper. Advertising and subscription generate revenue for the paper..push({}); source |
| Times of Israel | Centre-left | The Times of Israel is co-owned by David Horovitz and Seth Klarman. Revenue is generated through advertising..push({}); source |
| Financial Times | Centre | The Financial Times is owned by The Nikkei, a Japanese news and financial information company that publishes the leading financial paper, The Nikkei. The FT generates revenue through subscriptions, a hard paywall, and advertising..push({}); source |
| The Jewish Chronicle | Centre-right | In 2020, The Jewish Chronicle was purchased by a consortium of philanthropists led by Sir Robbie Gibb and others, rescuing the paper from financial collapse. However, the full details of its ownership and funding remain unclear, as the financial backers of the consortium have not been fully disclosed. Speculation about involvement from figures such as billionaire Paul E. source |
| The Times | Centre-right | The Times and Sunday Times is owned by News UK (News Corp UK & Ireland Limited), which American News Corp owns. The owner and Executive Chairman of News Corp are Rupert Murdoch. Revenue is derived from advertising and subscription fees. source |
| Daily Mail | Right | The Daily Mail is published by Associated Newspapers Limited, part of Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT). DMGT is controlled by the Rothermere family and is 100% owned by Rothermere Continuation Limited. Jonathan Harmsworth, 4th Viscount Rothermere, serves as Chairman..push({}); DMGT became privately owned after delisting from the London Stock Exchange in 2022. source |
| The Telegraph | Right | Telegraph Media Group (TMG) owns The Telegraph, which is owned by Press Acquisitions Ltd., which in turn is owned by Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay. In 2004, Twin Brothers Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay acquired the Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Telegraph from the Canadian media company Hollinger Inc. for £665 million. For a complete list of Board members, see here. source |