What evidence links the Dallas Express to Metric Media or other conservative media networks?
Executive summary
Reporting from D Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review/Tow Center and others found multiple signals tying the resurrected Dallas Express to the Metric Media “pink slime” network — including contemporaneous operation by Metric-linked companies, shared technical infrastructure, and reuse of writers and content common to that network [1] [2] [3]. The site’s named publisher, Monty Bennett, has been documented as linked to outlets in that ecosystem and has disputed those characterizations while asserting the Express is independent [4] [5].
1. Direct reporting that identified Metric Media involvement
Investigations by D Magazine and subsequent coverage cited Metric Media — a Chicago-based operation founded by Brian Timpone — as operating hundreds of template-driven local sites and explicitly named Metric Media in reporting about the Dallas Express’s relaunch [1] [6]. Columbia Journalism Review’s Tow Center reported that the Express “relied on the same technology stack and writers as the Metric Media sites” and included the outlet in its review of Metric-affiliated “Community Newsmaker” projects [2].
2. Technical forensic indicators linking the sites
Digital-forensics findings shared with reporters showed the Dallas Express website pulled data from a domain associated with LocalLabs, a company tied to Timpone’s operations, as late as April 2021, and passive DNS data placed the Dallas Express on the same IP address as other Metric-linked sites between December 2020 and July 2021 — concrete technical overlap reporters flagged as evidence of integration or shared hosting [3] [2].
3. Overlap of writers and syndicated content
Journalists found that Dallas Express used authors who also appeared on Metric Media sites and at times republished articles from outlets affiliated with the broader conservative local-news network, for example stories originally published by The Center Square and other network partners cited by the Tow Center [7] [2]. Media observers describe this pattern — shared by many “pink slime” operations — as a marker of a coordinated network rather than independent local reporting [2].
4. Ownership, publisher role, and financial context
Monty Bennett, CEO of Ashford Inc., is widely reported as the publisher of the Dallas Express after its 2021 relaunch, and Bennett has been tied in reporting to pay-for-play concerns involving networks of template sites; those prior allegations later drew scrutiny from national outlets including The New York Times [4] [8] [5]. The Tow Center also noted Ashford employees and related companies appearing in copy across Metric sites, which reporters used to illustrate how corporate interests and networked local sites can align [2].
5. The Dallas Express’s public denial and alternative narrative
The Dallas Express itself and its current About/branding emphasize independence and local ownership, and Bennett has publicly described the outlet as “strictly objective” and disputed claims that he used networked sites for PR [9] [5]. Critics and some outlet defenses argue that naming and legal threats made the precise corporate relationships murky and that a simple transfer of hosting or shared services does not necessarily prove editorial control [10] [9].
6. How to weigh the evidence and the limits of reporting
Taken together, contemporaneous investigative reporting establishes multiple kinds of linkage — reportage naming Metric Media as the operator, technical traces to Timpone-linked domains and IP clusters, reuse of writers and syndicated content, and Bennett’s role as publisher — creating a cumulative case that the Dallas Express was at minimum integrated operationally with the Metric Media ecosystem during its early 2021 relaunch [1] [3] [2]. That said, public records and the site’s statements leave room for dispute over legal ownership and the precise degree of editorial direction, and some reports note that the Express denies Metric ownership and contests framing [9] [10].
7. Bottom line
Multiple reputable investigations documented technical, editorial and personnel overlaps between the Dallas Express and Metric Media–linked operations and flagged Monty Bennett’s publisher role and prior connections to network activity as further context, while the Express and its publisher have contested those characterizations and touted independence; the strongest evidence in reporting is the combination of technical forensics and repeated patterns of content and staff overlap rather than a single definitive corporate filing that publicly hands ownership to Metric Media [1] [3] [2] [4].