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Judge dismisses Trump administration lawsuit seeking Harvard admissions data

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 5 outlets, mostly left-leaning (80%).

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

U.S. District Judge Myong J. Joun in Boston dismissed the Trump administration’s lawsuit seeking admissions data from Harvard University, according to CNN, The New York Times and The Washington Times. The administration had sought applicant data, including application essays, to check whether Harvard complied with a court decision banning affirmative action, the New York Times reports. The judge said the Justice Department did not follow all legally required steps to obtain a court order compelling compliance. He wrote that the ruling does not decide whether Harvard discriminated or whether the agencies may lawfully seek defined applicant-level data. Harvard said the government’s demands were excessive and that its admissions process complied with federal law.

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

What happened

Key points

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

  1. A federal judge in Boston dismissed the Trump administration’s lawsuit seeking admissions data from Harvard University.

    Reported byFar Left2Left2Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Boston Globe, The New Republic
    Left
    CNN, The New York Times
    Right
    The Washington Times

  2. The administration had sought applicant data, including application essays, to check Harvard’s compliance with a court decision banning affirmative action.

    One side only: the leftReported byFar Left2Left1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Boston Globe, The New Republic
    Left
    The New York Times

  3. Judge Myong J. Joun said the Justice Department did not follow all legally required steps to obtain a court order compelling Harvard to comply.

    One outletThe New Republic· Far Left

  4. Judge Joun wrote that the ruling does not determine whether Harvard has discriminated.

    One outletThe New Republic· Far Left

  5. Harvard said the government’s demands were excessive and that its admissions process complied with federal law.

    One outletThe New Republic· Far Left

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side present reports that a federal judge dismissed the Trump administration’s lawsuit seeking Harvard admissions data. Left-side outlets stress the dismissal and the data sought, with The New Republic calling the suit extreme, while the right-side outlet emphasizes Harvard beating the Justice Department.

  • the left

    4 outlets

    Left-side headlines report the judge’s dismissal of the administration’s suit, with The New Republic casting it as Harvard winning against Trump’s extreme lawsuit, a harsher framing than the mainstream outlets on the same side.

    Federal judge dismisses Trump administration’s Harvard admissions probe case
    CNNLeftAll 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

    1 outlet

    The only right-side coverage is one outlet, The Washington Times, which leads with Harvard beating the Justice Department over affirmative action data, presenting the ruling as a university win.

    Harvard Loaded verb“beats”Beats presents the court ruling as a contest that Harvard won, rather than a judge’s decision to dismiss the case.More neutral: Judge rejects Justice Department lawsuit against HarvardDisagree with this highlight? Justice Department in court case over affirmative action data
    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.

  • Left2

    shake downTrump’s Extreme Lawsuit

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right2

    shot downbeats

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    shot downMore neutral: rejected

    The informal idiom signals a dramatic defeat, where the plain word is rejected.

    A federal judge shot down the Trump administration's demand that Harvard University turn over details of its…

    Used byThe Washington Times (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    beatsMore neutral: Judge rejects Justice Department lawsuit against Harvard

    Beats presents the court ruling as a contest that Harvard won, rather than a judge’s decision to dismiss the case.

    Harvard beats Justice Department in court case over affirmative action data

    Used byThe Washington Times (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    shake downMore neutral: demand

    Describing the administration’s demand as a shakedown implies extortion, which the ruling did not find.

    President Trump’s attempt to shake down Harvard University for its admissions data was thrown out by a federal judge Monday.…

    Used byThe New Republic (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    Trump’s Extreme LawsuitMore neutral: Trump administration’s lawsuit

    Calling the suit extreme passes judgement on it before the court has ruled on its merits.

    Harvard Wins Against Trump’s Extreme Lawsuit Over Admissions Data

    Used byThe New Republic (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

4 outlets

Leads with

  • the dismissal of the lawsuit
  • the admissions data and application essays sought
  • Harvard’s resistance to the demands
See the 4 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • The New RepublicFar Left

    Harvard Wins Against Loaded modifier“Trump’s Extreme Lawsuit”Calling the suit extreme passes judgement on it before the court has ruled on its merits.More neutral: Trump administration’s lawsuitDisagree with this highlight? Over Admissions Data

    President Trump’s attempt to Loaded verb“shake down”Describing the administration’s demand as a shakedown implies extortion, which the ruling did not find.More neutral: demandDisagree with this highlight? Harvard University for its admissions data was thrown out by a federal judge Monday. U.S. District Judge Myong J. …

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

    Judge Dismisses Trump Lawsuit Demanding Harvard Admissions Data

    Trump administration officials had sought admissions data from Harvard, including student application essays, to see if the school was complying with a court decision banning affirmative action.

    Read at The New York Times (opens in a new tab)

    Also published by The Boston Globe. It counts once.

  • CNNLeft

    Federal judge dismisses Trump administration’s Harvard admissions probe case

    A federal judge Monday dismissed a lawsuit by the Trump administration seeking to force Harvard University to turn over records for an investigation into whether it continues to consider race in its student admissions process. …

    Read at CNN (opens in a new tab)
  • The Boston GlobeFar LeftSame report as at The New York Times

    Judge dismisses Trump lawsuit demanding Harvard admissions data

    The Boston Globe published a report that is shown in full at The New York Times.

    Read at The Boston Globe (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

1 outlet

Leads with

  • Harvard’s win over the Justice Department
  • affirmative action data
  • rejection of the administration’s demand
See the headline from the rightHide the headlines
  • The Washington TimesRight

    Harvard Loaded verb“beats”Beats presents the court ruling as a contest that Harvard won, rather than a judge’s decision to dismiss the case.More neutral: Judge rejects Justice Department lawsuit against HarvardDisagree with this highlight? Justice Department in court case over affirmative action data

    A federal judge Loaded verb“shot down”The informal idiom signals a dramatic defeat, where the plain word is rejected.More neutral: rejectedDisagree with this highlight? the Trump administration's demand that Harvard University turn over details of its admissions process.

    Read at The Washington Times (opens in a new tab)

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

    CNN, Nov 2, 2:47 PM EST

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    36 min later

    Its first report, Nov 2, 3:23 PM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. CNNLeftNov 2, 2:47 PM EST
  2. The New York TimesLeftNov 2, 3:13 PM EST
  3. The Washington TimesRightNov 2, 3:23 PM EST
  4. The New RepublicFar LeftNov 2, 4:19 PM EST
  5. The Boston GlobeFar LeftNov 2, 4:51 PM EST

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

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