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Democratic lawmakers criticize aerial images of Trump’s White House ballroom

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 4 outlets. No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered it yet.

4 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Aerial view of the White House with a large ballroom construction site beside it, cranes visible.
Image via NewsweekHow images are chosenReport this image

Democratic Representatives James Clyburn of South Carolina and Morgan McGarvey of Kentucky criticized newly released aerial images of the White House ballroom under construction on social media this week. Clyburn wrote, “I hope everyone takes a good hard look at this picture.” Newsweek reports that the building appears to dwarf the original White House residence, and HuffPost and Raw Story describe it as dominating the grounds beside the executive mansion. Coverage of the images has focused on how large the structure looks and on the lawmakers’ reactions.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. Editors read every story. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Newly released aerial images show the White House ballroom under construction beside the executive mansion.

    Across the spectrumReported byFar Left2Center2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    HuffPost, Raw Story
    Center
    The Hill, Newsweek

  2. Newsweek reports the ballroom appears to dwarf the original White House building.

    One outletNewsweek· Center

  3. Rep. James Clyburn, a South Carolina Democrat, shared the image on social media and said he hoped everyone would take a good hard look at it.

    Reported byFar Left1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    Raw Story
    Center
    The Hill

  4. Rep. Morgan McGarvey, a Kentucky Democrat, also criticized the project on social media this week.

    One outletThe Hill· Center

How each side tells it

Compare views

All sides report that Representative James Clyburn shared aerial images of the White House ballroom under construction and criticized them. The left stresses the horror and size of the building, while the center stresses the reactions and what the images show.

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Left-side headlines lead with public horror and harsh adjectives such as horrified, hideous and monstrosity; both Far Left outlets in this set use this emotional framing rather than a neutral description.

    Sensational language“Horror”The word presents the reaction as extreme and adds drama to a report about a photo.More neutral: CriticismDisagree with this highlight? as aerial photo shows Trump’s ballroom Loaded verb“swallowing”The verb suggests the ballroom is consuming the White House, a stronger image than the photo’s footprint supports.More neutral: next toDisagree with this highlight? White House: ‘Sensational language“Monstrosity”The word is a sharp insult about the building, and the body attributes it to a commentator rather than the outlet.More neutral: large structureThese are Norman Ornstein’s words. The outlet is reporting them.Disagree with this highlight?’
    Raw StoryFar LeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    2 outlets

    Center headlines describe the images and the reaction neutrally, using words such as backlash and criticism, and Newsweek frames its piece as a question about what the images reveal.

    Photos showing White House ballroom's size spark backlash from Clyburn, McGarvey
    The HillCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    No coverage yet

    No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

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.

  • Left6

    criticspet projectHorrorswallowing

  • Center1

    crushing defeat

  • Right

    Has not covered this story.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Vague attribution

    criticsMore neutral: named critics

    The excerpt says critics are demanding action without naming them.

    A single aerial photo of the White House grounds has critics demanding the next president undo Trump's pet project.

    Used byRaw Story (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    pet projectMore neutral: ballroom project

    The label characterises the ballroom as a personal whim before its purpose is established.

    …of the White House grounds has critics demanding the next president undo Trump's pet project.

    Used byRaw Story (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    HorrorMore neutral: Criticism

    The word presents the reaction as extreme and adds drama to a report about a photo.

    Horror as aerial photo shows Trump’s ballroom swallowing White House: ‘Monstrosity’

    Used byRaw Story (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    swallowingMore neutral: next to

    The verb suggests the ballroom is consuming the White House, a stronger image than the photo’s footprint supports.

    Horror as aerial photo shows Trump’s ballroom swallowing White House: ‘Monstrosity’

    Used byRaw Story (Far Left)

Show 3 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Sensational language

    new outrageMore neutral: new criticism

    The phrase describes the reaction as outrage, a strong judgement, rather than as criticism.

    There’s new outrage over President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project after an image went…

    Used byHuffPost (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    HorrifiedMore neutral: Concerned

    The word presents the public reaction as extreme before the reaction is described in the text.

    ‘Tear This S**t Down’: People Are Horrified By ‘Hideous’ New Pic Of Trump’s Ballroom

    Used byHuffPost (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    crushing defeatMore neutral: defeat

    The phrase adds drama to the election result in the outlet’s own voice, where “loss” or “defeat” would report it without emphasis.

    After Election Day and the GOP's crushing defeat, he watched the final construction beam being put into place for his first public…

    Used byNewsweek (Center)

Words quoted from someone else (1)Hide the quoted words

Loaded words that outlets reported someone else saying. They show what was said, not how the outlet chose to say it.

  • Sensational language

    Quoted

    MonstrosityMore neutral: large structure

    The word is a sharp insult about the building, and the body attributes it to a commentator rather than the outlet.

    Horror as aerial photo shows Trump’s ballroom swallowing White House: ‘Monstrosity’

    Quoted byRaw Story (Far Left)

    These are Norman Ornstein’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

2 outlets

Leads with

  • public horror at the design
  • how the ballroom dwarfs the White House
  • Clyburn’s call to look closely
  • calls for a future president to undo the project

Leaves out

  • Rep. Morgan McGarvey’s criticism, reported by The Hill

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • HuffPostFar Left

    ‘Tear This S**t Down’: People Are Sensational language“Horrified”The word presents the public reaction as extreme before the reaction is described in the text.More neutral: ConcernedDisagree with this highlight? By ‘Hideous’ New Pic Of Trump’s Ballroom

    The ballroom dwarfs the main residence and dominates the White House grounds.

    Read at HuffPost (opens in a new tab)
  • Raw StoryFar Left

    Sensational language“Horror”The word presents the reaction as extreme and adds drama to a report about a photo.More neutral: CriticismDisagree with this highlight? as aerial photo shows Trump’s ballroom Loaded verb“swallowing”The verb suggests the ballroom is consuming the White House, a stronger image than the photo’s footprint supports.More neutral: next toDisagree with this highlight? White House: ‘Sensational language“Monstrosity”The word is a sharp insult about the building, and the body attributes it to a commentator rather than the outlet.More neutral: large structureThese are Norman Ornstein’s words. The outlet is reporting them.Disagree with this highlight?’

    A single aerial photo of the White House grounds has critics demanding the next president undo Trump's pet project . Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC), a longtime member of the House Democratic leadership, shared the image Wednesday, showing President Donald Trump's half-built ballroom …

    Read at Raw Story (opens in a new tab)

From the center

2 outlets

Leads with

  • the ballroom’s size compared with the White House
  • reactions from Democratic lawmakers
  • what the new images show
See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines
  • The HillCenter

    Photos showing White House ballroom's size spark backlash from Clyburn, McGarvey

    Newly-released images showing the new White House ballroom’s size spark backlash among a pair of House Democrats — Reps. James Clyburn S.C(.) and Morgan McGarvey (Ky.) — who voiced their frustration with the project on social media this week. …

    Read at The Hill (opens in a new tab)
  • NewsweekCenter

    What New Images Reveal About Trump's Ballroom

    New images of the ballroom seemingly dwarfing the original White House building have sparked criticism.

    Read at Newsweek (opens in a new tab)

From the right

0 outlets

No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    First to report

    Raw Story, Nov 11, 11:11 PM EST

  • Center

    14 hr 33 min later

    Its first report, Nov 12, 1:44 PM EST

  • Right

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Raw StoryFar LeftNov 11, 11:11 PM EST
  2. HuffPostFar LeftNov 12, 4:55 AM EST
  3. NewsweekCenterNov 12, 1:44 PM EST
  4. The HillCenterNov 12, 7:43 PM EST

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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