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Video of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth trailing runners during a workout draws criticism

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, all left-leaning.

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

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Image via The Daily BeastHow images are chosenReport this image

Videos of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, 46, working out with members of the military in California have drawn wide attention. Reports say he trailed a pack of runners, that dozens of runners passed him or kept a faster pace, and that he struggled through a floor workout and pull-ups. Comedian Jimmy Kimmel mocked the videos on late-night television. An opinion piece from the Daily Wire argues that the workouts show Hegseth standing with troops and that critics are using the videos to mock his fitness. The session reportedly included push-ups, pull-ups, weighted lunges and burpees across 10 stations with Marines from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing at the Miramar Sports Complex in San Diego.

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. Videos reportedly show Hegseth trailing runners during a workout with members of the military in California.

    One side only: the leftReported byFar Left1Left1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Left
    The Independent

  2. Jimmy Kimmel mocked Hegseth on late-night television over the workout videos.

    One side only: the leftReported byFar Left1Left1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Left
    The Independent

  3. The session was held with Marines from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing at the Miramar Sports Complex in San Diego and included 10 exercise stations.

    One outletThe Daily Wire· Far Right

  4. Critics have used workout videos of Hegseth to mock his fitness level.

    One outletThe Daily Wire· Far Right

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • Hegseth trailed runners and could not keep up during the workout.

    Left-side reports describe videos showing him trailing the pack, passed by dozens of runners, and struggling in a floor workout and pull-ups. The Daily Wire piece says critics are using the videos to mock his fitness and does not dispute that the videos show him at the back of the group.

  • The workouts are a photo op meant to show Hegseth’s fitness.

    Left-side headlines describe the videos as a photo op that backfired. The Daily Wire piece says Hegseth joins troops in PT to signal to every service member that he is with them, and that critics misread the purpose of the exercise.

How each side tells it

Compare views

  • the left

    3 outlets

    Left-side headlines present the event as a public embarrassment for Hegseth, with the Far Left outlets using sharper terms such as “Brutally Backfires” and “Humiliates” while the Left outlet’s headline is plainer, using “ridiculed”.

    Hegseth Loaded verb“ridiculed”The word is stronger than the reported mockery and frames it as a verdict.More neutral: mockedDisagree with this highlight? after failing to keep up with his own troops on training exercise
    The IndependentLeftAll 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

    0 outlets · 1 opinion

    The only right-side coverage supplied is one Far Right Daily Wire opinion piece, whose headline “How Hegseth’s Critics Just Handed Him A Win” frames the criticism as backfiring on the critics.

    How Hegseth’s Critics Just Handed Him A Win
    The Daily WireFar 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.

  • Left10

    cringe workout videohumiliating scenesPentagon PeteBrutally Backfires

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right1

    terminally online fitness experts

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded modifier

    cringe workout videoMore neutral: workout video

    “Cringe” is a judgement of the video rather than a description of what it shows.

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s latest cringe workout video caught him in some humiliating scenes.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    humiliating scenesMore neutral: scenes showing him trailing the group

    “Humiliating” characterizes how he appeared, a judgement the footage alone does not establish.

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s latest cringe workout video caught him in some humiliating scenes.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    Pentagon PeteMore neutral: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

    A mocking nickname casts him in a derisive light before the story is told.

    Pentagon Pete Photo Op Brutally Backfires As He Can’t Keep Up

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    Brutally BackfiresMore neutral: Video Shows Him Trailing Runners

    “Brutally” adds drama beyond the event, which is a video showing him trailing runners.

    Pentagon Pete Photo Op Brutally Backfires As He Can’t Keep Up

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

Show 7 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded modifier

    more of those testosterone treatmentsMore neutral: Hegseth’s fitness drew online comment.

    The jab mocks his fitness with an insinuation the article does not support.

    He may want to try more of those testosterone treatments.

    Used byHuffPost (Far Left)

  • Vague attribution

    critics quickly noticed something offMore neutral: some viewers said his stride looked off

    Unnamed “critics” are used to present a judgement of his stride without naming anyone.

    …was captured training with Marines in San Diego on Wednesday, but critics quickly noticed something off about the secretary’s stride.

    Used byHuffPost (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    humiliatedMore neutral: mocked

    The verb presents the segment’s effect as established rather than describing the mockery.

    Jimmy Kimmel humiliated Donald Trump’s defense secretary after a cringe workout video surfaced .

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    HumiliatesMore neutral: Mocks

    The verb carries a judgement about the effect of the segment on Hegseth rather than describing the mockery.

    Kimmel Humiliates ‘Pretty’ Pete Hegseth for Workout Fail

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    ‘Pretty’ PeteMore neutral: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

    A mocking nickname casts him in a derisive light before the story is told.

    Kimmel Humiliates ‘Pretty’ Pete Hegseth for Workout Fail

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    ridiculedMore neutral: mocked

    The word is stronger than the reported mockery and frames it as a verdict.

    Hegseth ridiculed after failing to keep up with his own troops on training exercise

    Used byThe Independent (Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    terminally online fitness expertsMore neutral: social media users who comment on fitness

    The label dismisses the critics with a mocking description before their points are addressed.

    …the Secretary of War is not doing PT with the troops to prove to the terminally online fitness experts that he’s the baddest and the buffest soldier of them all.

    Used byThe Daily Wire (Far Right)

Words quoted from someone else (2)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.

  • Dehumanizing label

    Quoted

    no fattiesMore neutral: insulting lists of traits

    Demeaning labels for groups of people, reproduced from commenters rather than the outlet’s own voice.

    Multiple commenters also suggested Hegseth should add “no slowies” to his list of “no fatties, no trannies, no beardos, no weirdos, no wimps, no radicals, just warriors” in the…

    Quoted byHuffPost (Far Left)

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

  • Dehumanizing label

    Quoted

    no tranniesMore neutral: insulting lists of traits

    A slur for transgender people, reproduced from commenters rather than the outlet’s own voice.

    …also suggested Hegseth should add “no slowies” to his list of “no fatties, no trannies, no beardos, no weirdos, no wimps, no radicals, just warriors” in the military.

    Quoted byHuffPost (Far 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

3 outlets

Leads with

  • Hegseth trailing runners and struggling in exercises
  • Late-night mockery by Jimmy Kimmel
  • Online reaction and internet ridicule

Leaves out

  • The 10-station structure of the session with Marines
  • The argument that the workouts are meant to show solidarity with troops

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

See the 3 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

0 outlets · 1 opinion

Leads with

  • Critics misreading or misusing the workout videos
  • Workouts as a signal of leadership and solidarity with service members
  • The session’s exercise content with Marines

Leaves out

  • Reports that dozens of runners passed Hegseth during the workout
  • Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night mockery

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

See the headline from the rightHide the headlines
  • The Daily WireFar RightOpinion

    How Hegseth’s Critics Just Handed Him A Win

    Wherever he happens to be in the world, War Secretary Pete Hegseth often posts photos or videos of himself doing PT (Physical Training) with the troops — and critics are now using some of those videos to mock Hegseth’s fitness level. …

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

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

    First to report

    The Daily Beast, Oct 7, 6:04 PM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 7, 6:04 PM EDT
  2. HuffPostFar LeftOct 7, 10:28 PM EDT
  3. The IndependentLeftOct 8, 9:45 AM EDT

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

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