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Darline Graham and Annie Andrews clash in South Carolina Senate debate

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 12 outlets across the spectrum.

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

Three women stand at debate podiums on a stage with microphones, one writing notes.
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Republican Sen. Darline Graham and Democrat Annie Andrews held their only scheduled debate on Sunday, October 11, in the South Carolina Senate race, three weeks before the general election. Coverage across the spectrum reports sharp exchanges over Iran, the economy and artificial intelligence. Graham, who was appointed to the seat after her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, died in July, sought to tie Andrews to the Democratic Socialists of America, according to The Hill. Graham said Andrews would not say no to socialists, and Andrews accused Graham of taking her cues from President Trump, according to The New York Times. The race is described as unexpectedly competitive, and the Washington Examiner reports that the candidates are in a statistical tie.

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. Sen. Darline Graham and Democrat Annie Andrews held their only scheduled debate on Sunday, October 11, three weeks before the election.

    Reported byLeft4Center2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    NBC News, The New York Times, The Washington Post, ABC News
    Center
    Newsweek, The Hill
    Far Right
    The Epoch Times

  2. Issues discussed in the debate included Iran, the economy and artificial intelligence.

    One side only: the leftReported byLeft2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    NBC News, ABC News

  3. Graham was appointed to the seat in July after her brother died, and she won a special primary runoff endorsed by President Donald Trump.

    Reported byLeft1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    ABC News
    Right
    Washington Examiner

  4. The race is described as unexpectedly competitive, with one report putting the two candidates in a statistical tie.

    Reported byLeft2Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Washington Post, ABC News
    Right
    Washington Examiner

  5. Graham said Andrews would not say no to socialists, and Andrews accused Graham of taking her cues from President Trump.

    Reported byLeft1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The New York Times
    Center
    The Hill

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • Each candidate’s characterization of the other: Graham on socialists, Andrews on Trump

    Graham says Andrews would not reject socialists; Andrews says Graham takes her cues from President Trump. The supplied coverage reports both claims without an independent finding.

How each side tells it

Compare views

Left, center and right outlets report that Sen. Darline Graham and Democrat Annie Andrews clashed in their only debate, three weeks before the election, over Iran, the economy and AI. Left and center headlines stress the sharp exchanges, while the right’s coverage centers on Trump’s endorsement.

  • the left

    6 outlets

    Left headlines stress the clash: NBC calls the debate fiery, ABC carries the AP feud framing, and the New York Times asks whether a Democrat can beat Graham.

    South Carolina Senate rivals spar over Iran war, AI and Trump in Sensational language“fiery”The word adds drama that the report of the debate’s content does not require.More neutral: debateDisagree with this highlight? debate
    NBC NewsLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    2 outlets

    Center headlines report the exchanges as personal clashes: Newsweek covers Graham hitting back over a remark about her last name, and The Hill calls the debate testy in its takeaways.

    Lone debate for South Carolina Senate gets testy: 5 takeaways
    The HillCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    4 outlets

    Right-side coverage centers on Trump’s endorsement and the stakes: the Washington Examiner calls the debate a make-or-break moment, while the Far Right Epoch Times runs a neutral live-debate listing.

    Darline Graham debate make-or-break moment for Trump-backed nominee
    Washington ExaminerRightAll 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

    fieryfires back

  • Center2

    hit backHits Back

  • Right2

    brushing offopen borders

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    brushing offMore neutral: say they doubt

    The phrase characterizes Republicans’ reaction in the outlet’s own voice as dismissive rather than describing what they said.

    Republicans are brushing off signs of an unexpectedly competitive Senate race in South Carolina, where President…

    Used byWashington Examiner (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    hit backMore neutral: responded or replied

    Combat framing for a reply.

    Republican Senator Darline Graham hit back at Democratic challenger Annie Andrews during a heated exchange over Graham’s last…

    Used byNewsweek (Center)

  • Loaded verb

    Hits BackMore neutral: responded or replied

    Combat framing for a reply.

    Darline Graham Hits Back at Annie Andrews Over Last Name Remark

    Used byNewsweek (Center)

  • Sensational language

    fieryMore neutral: debate

    The word adds drama that the report of the debate’s content does not require.

    South Carolina Senate rivals spar over Iran war, AI and Trump in fiery debate

    Used byNBC News (Left)

Show 2 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Partisan shorthand

    open bordersMore neutral: describe the specific immigration policy

    Almost no one advocates literally open borders; the phrase caricatures the position.

    …Carolina” and said she supports progressive policies such as Medicare for All and open borders.

    Used byWashington Examiner (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    fires backMore neutral: responded or replied

    Combat framing for a reply.

    Trump-backed Senate hopeful fires back after Democrat calls her ‘unserious’

    Used byThe Independent (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

    despicableMore neutral: (omit) and quote or describe

    Moral verdict in the reporter's voice.

    …and Annie Andrews trade identity-based insults in contentious debate: ‘That’s despicable’

    Quoted byWashington Examiner (Right)

    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

6 outlets

Leads with

  • clash between Graham and Andrews
  • Trump’s influence
  • Iran war and AI
See the 6 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

2 outlets

Leads with

  • testy tone
  • Graham’s Democratic Socialists link
  • remark on Graham’s last name
See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

4 outlets

Leads with

  • Trump endorsement
  • make-or-break stakes
  • tight race

Leaves out

  • what was said in the debate itself

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

See the 4 headlines 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

    15 hr 44 min later

    Its first report, Oct 11, 9:44 PM EDT

  • Center

    14 hr 38 min later

    Its first report, Oct 11, 8:38 PM EDT

  • Right

    First to report

    Washington Examiner, Oct 11, 6:00 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Washington ExaminerRightOct 11, 6:00 AM EDT
  2. The Epoch TimesFar RightOct 11, 7:02 PM EDT
  3. NewsweekCenterOct 11, 8:38 PM EDT
  4. NBC NewsLeftOct 11, 9:44 PM EDT
  5. The HillCenterOct 11, 9:53 PM EDT
  6. The New York TimesLeftOct 11, 10:17 PM EDT
  7. The Washington PostLeftOct 11, 10:28 PM EDT
  8. ABC NewsLeftOct 11, 11:45 PM EDT
  9. The IndependentLeftOct 12, 4:12 AM EDT
  10. The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 12, 5:45 AM EDT
  11. Fox NewsFar RightOct 12, 9:46 AM EDT
  12. The Daily CallerFar RightOct 12, 10:31 AM EDT

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

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