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The Last Ditch for Mask Hysteria

Read the original at The Dispatch ↗
Cite

Goldberg, J. (2026, September 25). The Last Ditch for Mask Hysteria. The Dispatch. https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/gfile/western-massachusetts-last-ditch-bar-masks-vocabulary/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

The Dispatch · collected 2026-09-25 · by Jonah Goldberg

Quick Summary

Jonah Goldberg’s G-File newsletter offers a humorous perspective on politics and culture, recently highlighting a Boston Globe article about the Last Ditch Bar. The piece apparently resonated well within Goldberg’s social circle, which leans right-of-center. The article does not provide further details about the bar or the specific content of the Boston Globe piece beyond mentioning that it was enjoyed by those in Goldberg’s network.
Written by AI on 2026-09-25, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Jonah Goldberg, in his G-File newsletter, discusses a Boston Globe article about the Last Ditch Bar, expressing that everyone he knows has enjoyed it. He notes this reaction seems common among his social and professional circles, which are described as bourgeois, right-of-center, and predominantly not gay but supportive of LGBTQ+ causes. Goldberg does not provide specific details about the bar or the article itself beyond acknowledging its popularity in his network.

Written for “Mask Mandates” on 2026-11-05, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Mask Mandates
Politics · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Against the Wall Different event
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Hedges 0 of 2 claims Outlet record 61/100
“The articles are from different newsletters with distinct content and do not describe the same specific incident.”
Owners of the world's most woke lesbian bar are branded 'eugenicists' after dropping their face mask mandate for a single night Different event
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⚖️ Leans strongly right Hedges 3 of 67 claims Outlet record 69/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of the same establishment but describe distinct events or opinions.”
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Hedges 3 of 27 claims Outlet record 68/100
“Article A discusses Jonah Goldberg's reaction to a Boston Globe piece about a bar, while Article B reports on a Communist Party chapter criticizing The Boston Globe over its article about the same bar. They describe different aspects of related events but not the exact same occurrence.”
Paranoid owner of woke Mass. lesbian bar puts big restrictions on mask-free Saturday over ‘infiltrator’ fear Different event
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⚖️ Leans right Hedges 1 of 23 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A discusses reactions to a news piece about a bar, while Article B describes the actual implementation and fears regarding mask-free policy at the Last Ditch Bar.”
‘I hope your venue gets firebombed’: The small-town lesbian bar left reeling after a ‘woke’ backlash Different event
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⚖️ Leans right Hedges 6 of 89 claims Outlet record 61/100
“Article A refers to a Boston Globe piece about Last Ditch Bar but does not describe the specific backlash or events covered in Article B.”
Massachusetts lesbian bar ignites fury after easing mask rules for one night a week Different event
Fox News
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 7 of 37 claims Outlet record 68/100
“Article A describes a specific incident of backlash against a lesbian bar for lifting its mask mandate, while Article B is commentary referencing an earlier Boston Globe piece about the same topic but does not describe the original event itself.”
Maher blasts ‘intolerant left’ after Massachusetts lesbian bar faces fury for tweaking COVID-era mask policy Different event
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⚖️ Leans strongly right Hedges 3 of 29 claims Outlet record 68/100
“Article A discusses Jonah Goldberg's newsletter mentioning a Boston Globe piece, while Article B reports Bill Maher's comments about backlash against a Massachusetts lesbian bar for tweaking its mask policy. Although both mention the Last Ditch Bar incident, they describe different aspects and contexts of the event.”
Maher blasts ‘intolerant left’ after Massachusetts lesbian bar faces fury for tweaking COVID-era mask policy Different event
New York Post
⚖️ Leans strongly right Hedges 3 of 30 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A mentions Jonah Goldberg's newsletter discussing a piece about the Last Ditch Bar, while Article B reports on Bill Maher criticizing left-wing critics for targeting the same bar over its mask policy. They cover related discussions but different specific events.”
Massachusetts lesbian bar nearly bullied out of town after lifting mask mandate — for one night a week Different event
New York Post
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 4 of 35 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A describes a specific incident where a Massachusetts lesbian bar lifted its mask mandate for one night, leading to controversy. Article B mentions the Boston Globe piece about the Last Ditch Bar but does not describe the same specific event or incident.”
Massachusetts communists condemn ‘MAGA Media’ Boston Globe for viral lesbian bar story Different event
Washington Examiner
Hedges 0 of 17 claims Outlet record 69/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of the incident; Article A covers a Massachusetts communist group condemning the Boston Globe's article about a lesbian bar, while Article B provides Jonah Goldberg's commentary on the same Boston Globe piece.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
2
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 2 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
61/100
The Dispatch's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-25 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Dispatch · 433 article(s) · 2 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 2 correction(s)
2026-11-03
What We Got Wrong in October
2026-10-06
What We Got Wrong in September

Who wrote this

Jonah Goldberg
63 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 63 articles by Jonah Goldberg →

Topics

Boston Globe the G-File

Subjects

Boston Globe ORG · 1× Jonah Goldberg’s PERSON · 1× the G-File ORG · 1×

Narrative

Maybe it says something about my excessively bourgeois, disproportionately right-of-center, gay-friendly but mostly not gay social and professional circles, but I haven’t met anybody who didn’t love the Boston Globe piece on the Last Ditch Bar.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-25
🔮 Maybe it says something about my excessively bourgeois, disproportionately right-of-center, gay-friendly but mostly not gay social and professional circles, but I haven’t met anybody who didn’t love the Boston Globe piece on the Last Ditch Bar.
2026-09-25 · The Dispatch
The Last Ditch for Mask Hysteria · assertive framing

Claims (2 extracted, 0 hedged)

You’re reading the G-File, Jonah Goldberg’s twice-weekly “news”letter providing his unique—and humorous—take on politics and culture. asserted
You → read → politics
Maybe it says something about my excessively bourgeois, disproportionately right-of-center, gay-friendly but mostly not gay social and professional circles, but I haven’t met anybody who didn’t love the Boston Globe piece on the Last Ditch Bar. asserted
who → say → Bar
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