An annual Washington, D.C.-based conference promoting student journalism is being called out for showing bias against two right-leaning reporters.
MediaFest 2025, a gathering of university reporters and their mentors, held its yearly event on the weekend of October 18 at the Grand Hyatt Washington hotel. Self-described as “the nation’s largest media convention for pros and college students,” the MediaFest assembly included dozens of workshops, panels, and speeches from activists, writers, and members of the press.
Keynote speakers included journalists from left-leaning publications such as The Washington Post and Axios.
Two writers in particular—The Daily Wire White House correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan and The Daily Signal podcast host Virginia Allen—were removed from MediaFest’s agenda after a college advisor complained about their editorial content.
ORDER TODAY! Read my new book on how to keep the America First agenda going after President Trump leaves office. Click here to order.
Steven Sandberg, Oregon State University’s manager of student media, accused Olohan and Allen of including “far-right, anti-LGBTQ language” in their news coverage, particularly within stories about abortion and immigration, as outlined by The College Fix.
Sandberg told Columbia Journalism Review that he wouldn’t send his students to MediaFest if the two conservative writers were invited. Would it surprise you that Sandberg is one of those guys who lists his preferred pronouns?
Olohan and Allen were slated to speak on the faith-related track at the media gathering.
MediaFest convention director Michael Koretzky caved to Sandberg’s pressure and cancelled the sessions reserved for Olohan and Allen, saying the women play “loose with the facts” and have not attempted to be balanced in their prior coverage, according to The Fix.
Koretzky is also a leader on the ethics committee at the Society of Professional Journalists. He also oversees a “queer” student publication.
“It’s unfortunate that many of our nation’s journalism schools are churning out far-left activists instead of fair-and-balanced reporters,” said Newsmax host Todd Starnes. “There’s no doubt that the quality of journalism in America has suffered because so many professors are raising up an army of propagandists.”
And the polling numbers seem to back up the argument that Starnes is making.
“Only 28 percent of Americans trust the media anymore. Want to know why? It’s because of hypocrisy like this,” said The Signal’s editor in chief Katrina Trinko on X. Trinko pointed out that MediaFest included Hannah Nikole-Jones, a progressive and the author of a widely-criticised effort called the 1619 Project.
“This year, one of our top writers … was set to participate in a session for young reporters on how her faith fits into her work. Until they found out she was a conservative,” Daily Wire editors wrote of Olohan while calling out MediaFest’s liberal bias. “We don’t expect Koretzky to get it, nor do we understand how he’s been put in charge of ethics of anything.”
Listen to Conservative Talk Radio on Todd’s App. It’s easy to download. Just click here.