Sacha Baron Cohen brings back Ali G, calling it his last film in that style
Sacha Baron Cohen has brought back Ali G in a new film, 'Ali G: Who Iz I?', more than 20 years on. He says it will be his last film in that style of comedy; reviews are divided and one campaign urged cinemas not to show it.
Left 0 · Centre-left 4 · Centre 1 · Centre-right 2 · Right 3
Sources by leanFollow the moneyMore coverage
How each side framed it
Left-leaning outlets
Left-rated outlets headline it: “Sacha Baron Cohen: Backlash to new Ali G film part of trend to silence Jews” (Times of Israel); “Sacha Baron Cohen's Ali G returns to the big screen in 'Ali G: Who Iz I?'” (NPR).
Centre outlets
Centre-rated outlets headline it: “Sacha Baron Cohen revives the 'problematic dinosaur' Ali G in new film” (France 24).
Right-leaning outlets
Right-rated outlets headline it: “Sacha Baron Cohen says 'Ali G: Who Iz I?' is his last in this style of comedy, calling them too risky” (Fox News); “ALISON BOSHOFF: Ali G T-shirts anyone? Sacha Baron Cohen misses out on a fortune in film merchandise” (Daily Mail).
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 3
- NPR
Sacha Baron Cohen's Ali G returns to the big screen in 'Ali G: Who Iz I?' - The Guardian
Ali G: Who Iz I? review – Sacha Baron Cohen’s high-stakes satire punches up and down with spectacular bad taste - Times of Israel
Sacha Baron Cohen: Backlash to new Ali G film part of trend to silence Jews (paywalled or blocks bots)
Centre 3
- France 24
Sacha Baron Cohen revives the 'problematic dinosaur' Ali G in new film (paywalled or blocks bots) - BBC News top-up
Ali G is back. But is the character past its sell-by date? - Financial Times top-up
Ali G has always been far too tragic to be funny (paywalled or blocks bots)
Right 3
- Daily Mail
ALISON BOSHOFF: Ali G T-shirts anyone? Sacha Baron Cohen misses out on a fortune in film merchandise - Fox News
Sacha Baron Cohen says 'Ali G: Who Iz I?' is his last in this style of comedy, calling them too risky - Jerusalem Post
Sacha Baron Cohen resurrects Ali G for limited 'Who Iz I?' theater release
Showing 3 from each side of 10 rated outlets (L 4 / C 1 / R 5). 2 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) |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| New York Times | Centre-left | The Ochs-Sulzberger family controls the New York Times through Class B shares. Since 1967, the company has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol NYT. Class B shares are those that are held privately. 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 |
| 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 |
| France 24 | Centre | France 24 is owned by France Médias Monde, a state-owned French holding company that supervises and coordinates the activities of the major public media organizations broadcasting or publishing internationally from France. Besides government funding, they also generate revenue through advertising. source |
| Jerusalem Post | Centre-right | In 1989, the paper was purchased by Hollinger Inc. for $17-million, which Canadian-born British Conservative Conrad Black owned. Conrad Black later was charged with “swindling his company, Hollinger International, of $60 million.” He was serving a prison sentence; however, in 2019, President Donald Trump pardoned him. 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 |
| Fox News | Right | Rupert Murdoch is the owner and a board member of News Corp 21st Century Fox. According to Reuters, James Murdoch (son) was chief executive of 21st Century Fox and left in May 2018. L achlan (the other son of Murdoch) and Rupert Murdoch will serve as the new Fox co-chairman. source |
| The Sun | Right | The Sun is published by the News Group Newspapers division of News UK, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. The paper generates revenue through advertising, newsstand sales, and subscriptions. source |