The Free Press issued a correction on Friday, November 6, 2026, after one of its reporters incorrectly stated that Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed delivered his victory speech in Arabic. The outlet acknowledged that while El-Sayed used a few Arabic phrases, the majority of his remarks were in English.
The correction followed a video posted to X on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, by reporter Maya Sulkin. In the video, Sulkin criticized Democratic candidates for using foreign languages in election night remarks, identifying El-Sayed as the first Muslim senator in U.S. history and claiming he gave his victory speech in Detroit in Arabic.
During the speech, El-Sayed used two Arabic expressions, "inshaAllah" (God willing) and "alhamdulillah" (praise be to God), while speaking to supporters after his Tuesday, November 3, 2026, election win. A community note on X later stated that apart from his own name, El-Sayed used four Arabic words, which accounted for 0.27 percent of the total words spoken.
In a separate incident, staff writer Olivia Reingold admitted on Thursday, November 5, 2026, to using artificial intelligence (AI) to alter a photo from an election party attended by El-Sayed. Reingold stated she used ChatGPT to "brighten and sharpen" an image of a woman’s designer shoes and handbag after Vanity Fair reported the image appeared manipulated. Free Press chief of staff Sean Fischer defended Reingold on social media following the report.
The accuracy of reporting regarding Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed affects voters in Michigan and the broader American public. As the first Muslim senator in U.S. history, El-Sayed will represent millions of Michiganders in the Senate starting in 2027. The correction addresses claims about his public communication that reached over one million viewers on social media.
The incident highlights the role of platform-based fact-checking tools, such as community notes. In this case, the note quantified the speech as being 99.73 percent in English, providing a measure for the "regretted error" cited by the outlet. For news consumers, such corrections clarify the content of public addresses by federal lawmakers.
Furthermore, the admission of using AI to alter event photography follows a post that attempted to contrast designer fashion with progressive politics. The Free Press and its parent company, Paramount Skydance, face scrutiny from industry peers regarding editorial standards and the use of AI. Editor-in-chief Bari Weiss has defended her editorial approach as essential to her mission of challenging specific political ideas.