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CENTCOM launches podcast “Inside CENTCOM” as the US fights the Iran war

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 4 outlets, mostly left-leaning (75%).

5 articles in total, 1 of them opinion. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Two uniformed military officers seated facing each other for a podcast, with Inside CENTCOM neon sign behind.
Image via MeidasTouchHow images are chosenReport this image

U.S. Central Command launched an official podcast, “Inside CENTCOM,” on Thursday, Raw Story and The Daily Beast report. Raw Story says the debut episode features commander Adm. Brad Cooper and senior enlisted leader Fleet Master Chief Lateef Compton, who hosts. The Hill and MeidasTouch say the conversation centered on food, sports and other light topics, with the Iran war mentioned only briefly. The launch came while the United States is at war with Iran, which began more than eight months earlier. The Daily Beast reports that the Pentagon has not held a press briefing in six months.

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. U.S. Central Command launched the official podcast “Inside CENTCOM” on Thursday.

    Reported byFar Left3Center1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    Raw Story, The Daily Beast, MeidasTouch
    Center
    The Hill
    Far Right
    The Daily Caller

  2. The debut episode featured commander Adm. Brad Cooper.

    Reported byFar Left2Center1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    Raw Story, MeidasTouch
    Center
    The Hill
    Far Right
    The Daily Caller

  3. The conversation in the debut episode was mainly about food and sports, with the Iran war mentioned only briefly, according to reports.

    Reported byFar Left2Center1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    Raw Story, MeidasTouch
    Center
    The Hill
    Far Right
    The Daily Caller

  4. The launch came while the United States has been at war with Iran for more than eight months.

    Reported byFar Left3Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    Raw Story, The Daily Beast, MeidasTouch
    Center
    The Hill

  5. According to The Daily Beast, the Pentagon has not held a press briefing in six months.

    One side only: the leftReported byFar Left2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    Raw Story, The Daily Beast

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three sides report the launch during the Iran war, with the debut focused mostly on food and sports and only briefly on the conflict. Left headlines link the podcast to avoiding press briefings, the center headline to war backlash, and the right’s opinion piece to mockery of the launch.

  • the left

    3 outlets

    Left-side headlines tie the podcast to the Pentagon avoiding reporters and to light content during an unpopular war, with Raw Story also linking it to firing rumors about Hegseth.

    Pete Hegseth's Pentagon launches Sensational language“bizarre”The word judges the podcast as strange before the reader has seen its content, where “new” or “official” would describe it without a verdict.More neutral: newDisagree with this highlight? podcast as firing Vague attribution“rumors swirl”Publishes a rumor while disclaiming it.More neutral: report only what can be confirmed, or name the source of the rumorDisagree with this highlight?: report
    Raw StoryFar LeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    The Hill’s headline frames the podcast launch against the backlash to the Iran war, leading with the war’s unpopularity rather than the podcast’s content.

    Centcom launches podcast amid Iran war backlash
    The HillCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    0 outlets · 1 opinion

    The only right-side coverage here is an opinion column, which mocks the podcast as an absurd answer to the “Blue Tsunami” and centers on the commander’s food tastes.

    Department Of War’s Sensational language“Absurd”Calling the podcast absurd is an opinion presented in the headline as a description.More neutral: newDisagree with this highlight? Answer To Blue Tsunami: A Podcast About How Much Brad Cooper Loves French Fries
    The Daily CallerFar 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.

  • Left7

    apparently decidedto Talk About… French Friesto feign transparencywidely panned war

  • Center1

    deeply unpopular war

  • Right2

    ongoing disasterAbsurd

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    apparently decidedMore neutral: has decided

    The word suggests the decision was absurd, a judgement the reporting does not establish.

    …in a war in the Middle East, the military command overseeing the conflict has apparently decided it's time to become a lifestyle podcast.

    Used byMeidasTouch (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    to Talk About… French FriesMore neutral: featuring Brad Cooper

    The ellipsis and framing mock the episode as frivolous, adding ridicule to a news report.

    CENTCOM Launches Podcast in Middle of Iran War to Talk About… French Fries

    Used byMeidasTouch (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    ongoing disasterMore neutral: ongoing war

    Calling the war a disaster is an opinion stated as fact.

    The Iran War is an ongoing disaster.

    Used byThe Daily Caller (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    AbsurdMore neutral: new

    Calling the podcast absurd is an opinion presented in the headline as a description.

    Department Of War’s Absurd Answer To Blue Tsunami: A Podcast About How Much Brad Cooper Loves French Fries

    Used byThe Daily Caller (Far Right)

Show 6 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Vague attribution

    deeply unpopular warMore neutral: war in Iran

    Describes the war as deeply unpopular without naming the polling or source behind the judgement.

    As the Trump administration’s deeply unpopular war in Iran stretches into its eighth month, U.S.

    Used byThe Hill (Center)

  • Loaded verb

    to feign transparencyMore neutral: to appear more open to the public

    Calling the move feigned asserts an intent to deceive without evidence.

    Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon has seemingly found a new loophole to feign transparency amid President Donald Trump’s widely panned war in Iran.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Vague attribution

    widely panned warMore neutral: war in Iran

    Says the war is widely criticized without naming who judges it, presenting criticism as consensus.

    …found a new loophole to feign transparency amid President Donald Trump’s widely panned war in Iran.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    to Avoid Facing ReportersMore neutral: to Offer a New Public Podcast

    The headline asserts a motive for the launch that the coverage does not establish.

    Pentagon Launches Wild New Gambit to Avoid Facing Reporters

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    bizarreMore neutral: new

    The word judges the podcast as strange before the reader has seen its content, where “new” or “official” would describe it without a verdict.

    Pete Hegseth's Pentagon launches bizarre podcast as firing rumors swirl: report

    Used byRaw Story (Far Left)

  • Vague attribution

    rumors swirlMore neutral: report only what can be confirmed, or name the source of the rumor

    Publishes a rumor while disclaiming it.

    Pete Hegseth's Pentagon launches bizarre podcast as firing rumors swirl: report

    Used byRaw Story (Far Left)

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

3 outlets

Leads with

  • Pentagon avoiding press briefings
  • Light content during the Iran war
  • Hegseth and firing rumors
See the 3 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • Raw StoryFar Left

    Pete Hegseth's Pentagon launches Sensational language“bizarre”The word judges the podcast as strange before the reader has seen its content, where “new” or “official” would describe it without a verdict.More neutral: newDisagree with this highlight? podcast as firing Vague attribution“rumors swirl”Publishes a rumor while disclaiming it.More neutral: report only what can be confirmed, or name the source of the rumorDisagree with this highlight?: report

    Pete Hegseth's Pentagon has found a curious new way to reach the public, and it barely touches on the war. On Thursday, U.S. Central Command, the military’s headquarters for the Iran war, debuted a podcast dubbed “Inside CENTCOM,” The Daily Beast reported . …

    Read at Raw Story (opens in a new tab)
  • The Daily BeastFar Left

    Pentagon Launches Wild New Gambit Loaded verb“to Avoid Facing Reporters”The headline asserts a motive for the launch that the coverage does not establish.More neutral: to Offer a New Public PodcastDisagree with this highlight?

    Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon has seemingly found a new loophole Loaded verb“to feign transparency”Calling the move feigned asserts an intent to deceive without evidence.More neutral: to appear more open to the publicDisagree with this highlight? amid President Donald Trump’s Vague attribution“widely panned war”Says the war is widely criticized without naming who judges it, presenting criticism as consensus.More neutral: war in IranDisagree with this highlight? in Iran. U.S. …

    Read at The Daily Beast (opens in a new tab)
  • MeidasTouchFar Left

    CENTCOM Launches Podcast in Middle of Iran War Sensational language“to Talk About… French Fries”The ellipsis and framing mock the episode as frivolous, adding ridicule to a news report.More neutral: featuring Brad CooperDisagree with this highlight?

    As American troops remain embroiled in a war in the Middle East, the military command overseeing the conflict has Loaded verb“apparently decided”The word suggests the decision was absurd, a judgement the reporting does not establish.More neutral: has decidedDisagree with this highlight? it's time to become a lifestyle podcast. …

    Read at MeidasTouch (opens in a new tab)

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • Backlash against the Iran war
  • Commander’s banter about French fries
  • Brief reference to the conflict
See the headline from the centerHide the headlines
  • The HillCenter

    Centcom launches podcast amid Iran war backlash

    As the Trump administration’s Vague attribution“deeply unpopular war”Describes the war as deeply unpopular without naming the polling or source behind the judgement.More neutral: war in IranDisagree with this highlight? in Iran stretches into its eighth month, U.S. Central Command (Centcom) has launched an official podcast that kicked off with its top commander bantering about stealing French fries from his colleague and only briefly referring …

    Read at The Hill (opens in a new tab)

From the right

0 outlets · 1 opinion

Leads with

  • Mockery of the podcast
  • Political reaction to a “Blue Tsunami”
  • Commander’s food preferences
See the headline from the rightHide the headlines
  • The Daily CallerFar RightOpinion

    Department Of War’s Sensational language“Absurd”Calling the podcast absurd is an opinion presented in the headline as a description.More neutral: newDisagree with this highlight? Answer To Blue Tsunami: A Podcast About How Much Brad Cooper Loves French Fries

    The American Empire is in a crisis. The Iran War is an Sensational language“ongoing disaster”Calling the war a disaster is an opinion stated as fact.More neutral: ongoing warDisagree with this highlight?. The Republican Party is on life support. And the Department of War is rolling out a podcast about Admiral Bradley Cooper’s abiding love for French fries. …

    Read at The Daily Caller (opens in a new tab)

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

    MeidasTouch, Nov 5, 2:20 PM EST

  • Center

    1 hr 20 min later

    Its first report, Nov 5, 3:39 PM EST

  • Right

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. MeidasTouchFar LeftNov 5, 2:20 PM EST
  2. The HillCenterNov 5, 3:39 PM EST
  3. The Daily BeastFar LeftNov 5, 4:36 PM EST
  4. Raw StoryFar LeftNov 5, 6:03 PM EST

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

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