PoliticsBreaking
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins posts Halloween image labeled “SNAP Fraudster”
By Mantle News
Coverage spectrum
Covered by 3 outlets, all left-leaning.
3 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias
Raw Story, HuffPost and ABC News, the last citing an Associated Press report, say Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins posted an image on X on Saturday, Halloween, showing a Black man labeled “SNAP Fraudster”. The post said defrauding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is a crime. According to the reports, the image shows the man holding a burning dollar bill in front of piles of cash. Critics said the post was racist. The AP report says some described the administration’s posts as inflammatory, and that the White House posted a pumpkin with a sombrero design. It says the posts came days before the midterm elections.
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.
Rollins posted the Halloween image on X on Saturday.
One side only: the leftReported byFar Left2Left1See the outletsHide the outlets
- Far Left
- Raw Story, HuffPost
- Left
- ABC News
The image shows a Black man labeled “SNAP Fraudster” holding a burning dollar bill.
One side only: the leftReported byFar Left2Left1See the outletsHide the outlets
- Far Left
- Raw Story, HuffPost
- Left
- ABC News
The post said that defrauding federal food assistance is a crime and warned those stealing from taxpayers.
One side only: the leftReported byFar Left2Left1See the outletsHide the outlets
- Far Left
- Raw Story, HuffPost
- Left
- ABC News
Critics said the post was racist.
One side only: the leftReported byFar Left2See the outletsHide the outlets
- Far Left
- Raw Story, HuffPost
Critics described the administration’s posts as inflammatory.
One outletABC News· Left
Show 2 more pointsShow fewer points
The White House posted a pumpkin with a sombrero design in a similar series of posts.
One outletABC News· Left
The posts came days before the midterm elections.
One outletABC News· Left
How each side tells it
Compare views
Raw Story, HuffPost and ABC News report that Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins posted an image of a Black man labeled SNAP Fraudster on Halloween and that critics objected to it. Their headlines differ mainly in strength: two call the post racist, while ABC News uses the word inflammatory.
the left
3 outlets
Headlines frame the post itself as racist or outrageous: Raw Story and HuffPost call it racist and say it drew outrage, while ABC News, relaying an AP report, calls the posts inflammatory.
Trump Cabinet Secretary Loaded verb“Torched”Torched is a violent metaphor where criticized describes the same reaction.More neutral: CriticizedDisagree with this highlight? For 'Sensational language“Disgusting”Moral verdict in the reporter's voice.More neutral: (omit) and quote or describeThis appears inside a quotation. The outlet is reporting someone else’s words.Disagree with this highlight?' Racist Halloween Post
HuffPostFar LeftAll left-leaning headlines 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
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.
Left9
set off a firestormslammedblatantlyshockingly
Center
Has not covered this story.
Right
Has not covered this story.
In the outlets’ own words
Sensational language
set off a firestormMore neutral: drew criticism
The phrase manufactures drama about the reaction to the post.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins set off a firestorm Saturday with a Halloween message to Americans that critics almost immediately…
Used byRaw Story (Far Left)
Loaded verb
slammedMore neutral: criticized
Slammed signals a harsh verdict where criticized describes the same reaction.
…Saturday with a Halloween message to Americans that critics almost immediately slammed as blatantly “racist.” “This is the most racist s--- I’ve ever seen,” wrote Jamie…
Used byRaw Story (Far Left)
Absolutist framing
blatantlyMore neutral: described as
The adverb presents a disputed reading of the post as obvious.
…with a Halloween message to Americans that critics almost immediately slammed as blatantly “racist.” “This is the most racist s--- I’ve ever seen,” wrote Jamie Bonkiewicz, a…
Used byRaw Story (Far Left)
Sensational language
shockinglyMore neutral: posts
The adverb asserts a strong reaction the headline does not need to supply.
Jaws drop as Trump cabinet official drops shockingly 'racist' Halloween message
Used byRaw Story (Far Left)
Show 5 more phrasesShow fewer
Loaded verb
sparked outrageMore neutral: drew criticism from (name who)
Outrage from whom? Name the critics and their number.
A Halloween post from Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins sparked outrage on social media Saturday, with many accusing the Trump administration official of…
Used byHuffPost (Far Left)
Vague attribution
many accusingMore neutral: critics who said
The phrase attributes a charge to an unnamed group without saying who made it.
…Secretary Brooke Rollins sparked outrage on social media Saturday, with many accusing the Trump administration official of blatant racism.
Used byHuffPost (Far Left)
Absolutist framing
blatant racismMore neutral: racism
The phrase presents a contested characterization of the post as settled.
…on social media Saturday, with many accusing the Trump administration official of blatant racism.
Used byHuffPost (Far Left)
Loaded verb
TorchedMore neutral: Criticized
Torched is a violent metaphor where criticized describes the same reaction.
Trump Cabinet Secretary Torched For 'Disgusting' Racist Halloween Post
Used byHuffPost (Far Left)
Vague attribution
slammed by criticsMore neutral: criticized by unnamed critics
The phrase attributes a strong judgement to unnamed critics.
…a Black man apparently accused of food assistance fraud, in social media posts slammed by critics as inflammatory rhetoric.
Used byABC News (Left)
Words quoted from someone else (2)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.
Loaded modifier
QuotedSecretary of RacismMore neutral: Agriculture Secretary
The mock title attaches a pejorative label to an official’s conduct, not to a group.
“I had no idea Secretary of Racism was a cabinet position,” one commenter on X wrote.
Quoted byHuffPost (Far Left)
These are a commenter on X’s words. The outlets are reporting them.
Sensational language
QuotedDisgustingMore neutral: (omit) and quote or describe
Moral verdict in the reporter's voice.
Trump Cabinet Secretary Torched For 'Disgusting' Racist Halloween Post
Quoted byHuffPost (Far Left)
Inside a quotation: the outlets are reporting someone else’s words.
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
3 outletsLeads with
- racism and stereotypes in the image
- outrage on social media
- the Secretary’s conduct
- timing before the midterm elections
See the 3 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
Trump administration's social media posts ahead of elections criticized for being inflammatory
The Trump administration’s online accounts have circulated images of a pumpkin carved with a sombrero design and a fake Halloween-themed background around a Black man apparently accused of food assistance fraud
- HuffPostFar Left
Trump Cabinet Secretary Loaded verb“Torched”Torched is a violent metaphor where criticized describes the same reaction.More neutral: CriticizedDisagree with this highlight? For 'Sensational language“Disgusting”Moral verdict in the reporter's voice.More neutral: (omit) and quote or describeThis appears inside a quotation. The outlet is reporting someone else’s words.Disagree with this highlight?' Racist Halloween Post
“I had no idea Loaded modifier“Secretary of Racism”The mock title attaches a pejorative label to an official’s conduct, not to a group.More neutral: Agriculture SecretaryThese are a commenter on X’s words. The outlet is reporting them.Disagree with this highlight? was a cabinet position,” one commenter on X wrote.
- Raw StoryFar Left
Jaws drop as Trump cabinet official drops Sensational language“shockingly”The adverb asserts a strong reaction the headline does not need to supply.More neutral: postsDisagree with this highlight? 'racist' Halloween message
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins Sensational language“set off a firestorm”The phrase manufactures drama about the reaction to the post.More neutral: drew criticismDisagree with this highlight? Saturday with a Halloween message to Americans that critics almost immediately slammed as blatantly “racist. …
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
0 outletsNo 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, Oct 31, 9:09 PM EDT
Center
No report yet
From the outlets Mantle follows
Right
No report yet
From the outlets Mantle follows
See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
- Raw StoryFar LeftOct 31, 9:09 PM EDT
- HuffPostFar LeftOct 31, 10:44 PM EDT
- ABC NewsLeftNov 1, 12:22 AM EDT
Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.
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