Division for hire.
A 20-something growth hacker worked out that manufactured anger at Democratic politicians — performed by paid actors reading AI scripts under fake local-news names — is a cheap, reliable product. No party hired him. He just found the market.
This is the commercial lane of Sowing Division. The state's version leaves memos and inspector-general reports; this one leaves casting calls and invoices. We grade what is documented — the operation, the personas, the numbers — and mark clearly what we are not claiming.
What this page is about
A company called Virelox Media, founded by a self-described YouTube growth hacker named Caleb Chan, pays actors to read AI-assisted scripts on dozens of interconnected YouTube channels that pose as independent news hosts. The detection firm Riddance AI, reporting in parallel with Semafor, traced roughly a dozen of the channels to 45 million-plus views and 90,000-plus comments by mid-August 2026. The content overwhelmingly manufactures anger at Democratic politicians — Mamdani, Newsom, Pritzker, AOC, Hochul — and an internal dashboard labeled the channels “anti-Dem.”
The tell that this is a business and not a belief: when an anti-Trump persona underperformed, the operation dropped it and relaunched the same slot with pro-Trump material. They tried the anger both ways and kept the version that drew more views. This page grades the documented operation and marks clearly where we stop.
The operation, on the record
One operator runs a network of fake news channels read by paid actors from AI scripts.
FACTVirelox Media, founded by Caleb Chan — a University of Chicago graduate and self-described YouTube growth hacker — pays 'ghost creators' to read AI-assisted scripts across dozens of interconnected channels. Chan publicly said in 2026 he had 106 accounts running with a goal of 300 and 2,500 videos a week; casting calls offered $26 a video, hosts were hired through Fiverr, and editing was outsourced overseas. Two independent efforts — Semafor's reporting and the detection firm Riddance AI — traced the network to Virelox.
The channels pose as independent news hosts. The hosts are paid spokespeople.
FACTPersonas such as 'William Reports News,' 'Omar Reacts,' and 'Victoria Foster' (rebranded from 'Freya Reports News') present as ordinary commentators. The people behind them are for-hire spokespeople: the actor behind the most-viewed channel had previously done a paid spot for a joint-cream product and described his political videos the same way — a spokesperson reading ads. One host acknowledged telling 'white lies' about where he was based to look local.
“They r paid ads. I am a spokesperson.”
The content skews to manufactured anger at Democratic politicians — and it travels.
FACTRiddance AI tracked roughly a dozen of the channels to 45 million-plus views and 90,000-plus comments by mid-August 2026; a single 'Mayor Mamdani Panics' video drew about 474,000 views. The targets are consistent — Zohran Mamdani, Gavin Newsom, JB Pritzker, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Kathy Hochul — and the videos blame Democratic officials for real-estate crises, corruption, and business flight from blue states. An internal dashboard labeled the channels 'anti-Dem'; one channel's own audience data skewed 85% American, 80% male, and 80% over age 55.
When an anti-Trump persona didn't sell, they flipped it.
FACTThis is the tell that the product is engagement, not ideology. 'Felmon's Talk Show' began with anti-Trump content, underperformed, and stopped posting in May 2026 — then the same operation relaunched pro-Trump material under the name 'New York Reports.' They tried the anger both ways and kept the version that drew more views; that was the pro-Trump one. It is the clearest evidence that the machine optimizes for what spreads, not for a cause.
The operator says the quiet part out loud — and denies working for any campaign.
FACTChan pitched brands that his ghost-creator network delivers 'up to 95% lower CPMs than traditional social media paid ads' and has claimed credit for helping an app reach the top of its store. He also stated plainly: 'We do not produce content on behalf of political campaigns, PACs, ideological organizations.' We take that denial seriously — and it is exactly why this sits in the commercial lane. No political sponsor is required for the machine to run; profit is sponsor enough.
“We do not produce content on behalf of political campaigns, PACs, ideological organizations.”
A business model, not a plot
- The receipts are the operator's own words. Semafor's reporting, Riddance AI's detection, Chan's public posts, and the actors' own statements line up. That is why the operation grades to FACT rather than inference.
- No sponsor alleged. We have no evidence — and Chan denies — that any party, PAC, or donor directs this. The point is sturdier without one: manufactured division is profitable on its own, which is why it will keep happening.
- Reach is not radicalization. We do not claim a given viewer was changed by a given video. What is documented is scale, consistent targeting, and a shop that tried outrage both ways and scaled whichever version drew more views.
- A tracker's finding is a claim, not a verdict. Riddance AI describes coordinated, inauthentic-looking comment activity around the network. We carry that as the firm's characterization, which the platforms have not adjudicated.
You don't need a spy agency anymore
This is the newest and cheapest lane of Sowing Division. The state's version of fracturing a citizenry leaves memos and court-ordered declassifications; this one leaves casting calls. You no longer need COINTELPRO or a billionaire to turn neighbors into enemies when a 20-something can rent actors, generate scripts, and sell 95%-cheaper outrage to an audience primed to share it. It is the same product as Manufactured Sides — contempt for the other half of the country — sold here with no ideology attached, which is what makes it part of The Outrage & Apathy Economy.
Questions worth taking seriously
Isn't this just political advertising?
The difference is disclosure. Ordinary ads say they are ads. These use fake local-news personas and, by one host's own admission, “white lies” about location to look organic while gaming the algorithm. Presenting paid scripts as independent commentary is the whole trick.
Are you saying a campaign or party is behind it?
No. Chan denies it and we've seen no evidence of it. Our graded claim is narrower: a for-profit shop found that manufactured anger at Democrats reliably outperforms, and scaled it. The absence of a political paymaster is the unsettling part, not a loophole.
Why does the content only go after Democrats if it's just chasing money?
Because in this audience it paid better. When the operation tried anti-Trump material it underperformed and was dropped; the pro-Trump, anti-Democrat version scaled. The audience skews older and male, and anti-Democrat anger converted. That is the point: the machine follows engagement, and engagement pointed one way.
If you are named on this page
If you are named on this page, or are a party materially affected by the claims made here, and you wish to respond, correct the record, or add context, use the Contact page. Responses are published verbatim alongside the original claim, with the sender identified and the date of receipt. The channel stays open for the life of the page.
This site aggregates and grades a record that other outlets and primary sources have already put on the record. Every FACT-graded claim above is sourced to court filings, government reports, sworn whistleblower disclosures, published investigative journalism, or named-source statements. The citations are the accountability mechanism; this section is how you get on the record too.
The record
- Semafor — Paid actors, AI writing: how a new kind of video business cashed in on America's divided politics (Sept 2, 2026)
- Riddance AI — These anti-Democrat YouTubers are paid actors (political ghost-influencers report)
- Max Tani (Semafor) — thread tracing the network to Virelox and quoting Chan's posts
- Caleb Chan — Virelox Media (LinkedIn)