Pressure of Truth
Exposing the spin on all sides of the news.
Outlet profile

Dallas Express

U.S. right (conservative, Republican-aligned)

Owned byOwned by Monty Bennett, a Dallas hotel executive and Republican donor who is chairman and CEO of Ashford Inc. and publisher of the site. It is run through a nonprofit-style entity whose board has included Bennett, his wife Sarah Zubiate and Ashford director Brian Wheeler. It was initially linked to Metric Media, a network of partisan local-news sites; Bennett denies it was ever owned or run by Metric Media.
FundingMostly funded by Bennett himself. Reporting on its filings cited more than $3.4 million in donations from him, against advertising revenue of only about $24,000 in 2022 and expenses of roughly $3 million. It also earns some revenue from advertising and sponsored events and features.
On the administrationbroadly supportive

Background

The original Dallas Express was a Black-owned newspaper founded in the 1890s that closed in the 1970s. In early 2021, the name was revived for a new website in Dallas, and local outlets and Black press groups criticized the reuse of the historic brand. Early reporting tied the site to Metric Media, a network of partisan sites that present themselves as local news, while Bennett said it was never owned or run by that company. Bennett was publicly identified as the owner in 2021, and a 2022 press release announced new ownership and a focus on local, 'non-partisan' news. Critics, including the Texas Observer, D Magazine and Columbia's Tow Center, said the site blurred news and advocacy, and noted it has covered local crime, city government and Bennett-backed political causes, such as Dallas ballot initiatives on policing. In 2024 an investor in an Ashford-related company sued Bennett over his use of the nonprofit media outlet. Media Bias/Fact Check and others rate it as right-leaning, and its coverage tends to emphasize crime, city government criticism and Republican politics. The outlet says its reporting is independent and fact-based, and it has expanded into live events and interviews with Republican figures ahead of the 2026 midterms.

Sources

  1. Dallas Express (Wikipedia)
  2. The 'Dallas Express': Your Go-To Source for Right-Wing, Astroturf News (Texas Observer)
  3. Dallas Express, Historic Black-Owned Newspaper, Has Become Dubious News Site (D Magazine)
  4. Investor sues Monty Bennett over use of nonprofit media outlet (The Real Deal)
  5. Dallas Express - Bias and Credibility (Media Bias/Fact Check)
  6. The Dallas Express Announces New Ownership and Focus On Local, Non-Partisan News (PR Newswire)
  7. RNC Chairman Joe Gruters Outlines Texas Strategy With DX (Dallas Express)
  8. Monty Bennett (Wikipedia)

Profile compiled 2026-10-30; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

← Back to track record