Abdul El-Sayed’s 2022 criticism of drone strike that killed al-Zawahiri resurfaces
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Coverage spectrum
Covered by 3 outlets, all right-leaning.
5 articles in total, 2 of them opinion. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias
Fox News, Townhall, the Washington Free Beacon, Hot Air and PJ Media report that Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed criticized the 2022 U.S. drone strike that killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. The outlets say El-Sayed wrote that the strike was ‘troubling’ and ‘a fig leaf’ covering the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Fox News reports that El-Sayed accused President Joe Biden of using the operation to boost his approval before the midterm elections. Fox News also reports that Biden announced the strike on Aug. 1, 2022, and said al-Zawahiri was deeply involved in planning the 9/11 attacks. The Washington Free Beacon says it revealed the remarks.
Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works
What happened
Key points
Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.
Abdul El-Sayed, a Michigan Democratic Senate candidate, called a 2022 U.S. drone strike that killed Ayman al-Zawahiri ‘troubling’.
One side only: the rightReported byFar Right4See the outletsHide the outlets
- Far Right
- Washington Free Beacon, Townhall, PJ Media, Fox News
El-Sayed wrote in 2022 that killing al-Zawahiri was ‘a fig leaf’ covering the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
One side only: the rightReported byFar Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
- Far Right
- Washington Free Beacon, Townhall
El-Sayed accused President Joe Biden of using the strike to boost his approval before the midterm elections.
One outletFox News· Far Right
Biden announced the strike on Aug. 1, 2022, and said al-Zawahiri was deeply involved in planning the 9/11 attacks.
One outletFox News· Far Right
Intelligence officials have long held that al-Zawahiri was involved in planning the 9/11 attacks.
One outletFox News· Far Right
How each side tells it
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Outlets on the right report that El-Sayed, a Michigan Democratic Senate candidate, criticized the 2022 drone strike that killed al-Zawahiri as ‘troubling’, and frame the remarks as a resurfaced attack on a Democrat, with opinion pieces mocking him further.
the left
No coverage yet
No left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
the center
No coverage yet
No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
the right
3 outlets · 2 opinion
Headlines frame the 2022 remarks as a resurfaced attack on a Democratic Senate candidate, while the opinion pieces at Hot Air and PJ Media mock or accuse him further.
El-Sayed accused Biden of exploiting 9/11 mastermind's killing in Sensational language“resurfaced attack”Calling the 2022 remarks an attack presents criticism as an assault, and resurfaced implies a hidden revelation.More neutral: 2022 remarksDisagree with this highlight?: 'Troubling'
Fox NewsFar RightAll right-leaning headlines
The words they chose
Language to notice
Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.
Left
Has not covered this story.
Center
Has not covered this story.
Right8
his weekend rally matedisastrous routHad the Sadzbotched withdrawal
In the outlets’ own words
Loaded modifier
his weekend rally mateMore neutral: a fellow speaker at a weekend rally
Links El-Sayed to another person through a rally appearance without saying what connection is meant, implying guilt by association.
Wait until Abdul El-Sayed finds out what his weekend rally mate did to Anwar al-Awlaki!
Used byHot Air (Far Right)
Sensational language
disastrous routMore neutral: withdrawal from Afghanistan
Adds a judgement about the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal in the outlet's own voice where a neutral description would name the withdrawal.
…of using al-Qaeda's chief architect of 9/11 as a "fig leaf" to cover up the disastrous rout from Kabul a year earlier.
Used byHot Air (Far Right)
Sensational language
Had the SadzMore neutral: criticized the strike
Slang that mocks El-Sayed's reaction in the outlet's own voice rather than describing it.
Wayback Wednesday: America Took Out Al-Qaeda's #2, and El-Sayed Had the Sadz
Used byHot Air (Far Right)
Loaded modifier
botched withdrawalMore neutral: withdrawal from Afghanistan
Calling the withdrawal botched is an evaluation stated in the outlet’s own voice rather than a neutral description of the withdrawal.
…"troubling" and called them a "fig leaf" to cover up the Biden administration's botched withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Used byTownhall (Far Right)
Show 4 more phrasesShow fewer
Sensational language
More shockinglyMore neutral: El-Sayed implied
The phrase is the outlet’s own editorial emphasis that adds drama before the claim is stated.
More shockingly, El-Sayed implied that the January 2021 protest in D.C., where the only people…
Used byPJ Media (Far Right)
Loaded modifier
morally equivalentMore neutral: compared
Describing a reading of a statement as moral equivalence is a judgement about the speaker, stated by the outlet.
…January 2021 protest in D.C., where the only people killed were protesters, was morally equivalent to Islamic terrorist groups and dictatorships in the Middle East.
Used byPJ Media (Far Right)
Loaded verb
Hit on 9/11 PlannerMore neutral: Strike on 9/11 Planner
Calling the strike a hit frames a military action as a targeted killing, where the neutral term is strike.
El-Sayed Compared January 6 to Jihad Dictatorships While Critiquing Hit on 9/11 Planner
Used byPJ Media (Far Right)
Sensational language
resurfaced attackMore neutral: 2022 remarks
Calling the 2022 remarks an attack presents criticism as an assault, and resurfaced implies a hidden revelation.
El-Sayed accused Biden of exploiting 9/11 mastermind's killing in resurfaced attack: 'Troubling'
Used byFox News (Far Right)
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Side by side
What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.
From the left
0 outletsNo left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
From the center
0 outletsNo center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
From the right
3 outlets · 2 opinionLeads with
- El-Sayed’s criticism of the strike
- accusation that Biden exploited the killing
- his Senate candidacy and 9/11 remarks
See the 5 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
- Fox NewsFar Right
El-Sayed accused Biden of exploiting 9/11 mastermind's killing in Sensational language“resurfaced attack”Calling the 2022 remarks an attack presents criticism as an assault, and resurfaced implies a hidden revelation.More neutral: 2022 remarksDisagree with this highlight?: 'Troubling'
Abdul El-Sayed accused Joe Biden of exploiting the Ayman al-Zawahiri drone strike to bolster his party's approval before the midterm elections.
- TownhallFar Right
Abdul El-Sayed Called Drone Killing of 9/11 Mastermind Ayman al-Zawahiri 'Troubling' and 'Fig Leaf'
Michigan Democrat Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed once criticized the U.S. drone strikes that killed 9/11 mastermind Ayman al-Zawahiri in 2022 as "troubling" and called them a "fig leaf" to cover up the Biden administration's Loaded modifier“botched withdrawal”Calling the withdrawal botched is an evaluation stated in the outlet’s own voice rather than a neutral description of the withdrawal.More neutral: withdrawal from AfghanistanDisagree with this highlight? from Afghanistan.
- Washington Free BeaconFar Right
Abdul El-Sayed Criticized US Drone Killing of 9/11 Mastermind al-Zawahiri as ‘Troubling’ and ‘a Fig Leaf’
Abdul E-Sayed wrote that it was "troubling" that the United States killed the al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri—who is widely considered the mastermind of 9/11—in a 2022 targeted drone strike. Killing al-Zawahiri was "a fig leaf" to cover up the disastrous U.S. …
El-Sayed Compared January 6 to Jihad Dictatorships While Critiquing Loaded verb“Hit on 9/11 Planner”Calling the strike a hit frames a military action as a targeted killing, where the neutral term is strike.More neutral: Strike on 9/11 PlannerDisagree with this highlight?
Michigan Senate Democrat candidate Abdul El-Sayed acknowledged that eliminating some terrorists is good, but still criticized the Biden administration after the U.S. military eliminated an al-Qaeda terrorist known for helping orchestrate the 9/11 attacks. …
Wayback Wednesday: America Took Out Al-Qaeda's #2, and El-Sayed Sensational language“Had the Sadz”Slang that mocks El-Sayed's reaction in the outlet's own voice rather than describing it.More neutral: criticized the strikeDisagree with this highlight?
Geez, man. Wait until Abdul El-Sayed finds out what Loaded modifier“his weekend rally mate”Links El-Sayed to another person through a rally appearance without saying what connection is meant, implying guilt by association.More neutral: a fellow speaker at a weekend rallyDisagree with this highlight? did to Anwar al-Awlaki!
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Left
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From the outlets Mantle follows
Center
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From the outlets Mantle follows
Right
First to report
Washington Free Beacon, Oct 27, 11:40 AM EDT
See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
- Washington Free BeaconFar RightOct 27, 11:40 AM EDT
- TownhallFar RightOct 28, 10:41 AM EDT
- Fox NewsFar RightOct 28, 1:17 PM EDT
Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.
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