Government & PolicyBreakingUpdated 3 hr ago

Education Secretary Linda McMahon plans $43,000 in new office furniture

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 4 outlets, all left-leaning.

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

Image via TruthoutHow images are chosen Report this image

The New York Times, The Guardian and The Independent report, citing department records, that Education Secretary Linda McMahon plans to spend $43,278.64 on new office furniture. The records say her office told Congress her current furniture is worn out and cannot fit the department’s new office space. The reports note the spending comes as McMahon seeks to close the Education Department, which recently moved to a smaller building. Department press secretary Savannah Newhouse told the Times that the department is saving taxpayers millions of dollars.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

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The coverage spectrum counts the outlets covering a story at each of five points. A short or missing segment means that part of the spectrum is mostly quiet.

Governor Loaded verb“slams”It adds drama to what was said. The governor criticized the lawmakers; “slams” makes it sound like a fight.More neutral: criticizes lawmakers over budget delay

Highlights mark words that carry a judgement. Tap one to see why, and what a neutral writer would say. Here it is “criticizes”.

The 5-point spectrum

Far Left
Voices that strongly advocate for progressive policies and systemic change.
Left
Mainstream liberal perspectives focusing on social equality and regulation.
Center
Sources that prioritize neutral reporting and balanced viewpoints.
Right
Mainstream conservative perspectives focusing on market freedom and tradition.
Far Right
Voices that strongly advocate for conservative values and limited government.

How we measure bias

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon plans to spend about $43,000 on new office furniture, according to department records and an unnamed senior official.
One side only: the leftReported byLeft3See the outletsHide the outlets
Left
The New York Times, The Guardian, The Independent
McMahon’s office told Congress that her current furniture is worn out and cannot be integrated into the department’s new office space.
One side only: the leftReported byLeft3See the outletsHide the outlets
Left
The New York Times, The Guardian, The Independent
The spending comes as McMahon seeks to close the Education Department, which has moved to a smaller building.
One side only: the leftReported byLeft2See the outletsHide the outlets
Left
The Guardian, The Independent
McMahon claimed the department’s relocation would save taxpayers $4.8 million a year.
One outletThe Guardian· Left
Department press secretary Savannah Newhouse said the department is saving taxpayers millions of dollars and that new federal offices need furniture.
One side only: the leftReported byLeft2See the outletsHide the outlets
Left
The Guardian, The Independent

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three outlets report McMahon plans to spend about $43,000 on new office furniture as she seeks to close the department. The New York Times leads with the spending itself, while the Guardian and Independent add the administration’s claim that its cuts save money.

the left
4 outlets
Headlines pair the $43,000 furniture spending with McMahon’s push to close the department, though the Guardian headline omits the closure and gives the spending alone.
Linda McMahon Spends $43,000 on Furniture as She Looks to Close Education Department
The New York TimesLeftAll 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
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.

Left1
has insisted
Center
Has not covered this story.
Right
Has not covered this story.

In the outlets’ own words

Loaded verb
has insistedMore neutral: has said
The verb implies the administration’s savings claim is doubtful, a judgement the reported facts do not establish.
The Trump administration has insisted its controversial education cuts are saving “millions of dollars” after it was…
Used byThe Guardian (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

4 outlets

Leads with

the $43,000 cost of new office furniture
the department’s planned closure
the office’s claim that old furniture cannot be integrated
the department’s savings claims

See the 4 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

TruthoutFar Left
McMahon to Spend $43K of Taxpayer Money on Furniture While Gutting Ed Department
This comes as the education secretary plans to remove the Federal Student Aid office from the Department of Education.
3 hr agoRead at Truthout (opens in a new tab)
The IndependentLeft
Linda McMahon wants to spend $43,000 to spruce up her office as she works to close agency
She’s not the first Trump Cabinet official to face scrutiny over spending on office revamps
3 hr agoRead at The Independent (opens in a new tab)
The GuardianLeft
Education secretary Linda McMahon plans to spend nearly $43,000 on office furniture
Trump ally, who is seeking to shutter the department, had said office relocation would save taxpayers $4.8m annually The Trump administration has insisted its controversial education cuts are saving “millions of dollars” after it was reported that Linda McMahon, secretary of …
22 hr agoRead at The Guardian (opens in a new tab)
The New York TimesLeft
Linda McMahon Spends $43,000 on Furniture as She Looks to Close Education Department
The education secretary says her old furniture “cannot be configurationally or aesthetically integrated” into new office space.
1 day agoRead at The New York Times (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

0 outlets

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

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, 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 New York Times, Oct 28, 12:03 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

The New York TimesLeftOct 28, 12:03 PM EDT
The GuardianLeftOct 28, 4:15 PM EDT
The IndependentLeftOct 29, 11:20 AM EDT
TruthoutFar LeftOct 29, 11:25 AM EDT

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

Education Secretary Linda McMahon plans $43,000 in new office furniture

Coverage spectrum

Key points

Compare views

the left

the center

the right

Language to notice

In the outlets’ own words

Side by side

From the left

McMahon to Spend $43K of Taxpayer Money on Furniture While Gutting Ed Department

Linda McMahon wants to spend $43,000 to spruce up her office as she works to close agency

Education secretary Linda McMahon plans to spend nearly $43,000 on office furniture

Linda McMahon Spends $43,000 on Furniture as She Looks to Close Education Department

From the center

From the right

How the coverage built up

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