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Dakota Johnson hosts ‘SNL,’ Taylor Swift makes surprise cameo

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, mostly left-leaning (67%).

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

Dakota Johnson hosted “Saturday Night Live” on Oct. 3, her third time as host, with punk band Turnstile appearing as the musical guest. During her opening monologue, Johnson joked about her “very public, very lame breakups” with musicians, prompting a surprise appearance by her friend Taylor Swift, who played along as her “literal therapist.” The two bantered about Johnson’s habit of visiting Swift’s house with wine and oversharing. According to The Daily Beast, citing LateNighter, the show went to unusual lengths to keep Swift’s cameo secret, including having cast member Sarah Sherman stand in for her during rehearsals.

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. Dakota Johnson hosted “Saturday Night Live” on Oct. 3, marking her third hosting stint.

    Reported byLeftRight

  2. Taylor Swift made a surprise appearance during Johnson’s opening monologue.

    Reported byLeftRight

  3. Swift and Johnson joked about Swift acting as Johnson’s “literal therapist” after late-night visits involving wine.

    Reported byLeftRight

  4. Johnson joked about her “very public, very lame breakups” with musicians while promoting her film “Verity.”

    Reported byLeftRight

  5. Turnstile served as the episode’s musical guest, making their “SNL” debut.

    Reported byRight

Show 2 more pointsShow fewer points

  1. SNL reportedly used cast member Sarah Sherman as a stand-in during rehearsals to keep Swift’s cameo secret.

    Reported byLeft

  2. Swift wore a plaid Simkhai mini dress and accessories including a Cartier bracelet during the appearance.

    Reported byRight

How each side tells it

Compare views

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Left-side outlets, from mainstream NBC News to further-left Daily Beast, focus on the content of the Swift-Johnson exchange and, in one case, the behind-the-scenes secrecy around the cameo.

    ‘SNL’ Went to Sensational language“Extreme Lengths”Describes routine production secrecy with dramatic intensifying language rather than neutral description.More neutral: Special MeasuresDisagree with this highlight? to Keep Huge Cameo Under Wraps
    The Daily BeastFar 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

    1 outlet

    New York Post coverage spans a preview of the episode, a recap of the Swift cameo using playful verbs like “crashes,” and a separate fashion-focused piece on Swift’s outfit.

    Dakota Johnson calls out famous exes, Taylor Swift makes cameo on ‘SNL’
    New York PostRightAll 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.

  • Left2

    wild lengthsExtreme Lengths

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    wild lengthsMore neutral: unusual steps

    Adds dramatic flair to a routine effort to keep a surprise appearance secret.

    The wild lengths Saturday Night Live went to keep Taylor Swift’s cameo secret have been revealed.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    Extreme LengthsMore neutral: Special Measures

    Describes routine production secrecy with dramatic intensifying language rather than neutral description.

    ‘SNL’ Went to Extreme Lengths to Keep Huge Cameo Under Wraps

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far 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

    Quoted

    crazyMore neutral: (omit) and quote the statement

    Diagnoses the speaker instead of quoting them.

    …“You flop on my couch and overshare, and every so often I just say, ‘Damn that’s crazy,’” Swift said.

    Quoted byNBC News (Left)

    Inside a quotation: the outlets are reporting someone else’s words.

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

  • dialogue and jokes between Swift and Johnson
  • behind-the-scenes production details
  • friendship between the two stars

Leaves out

  • Turnstile’s musical performance
  • Swift’s outfit details

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

See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • The Daily BeastFar Left

    ‘SNL’ Went to Sensational language“Extreme Lengths”Describes routine production secrecy with dramatic intensifying language rather than neutral description.More neutral: Special MeasuresDisagree with this highlight? to Keep Huge Cameo Under Wraps

    The wild lengths Saturday Night Live went to keep Taylor Swift’s cameo secret have been revealed. Swift appeared in the opening monologue delivered by her friend, actress Dakota Johnson, who hosted Saturday’s episode of the iconic sketch comedy show. …

    Read at The Daily Beast (opens in a new tab)
  • NBC NewsLeft

    Taylor Swift pops into ‘SNL’ to joke around with host Dakota Johnson

    Pop music icon Taylor Swift made a surprise appearance on “Saturday Night Live,” joining her friend and the episode’s host, Dakota Johnson, for some laughs.

    Read at NBC News (opens in a new tab)

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

1 outlet

Leads with

  • how to watch the episode
  • play-by-play of the monologue joke
  • Swift’s wardrobe and accessories

Leaves out

  • the reported secrecy measures taken to hide Swift’s cameo

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

See the headline from the rightHide the headlines

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, 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

    5 hr 28 min later

    Its first report, Oct 4, 12:57 AM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    First to report

    New York Post, Oct 3, 7:30 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. New York PostRightOct 3, 7:30 PM EDT
  2. NBC NewsLeftOct 4, 12:57 AM EDT
  3. The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 4, 10:13 PM EDT

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

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