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Maine laundromat owner says she was misled into appearing in an ad backing Troy Jackson

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 4 outlets. No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered it yet.

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

The Collins campaign released a 30-second ad in which Bill Green criticizes Democratic nominee Troy Jackson over his logging background, according to MeidasTouch and The Daily Beast. Kelly Kusnirak, a Maine laundromat owner and longtime Republican voter, says a videographer told her he was filming for Collins’ campaign, and that her footage later aired in a pro-Jackson ad paid for by the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy. Kusnirak says she never agreed to appear in that ad and is not a Jackson supporter. The Daily Wire and The Daily Caller report her account, citing footage posted by The Maine Wire. The Maine Senate election is on November 3.

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.

  1. Kelly Kusnirak, a Maine laundromat owner and longtime Republican voter, says she was filmed for what she believed was an ad supporting Susan Collins.

    One side only: the rightReported byFar Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Right
    The Daily Caller, The Daily Wire

  2. Kusnirak says a videographer told her in March or April that he was shooting for Collins’ campaign.

    One outletThe Daily Caller· Far Right

  3. Kusnirak says her footage aired in an ad paid for by the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy supporting Troy Jackson, and that she never agreed to appear in it.

    One outletThe Daily Caller· Far Right

  4. The Collins campaign released a 30-second ad in which Bill Green criticizes Troy Jackson over his logging background.

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

  5. A former Collins staffer says the ad may have cost the Republicans a must-win race.

    One outletThe Daily Beast· Far Left

  6. Maine’s Senate election is on November 3.

    One outletMeidasTouch· Far Left

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

  • Kusnirak was tricked into appearing in an ad supporting Troy Jackson.

    Kusnirak says a videographer identified himself as shooting for Collins’ campaign and that she never agreed to appear in a pro-Jackson ad; the supplied coverage contains no response from the Jackson campaign or the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy.

How each side tells it

Compare views

Outlets on both sides report a political ad in the Collins–Jackson Maine Senate race and a Maine voter featured in it. Left coverage centers on criticism of the Collins ad, while right coverage centers on the voter’s claim that she was tricked into appearing in a pro-Jackson ad.

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Left headlines call the Collins ad tone-deaf and a must-win blunder, centering the backlash to it and a former staffer’s criticism rather than the voter’s account.

    Susan Collins' 'Loaded modifier“Tone-Deaf”Calling the ad tone-deaf is a judgement about its effect, stated as fact in the headline.More neutral: draws criticismDisagree with this highlight?' Attack Ad Sparks Sensational language“Firestorm”Describes the reaction as an uncontrolled blaze, which exaggerates the response reported.More neutral: draws backlashDisagree with this highlight? Days Before Election
    MeidasTouchFar 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

    2 outlets · 1 opinion

    Right headlines center on Kusnirak’s claim that she was duped into a pro-Jackson ad; The Daily Wire’s headline states that Democrats lied, while The Daily Caller attributes the claim to the voter.

    Maine Voter Claims She Was Duped Into Appearing In Ad Supporting Troy Jackson
    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

    critics sayTone-DeafFirestormTorches

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Vague attribution

    critics sayMore neutral: former staffer Sam Patten says

    Attributes the claim that the ad belittles voters to unnamed people.

    Susan Collins is facing a wave of backlash over a new campaign advertisement that critics say belittles working-class Mainers and exposes the elitism her opponents have long…

    Used byMeidasTouch (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    Tone-DeafMore neutral: draws criticism

    Calling the ad tone-deaf is a judgement about its effect, stated as fact in the headline.

    Susan Collins' 'Tone-Deaf' Attack Ad Sparks Firestorm Days Before Election

    Used byMeidasTouch (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    FirestormMore neutral: draws backlash

    Describes the reaction as an uncontrolled blaze, which exaggerates the response reported.

    Susan Collins' 'Tone-Deaf' Attack Ad Sparks Firestorm Days Before Election

    Used byMeidasTouch (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    TorchesMore neutral: responds to

    The verb implies a devastating rebuttal, adding drama beyond the response described.

    Troy Jackson Torches Susan Collins' Attack on His Working-Class Roots

    Used byMeidasTouch (Far Left)

Show 3 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Sensational language

    colossal campaign blunderMore neutral: campaign misstep criticized by a former aide

    Asserts a severe judgement of the campaign in the outlet’s own voice.

    Susan Collins has made a colossal campaign blunder that one of her former staffers says may well have cost the GOP a must-win…

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    embattledMore neutral: Republican

    Pre-judges the senator’s standing with a label the excerpt does not support with evidence.

    The embattled senator’s former staffer said a poorly judged ad means “the race is over.”…

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    BrutalMore neutral: critical

    Adds a judgement of severity to the former aide’s verdict.

    Must-Win Republican’s New Ad Gets Brutal Verdict From Ex-Aide

    Used byThe Daily Beast (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

2 outlets

Leads with

  • Collins’ attack on Jackson’s working-class background
  • Backlash from a former Collins staffer
  • Jackson’s response

Leaves out

  • The voter’s account that she was misled into a pro-Jackson ad

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

See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

0 outlets

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

From the right

2 outlets · 1 opinion

Leads with

  • A longtime Republican voter’s claim she was duped
  • Footage aired in a pro-Jackson ad
  • Democrats accused of deception

Leaves out

  • Criticism of the Collins ad from a former Collins staffer

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

See the 3 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • The Daily CallerFar Right

    Maine Voter Claims She Was Duped Into Appearing In Ad Supporting Troy Jackson

    ‘I am not a Troy Jackson supporter at all’

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

    ‘I Was Duped’: Maine Republican Voter Says Dems Lied To Get Her On Camera

    A Maine laundromat owner who has backed Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) for years says she was tricked into starring in a political ad for the Republican’s Democrat opponent. …

    Read at The Daily Wire (opens in a new tab)
  • The Daily SignalFar RightOpinion

    The Politician Under Troy Jackson’s Logging Jacket

    Summary Troy Jackson has a compelling story to tell Maine voters. He grew up poor in a remote logging town, worked long hours in the woods, and promises to take on the wealthy interests he says have abandoned ordinary Americans. The Democrat nominee challenging Republican Sen. …

    Read at The Daily Signal (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, Oct 27, 2:27 PM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    1 day 18 hr later

    Its first report, Oct 29, 9:05 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. MeidasTouchFar LeftOct 27, 2:27 PM EDT
  2. The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 28, 7:52 AM EDT
  3. The Daily WireFar RightOct 29, 9:05 AM EDT
  4. The Daily CallerFar RightOct 29, 1:18 PM EDT

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

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