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Documentary alleges Lindsey Graham paid men for sex, one of them when he was 17

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 4 outlets across the spectrum.

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

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Three men featured in The CLOSETocracy, a documentary released by the Young Turks network, allege that the late Sen. Lindsey Graham paid them for sexual encounters. One of them says he was 17 at the time and describes a meeting at a property in Arizona in 2001, for which he says Graham paid him $120. Newsweek reports that the allegations have not been independently corroborated. The men say the encounters took place in Arizona and Washington, D.C. Andrew Kolvet, a spokesperson for Turning Point USA, responded to the documentary. Newsweek says it has asked Graham’s family for comment.

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. Three men in a new documentary allege that the late Sen. Lindsey Graham paid them for sexual encounters.

    Reported byFar Left2Center1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The New Republic, The Daily Beast
    Center
    Newsweek
    Right
    The Washington Times

  2. One of the men says he was 17 at the time of the encounter.

    Reported byFar Left2Center1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The New Republic, The Daily Beast
    Center
    Newsweek
    Right
    The Washington Times

  3. The documentary, The CLOSETocracy, was produced by Swamp Watch Studios and Tystnaden Films and released by the Young Turks network.

    Reported byFar Left1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The New Republic
    Center
    Newsweek

  4. The allegations have not been independently corroborated.

    One outletNewsweek· Center

  5. Andrew Kolvet, a spokesperson for Turning Point USA, responded to the documentary.

    One outletThe Daily Beast· Far Left

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three sides report that a documentary features three men alleging Lindsey Graham paid them for sex, including one who says he was 17. The left-side outlets lead with the teenage accuser and rumors about Graham’s sexuality, while the center and right headlines stay closer to the documentary’s allegations.

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Both Far Left headlines lead with the allegation and the 17-year-old accuser, and The Daily Beast adds a partisan label and a pointed attack on Republicans.

    Three Male Escorts Say Lindsey Graham Paid Them—One Was a Minor
    The New RepublicFar LeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    Newsweek’s headline states the allegation as an accusation and names the 17-year-old accuser, with no partisan label or attack on Republicans.

    Lindsey Graham Accused of Paying 17-Year-Old Boy and Men For Sex
    NewsweekCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    1 outlet

    The only right-side article is a Washington Times headline that attributes the claim to a documentary and leaves out the accuser’s age.

    Documentary says Lindsey Graham paid for sex with men
    The Washington TimesRightAll 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.

  • Left5

    plagued by rumorsadmittedopen secretbombshell

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    plagued by rumorsMore neutral: had been the subject of rumors about

    Plagued presents the rumors as a burden the senator suffered, which asserts a judgement the outlet has not sourced.

    …most conservative, anti-LGBTQ senators during his long tenure, had also been plagued by rumors about his alleged homosexuality until the day he died.

    Used byThe New Republic (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    admittedMore neutral: said

    Admitted implies a confession of wrongdoing, while the reporting describes a public response.

    A top Republican operative admitted that Lindsey Graham’s alleged sexuality and encounters with male escorts had long…

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Vague attribution

    open secretMore neutral: had been discussed in some conservative circles, according to the outlet

    The phrase asserts that something was widely known in unnamed circles without naming any source.

    …Graham’s alleged sexuality and encounters with male escorts had long been an open secret in MAGA circles.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    bombshellMore neutral: documentary released Thursday

    The word adds drama to a documentary whose allegations are unverified in the reporting.

    …for the late Charlie Kirk’s organization, Turning Point USA, responded to a bombshell documentary released Thursday in which three men alleged that the late South…

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

Show 1 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Dehumanizing label

    MAGA GoonMore neutral: Republican operative

    Goon is a contemptuous label for a person that pre-judges him before any conduct is shown.

    MAGA Goon Admits Hiding Truth About Senator Paying Teen Boy for Sex

    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.

  • Dehumanizing label

    Quoted

    Lady GrahamMore neutral: Lindsey Graham

    The nickname mocks the senator through a demeaning label tied to his perceived sexual orientation.

    “Dear Democrats, This is why we called him Lady Graham.

    Quoted byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

    These are Andrew Kolvet’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

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

  • age of one alleged participant
  • Graham’s conservative record and rumors about his sexuality
  • Turning Point USA response
  • MAGA links

Leaves out

  • that the allegations have not been independently corroborated

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

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

    Dehumanizing label“MAGA Goon”Goon is a contemptuous label for a person that pre-judges him before any conduct is shown.More neutral: Republican operativeDisagree with this highlight? Admits Hiding Truth About Senator Paying Teen Boy for Sex

    A top Republican operative Loaded verb“admitted”Admitted implies a confession of wrongdoing, while the reporting describes a public response.More neutral: saidDisagree with this highlight? that Lindsey Graham’s alleged sexuality and encounters with male escorts had long been an Vague attribution“open secret”The phrase asserts that something was widely known in unnamed circles without naming any source.More neutral: had been discussed in some conservative circles, according to the outletDisagree with this highlight? in MAGA circles. …

    Read at The Daily Beast (opens in a new tab)
  • The New RepublicFar Left

    Three Male Escorts Say Lindsey Graham Paid Them—One Was a Minor

    Three male escorts have claimed that they had sex with the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham—with one engaging in relations with him when he was just 17. The men are featured in a documentary from The Young Turks, which they worked on for a year. …

    Read at The New Republic (opens in a new tab)

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • allegations made by three men
  • age of one accuser
  • documentary’s production and release
  • lack of independent corroboration

Leaves out

  • Turning Point USA response
  • rumors about Graham’s sexuality

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

See the headline from the centerHide the headlines
  • NewsweekCenter

    Lindsey Graham Accused of Paying 17-Year-Old Boy and Men For Sex

    Three men allege late Senator Lindsey Graham paid them for sexual encounters, including one who says he was 17 at the time.

    Read at Newsweek (opens in a new tab)

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

  • the documentary as the source
  • paid for sex with men
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

    1 hr later

    Its first report, Oct 22, 12:27 PM EDT

  • Center

    2 hr 33 min later

    Its first report, Oct 22, 1:56 PM EDT

  • Right

    First to report

    The Washington Times, Oct 22, 11:23 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The Washington TimesRightOct 22, 11:23 AM EDT
  2. The New RepublicFar LeftOct 22, 12:27 PM EDT
  3. NewsweekCenterOct 22, 1:56 PM EDT
  4. The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 22, 3:56 PM EDT

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

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