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Judge dismisses former CIA director John Brennan’s suit seeking to preserve DOJ records

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 6 outlets across the spectrum.

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

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A federal judge in Washington dismissed a lawsuit by former CIA Director John Brennan that asked the court to compel the Justice Department to preserve records in investigations into him. The judge ruled that Brennan did not yet have standing to sue, according to The Hill and right-side coverage. Right-side coverage says Brennan has not been criminally charged or indicted. Brennan filed the suit in July, arguing he needed the records to challenge any future criminal case against him. The Hill describes the probe as concerning his role in reviewing the 2016 election, and Bloomberg describes it as a criminal investigation into people seen as President Donald Trump’s political enemies.

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. A federal judge in Washington dismissed former CIA Director John Brennan’s lawsuit seeking to compel the Justice Department to preserve records.

    Reported byFar Left1Left1Center1Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    HuffPost
    Left
    Bloomberg
    Center
    The Hill
    Far Right
    Just the News, The Epoch Times

  2. The judge ruled that Brennan did not yet have standing to sue.

    Reported byCenter1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    The Hill
    Far Right
    The Epoch Times

  3. Brennan filed the suit in July, saying he needed the records to challenge any future criminal case against him.

    Reported byFar Left1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    HuffPost
    Center
    The Hill

  4. Brennan has not been criminally charged or indicted.

    One side only: the rightReported byFar Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Right
    Just the News, The Epoch Times

  5. The investigation concerns Brennan’s role in reviewing the 2016 election.

    One outletThe Hill· Center

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • The probe targets people seen as President Donald Trump’s political enemies.

    Bloomberg describes the probe this way in its own voice. The Hill says it targets Brennan over his role in reviewing the 2016 election. Right-side coverage says Brennan has not been criminally charged or formally accused.

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side reports that a judge dismissed Brennan’s suit for records in the DOJ probe. Left coverage presents the ruling as a rebuff and ties the probe to Trump’s enemies, while right-side coverage stresses that Brennan has not been charged.

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Left-side headlines differ: Bloomberg calls the ruling a rebuff of a former CIA director, while HuffPost’s headline, based on an AP report, is a plain dismissal of a document lawsuit.

    Ex-CIA Director Brennan Loaded verb“Rebuffed”The headline’s verb presents the ruling as a rebuke of Brennan, while other headlines describe it as a dismissal.More neutral: dismissedDisagree with this highlight? Over DOJ Probe Evidence
    BloombergLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    The one center headline reports the suit being tossed for lack of standing and puts the probe’s name, grand conspiracy, in quotation marks.

    Judge tosses Brennan suit demanding preservation of records in 'grand conspiracy' probe
    The HillCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    3 outlets

    Right-side headlines state the dismissal plainly, with the Epoch Times naming the suit against the Trump administration and both stressing that Brennan has not been charged.

    Judge Dismisses Former CIA Director Brennan’s Lawsuit Against Trump Admin
    The Epoch TimesFar 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.

  • Left3

    perceived political enemiesRebuffedTosses

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right1

    Biden judge

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded modifier

    perceived political enemiesMore neutral: people it targets

    The phrase attributes a motive to the investigation in the outlet’s own voice without a source for it.

    …records in an ongoing criminal investigation into President Donald Trump’s perceived political enemies.

    Used byBloomberg (Left)

  • Loaded verb

    RebuffedMore neutral: dismissed

    The headline’s verb presents the ruling as a rebuke of Brennan, while other headlines describe it as a dismissal.

    Ex-CIA Director Brennan Rebuffed Over DOJ Probe Evidence

    Used byBloomberg (Left)

  • Loaded verb

    TossesMore neutral: dismisses

    The verb tosses carries a casual, dismissive tone for a formal court ruling, where dismisses describes the same action neutrally.

    Federal Judge Tosses Ex-CIA Director’s Document Preservation Lawsuit Against DOJ

    Used byHuffPost (Far Left)

  • Delegitimizing label

    Biden judgeMore neutral: judge appointed by President Obama or judge appointed by President Biden

    Implies the judge rules for the appointer; state the appointment and the ruling.

    Biden judge rejects Obama CIA chief's legal bid against Trump over one key problem

    Used byFox News (Far Right)

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

  • rebuff of Brennan
  • probe into Trump’s perceived enemies
  • lawsuit to preserve records
See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • HuffPostFar LeftAssociated Press report

    Federal Judge Loaded verb“Tosses”The verb tosses carries a casual, dismissive tone for a formal court ruling, where dismisses describes the same action neutrally.More neutral: dismissesDisagree with this highlight? Ex-CIA Director’s Document Preservation Lawsuit Against DOJ

    John Brennan sought to compel the Justice Department to preserve investigative records so he could challenge any future criminal case against him.

    Read at HuffPost (opens in a new tab)
  • BloombergLeft

    Ex-CIA Director Brennan Loaded verb“Rebuffed”The headline’s verb presents the ruling as a rebuke of Brennan, while other headlines describe it as a dismissal.More neutral: dismissedDisagree with this highlight? Over DOJ Probe Evidence

    A federal judge in Washington dismissed a lawsuit filed by former CIA Director John Brennan to compel the Justice Department to take special steps to preserve records in an ongoing criminal investigation into President Donald Trump’s Loaded modifier“perceived political enemies”The phrase attributes a motive to the investigation in the outlet’s own voice without a source for it.More neutral: people it targetsDisagree with this highlight?.

    Read at Bloomberg (opens in a new tab)

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • standing ruling
  • grand conspiracy probe
  • 2016 election review
See the headline from the centerHide the headlines
  • The HillCenter

    Judge tosses Brennan suit demanding preservation of records in 'grand conspiracy' probe

    A federal judge on Thursday agreed to toss a lawsuit from former CIA Director John Brennan, arguing he did not yet have standing to sue over an investigation targeting him for his role in reviewing the 2016 election. …

    Read at The Hill (opens in a new tab)

From the right

3 outlets

Leads with

  • Brennan has not been charged
  • lack of standing
  • lawsuit against the Trump administration

Leaves out

  • Bloomberg’s description of the probe as targeting Trump’s political enemies
  • The Hill’s account of the probe as tied to the 2016 election review

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

See the 3 headlines 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

    First to report

    Bloomberg, Oct 15, 1:33 PM EDT

  • Center

    1 hr 19 min later

    Its first report, Oct 15, 2:52 PM EDT

  • Right

    6 hr 5 min later

    Its first report, Oct 15, 7:38 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. BloombergLeftOct 15, 1:33 PM EDT
  2. The HillCenterOct 15, 2:52 PM EDT
  3. HuffPostFar LeftOct 15, 6:39 PM EDT
  4. The Epoch TimesFar RightOct 15, 7:38 PM EDT
  5. Fox NewsFar RightOct 16, 3:09 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out. Just the News gave only a date, so it is not placed.

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