Government & PolicyAnalysis
California voters will decide Proposition 40, a one-time 5% billionaire tax, on Nov. 3
By Mantle News
Coverage spectrum
Covered by 4 outlets, all left-leaning.
7 articles in total, 3 of them opinion. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias
Bloomberg, The Guardian, the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times report that California voters will decide Proposition 40 on Nov. 3, a one-time 5% tax on billionaires. Mother Jones reports that the measure is supported by the state Democratic Party but opposed by many unions and prominent Democrats, and Bloomberg says the debate has grown more contentious as the vote nears. The Guardian reports that hundreds of millions of Silicon Valley dollars are being spent against it. The Los Angeles Times reports that sports team owners could be among those taxed. In an opinion piece, National Review argues that the tax will likely cost the state government more than it raises.
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.
California voters decide Proposition 40, a one-time 5% tax on billionaires, on Nov. 3.
One side only: the leftReported byLeft4See the outletsHide the outlets
- Left
- Bloomberg, The Guardian, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times
Proposition 40 is supported by the state Democratic Party but opposed by many unions and prominent Democrats.
One outletMother Jones· Far Left
Reported spending against the measure runs to hundreds of millions of dollars from Silicon Valley donors.
One outletThe Guardian· Left
The tax could apply to sports team owners among other wealthy residents.
One outletLos Angeles Times· Left
The debate over the measure has grown more contentious as the vote approaches.
One side only: the leftReported byFar Left1Left1See the outletsHide the outlets
- Far Left
- Mother Jones
- Left
- Bloomberg
National Review argues the tax will likely cost the state government more than it raises.
One outletNational Review· Far Right
How each side tells it
Compare views
Coverage from both sides reports that California votes on Proposition 40, a one-time 5% billionaire tax, on Nov. 3. Left-side outlets focus on the fight over taxing wealth and divisions among Democrats; the right-side opinion piece argues it would cost the state more than it raises.
the left
4 outlets · 2 opinion
Left-side headlines frame the measure as a fight over taxing wealth and power; news headlines stay descriptive while opinion headlines cast opponents as greedy or cynical, and Far Left Mother Jones calls billionaires likely winners.
California's Prop 40 Architects Bet Now Is Time for Wealth Tax
BloombergLeftAll 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
0 outlets · 1 opinion
Its only supplied coverage is one opinion piece headlined as fiscal self-sabotage, judging the measure by its effect on state revenue; no right-side news report is present.
California’s Act of Fiscal Loaded modifier“Self-Sabotage”Calls the measure self-inflicted harm to the state, a verdict on its effects that the piece argues rather than shows.More neutral: Fiscal Effects of California’s Billionaire Tax ProposalDisagree with this highlight?
National ReviewFar 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.
Left6
dupeddeviously cynical electoral maneuverCynical PloyGreed
Center
Has not covered this story.
Right1
Self-Sabotage
In the outlets’ own words
Loaded modifier
Self-SabotageMore neutral: Fiscal Effects of California’s Billionaire Tax Proposal
Calls the measure self-inflicted harm to the state, a verdict on its effects that the piece argues rather than shows.
California’s Act of Fiscal Self-Sabotage
Used byNational Review (Far Right)
Loaded verb
dupedMore neutral: misled
Says voters are tricked, a judgement about how supporters will be affected that the piece does not establish.
Some voters who support the proposal might be duped into nullifying it.
Used byThe Atlantic (Left)
Loaded modifier
deviously cynical electoral maneuverMore neutral: electoral maneuver by the measure’s opponents
Attributes a devious motive to the opponents’ electoral move, a judgement beyond what the facts show.
But thanks to a deviously cynical electoral maneuver by the measure’s opponents, the people who ultimately doom it might…
Used byThe Atlantic (Left)
Loaded modifier
Cynical PloyMore neutral: Opponents’ Ballot Strategy to Block California’s Wealth Tax
Labels the opponents’ ballot move cynical and a ploy, which judges their motive before the piece shows it.
A Cynical Ploy to Block California’s Wealth Tax
Used byThe Atlantic (Left)
Show 3 more phrasesShow fewer
Sensational language
GreedMore neutral: Opposition from wealthy donors
The word asserts the motive of the measure’s opponents as a settled judgement rather than describing their position.
Greed is on California’s state ballot, and it appears to be winning.
Used byMother Jones (Far Left)
Loaded modifier
excessive wealthMore neutral: wealth
The word judges the wealth in question as excessive before the tax’s merits are weighed.
The notion of taxing the excessive wealth of the super-rich, or the basis of that wealth—the “paper profits” on a sea of…
Used byMother Jones (Far Left)
Loaded verb
slapMore neutral: impose
The informal verb adds drama to a tax measure that a neutral description would simply call an imposition.
The proposed billionaire tax on California's November ballot could slap a one-time 5% levy on wealthy residents, including sports team owners, to raise…
Used byLos Angeles Times (Left)
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
QuotedcrazyMore neutral: (omit) and quote the statement
Diagnoses the speaker instead of quoting them.
Billionaire tax: how a union leader’s ‘crazy’ idea became the defining issue of California’s midterms
Quoted byThe Guardian (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
4 outlets · 2 opinionLeads with
- billionaire tax as a contest of wealth and power
- opposition from billionaires and Silicon Valley donors
- divisions among Democrats
See the 6 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
On the Ballot in California: The Prospects for a National Wealth Tax
The outcome of the state’s ballot initiative for a billionaires tax could set the tone for the broader Democratic debate about how to raise more revenue.
Proposed billionaire tax could impact California sports teams
The proposed billionaire tax on California's November ballot could Loaded verb“slap”The informal verb adds drama to a tax measure that a neutral description would simply call an imposition.More neutral: imposeDisagree with this highlight? a one-time 5% levy on wealthy residents, including sports team owners, to raise healthcare funds
- The GuardianLeft
Billionaire tax: how a union leader’s ‘Sensational language“crazy”Diagnoses the speaker instead of quoting them.More neutral: (omit) and quote the statementThis appears inside a quotation. The outlet is reporting someone else’s words.Disagree with this highlight?’ idea became the defining issue of California’s midterms
It was an ambitious notion – now Californians will vote on a one-time 5% billionaire tax, and state’s super rich have pulled out all the stops in opposition One year ago, the idea of a billionaire tax in California was still in its infancy. …
- BloombergLeft
California's Prop 40 Architects Bet Now Is Time for Wealth Tax
The architects of Proposition 40 believe California is ready to tax billionaires — but the debate has only grown more contentious as the Nov. 3 vote nears
California Billionaires May Well Prevail in Their Quest to Block a State Wealth Tax
Greed is on California’s state ballot, and it appears to be winning. For a while, Prop. 40, the Billionaire Tax initiative, which is supported by the state Democratic Party but opposed by many unions and prominent Democrats, was polling well. …
A Loaded modifier“Cynical Ploy”Labels the opponents’ ballot move cynical and a ploy, which judges their motive before the piece shows it.More neutral: Opponents’ Ballot Strategy to Block California’s Wealth TaxDisagree with this highlight? to Block California’s Wealth Tax
Some voters who support the proposal might be Loaded verb“duped”Says voters are tricked, a judgement about how supporters will be affected that the piece does not establish.More neutral: misledDisagree with this highlight? into nullifying it.
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 outlets · 1 opinionLeads with
- effect on state revenue
- fiscal cost of the tax
See the headline from the rightHide the headlines
California’s Act of Fiscal Loaded modifier“Self-Sabotage”Calls the measure self-inflicted harm to the state, a verdict on its effects that the piece argues rather than shows.More neutral: Fiscal Effects of California’s Billionaire Tax ProposalDisagree with this highlight?
The ‘billionaire tax’ on the ballot will likely cost the state government more than it raises.
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
Bloomberg, Oct 30, 7:30 AM 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
- BloombergLeftOct 30, 7:30 AM EDT
- The GuardianLeftOct 30, 11:00 AM EDT
- Los Angeles TimesLeftOct 31, 6:00 AM EDT
- The New York TimesLeftNov 1, 5:02 AM EST
Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.
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