Skip to content

PoliticsDeveloping

Daughter of White House chief of staff pictured in Republika Srpska

By

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 5 outlets, mostly left-leaning (60%).

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

Katie Wiles, a partner at the lobbying firm Continental Strategy and daughter of White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, was pictured in Republika Srpska, a self-governing territory in Bosnia and Herzegovina. CBS News verified a photo showing her holding a rifle beside Željko Budimir, whom CBS identified as the territory’s interior minister. The firm said she made the trip in August, not on business, and has not lobbied the U.S. government for the territory. According to The New Republic, the firm has a $35,000-per-month contract to represent Republika Srpska. President Trump distanced himself on Wednesday from two top political advisers whom the New York Times had reported traveled to the territory to assist a pro-Russian party in Bosnian elections, according to CBS News.

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. Katie Wiles, daughter of White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, is a partner at the lobbying firm Continental Strategy.

    Across the spectrumReported byFar Left1Left1Center2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The New Republic
    Left
    CBS News
    Center
    Financial Times, The Hill
  2. A photo verified by CBS News shows Katie Wiles holding a rifle beside Željko Budimir, interior minister of Republika Srpska.

    Reported byFar Left2Left1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The New Republic, The Daily Beast
    Left
    CBS News
    Center
    The Hill
  3. Continental Strategy said Wiles traveled to Republika Srpska in August but not on business, and that she has not lobbied the U.S. government on the territory’s behalf.

    One side only: the leftReported byFar Left1Left1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The New Republic
    Left
    CBS News
  4. The New Republic reported that the firm has a $35,000-per-month contract to represent Republika Srpska.

    One outletThe New Republic· Far Left

  5. President Trump distanced himself on Wednesday from two top political advisers reported to have traveled to Republika Srpska to assist Dodik’s party in Bosnian elections.

    One outletCBS News· Left

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • Katie Wiles works for a firm that lobbies on behalf of Republika Srpska.

    The Financial Times describes the firm as lobbying for the territory and The New Republic describes a $35,000-per-month representation contract. The firm says Wiles traveled there in August but not on business and has not lobbied the U.S. government on its behalf.

  • Katie Wiles’s August trip to Republika Srpska was connected to her work.

    The firm said the trip was not on business. The Instagram caption reported by CBS News and The New Republic reads “mostly work + some serious fun!”

How each side tells it

Compare views

  • the left

    3 outlets

    Left-side headlines tie Katie Wiles to Trump’s inner circle and to pro-Russia figures, with the far-left outlets most pointed (“Busted”, “Nepo Baby”, “Balkan regime”) while CBS News’s headline stays descriptive.

    Top Trump aide's daughter photographed with pro-Russia politician in Bosnia
    CBS NewsLeftAll left-leaning headlines
  • the center

    2 outlets

    Center headlines from the Financial Times and The Hill are descriptive, linking Wiles to her father’s role as chief of staff and to the firm’s lobbying work or the photo, without adjectives of judgement.

    White House chief of staff's daughter shows up in photo from Republicka Srpska
    The HillCenterAll center headlines
  • the right

    No coverage yet

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

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

    strongmanBalkan regimegun-totingNepo Baby

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right

    Has not covered this story.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded modifier

    strongmanMore neutral: Serb leader Milorad Dodik

    “Strongman” asserts a style of rule that the story does not establish, when the politician’s office or party role is verifiable.

    …to Republika Srpska, the Bosnian-controlled territory led by pro-Russian Serb strongman Milorad Dodik.

    Used byCBS News (Left)

  • Delegitimizing label

    Balkan regimeMore neutral: Bosnian Serb self-governing territory

    “Regime” implies an illegitimate government, though Republika Srpska is a self-governing territory with elected leaders.

    …with close ties to Donald Trump’s White House has been linked to a pro-Russia Balkan regime.

    Used byThe New Republic (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    gun-totingMore neutral: daughter

    “Gun-toting” characterizes her by a weapon shown in one photo, which is more loaded than saying she is pictured holding a rifle.

    A photo that Susie Wiles’ gun-toting daughter posted in an Instagram story has raised eyebrows.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    Nepo BabyMore neutral: daughter of

    “Nepo baby” is a demeaning label that stresses family privilege rather than describing her role or the photo.

    MAGA Powerbroker’s Nepo Baby Busted Sucking Up to Putin Ally

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

Show 2 more phrasesShow fewer
  • Loaded verb

    BustedMore neutral: pictured

    “Busted” implies she was caught doing something wrong, which the photo itself does not establish.

    MAGA Powerbroker’s Nepo Baby Busted Sucking Up to Putin Ally

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    Sucking Up toMore neutral: pictured with

    “Sucking up to” attributes a motive of currying favor that the coverage does not establish.

    MAGA Powerbroker’s Nepo Baby Busted Sucking Up to Putin Ally

    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

3 outlets

Leads with

  • Katie Wiles’s ties to Trump’s inner circle
  • pro-Russia links of the Republika Srpska leadership
  • the firm’s $35,000-per-month contract
  • the rifle photo
See the 3 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • Top Trump aide's daughter photographed with pro-Russia politician in Bosnia

    Katie Wiles, the daughter of White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, recently traveled to Republika Srpska, the Bosnian-controlled territory led by pro-Russian Serb Milorad Dodik. CBS News' Emmett Lyons explains more.

    1 more from CBS News
  • MAGA Powerbroker’s Loaded modifier“Nepo Baby”“Nepo baby” is a demeaning label that stresses family privilege rather than describing her role or the photo.More neutral: daughter ofDisagree with this highlight? Loaded verb“Busted”“Busted” implies she was caught doing something wrong, which the photo itself does not establish.More neutral: picturedDisagree with this highlight? Loaded verb“Sucking Up to”“Sucking up to” attributes a motive of currying favor that the coverage does not establish.More neutral: pictured withDisagree with this highlight? Putin Ally

    White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles’ daughter has been pictured at a Bosnian gun range beside an ally of Vladimir Putin. Katie Wiles traveled to the semi-autonomous region of Republika Srpska, where she met with interior minister Željko Budimir, according to an image shared …

  • Another Member of Trump’s Inner Circle Works for Russian-Linked Group

    Yet another person with close ties to Donald Trump’s White House has been linked to a pro-Russia Delegitimizing label“Balkan regime”“Regime” implies an illegitimate government, though Republika Srpska is a self-governing territory with elected leaders.More neutral: Bosnian Serb self-governing territoryDisagree with this highlight?. Katie Wiles, daughter of Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, works for a political lobbying firm that has a $35,000-per-month contract to represent a small …

From the center

2 outlets

Leads with

  • the family connection to the chief of staff
  • the firm’s lobbying for Republika Srpska
  • the photograph from the territory
See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines
  • The HillCenter

    White House chief of staff's daughter shows up in photo from Republicka Srpska

    White House chief of staff Susie Wiles's daughter showed up in a photo from Republika Srpska, a small self-governing territory in Bosnia and Herzegovina led by a pro-Russian political party. …

  • Daughter of Trump’s chief of staff works at firm that lobbies for Republika Srpska

    Susie Wiles’s daughter is latest White House-linked adviser to the Russian-aligned Balkan entity

From the right

0 outlets

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

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

    12 min later

    Its first report, Oct 8, 11:30 AM EDT

  • Center

    First to report

    Financial Times, Oct 8, 11:17 AM EDT

  • Right

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Financial TimesCenterOct 8, 11:17 AM EDT
  2. CBS NewsLeftOct 8, 11:30 AM EDT
  3. The HillCenterOct 8, 3:34 PM EDT
  4. The New RepublicFar LeftOct 8, 4:06 PM EDT
  5. The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 9, 12:34 AM EDT

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

Help someone else find the truth beneath the surface

Most people see one side of a story. Share this one, so they can see how every side is telling it and decide for themselves.

Email it

Seen a mistake? Tell us what is wrong with this page