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Flock Safety CEO says online criticism of the company is not real

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, mostly right-leaning (67%).

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

Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley told a conference of police chiefs in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday that online criticism of the company’s license plate reader cameras is not real. According to a recording of his remarks obtained by 404 Media, Langley said the criticism was driven by anonymous bots or by people who were paid to post it. He also said social media chatter about Flock was down about 95 percent from July. Townhall and The Daily Caller report that Langley offered no evidence for these claims and said he would prefer never to do press interviews again. Straight Arrow News reports his remarks as well.

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. Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley said online criticism of the company is not real.

    Reported byCenter1Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    Straight Arrow News
    Far Right
    Townhall, The Daily Caller

  2. The remarks were made at an International Association of Chiefs of Police conference in Orlando, Florida, and a recording was obtained by 404 Media.

    Reported byCenter1Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    Straight Arrow News
    Far Right
    Townhall, The Daily Caller

  3. Langley said the criticism came from anonymous bots or from people who were paid to post it.

    Reported byCenter1Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    Straight Arrow News
    Far Right
    Townhall, The Daily Caller

  4. Langley said social media chatter about Flock had dropped sharply, citing a 95 percent fall since July.

    One outletStraight Arrow News· Center

  5. Langley said he would prefer never to do press interviews again.

    One side only: the rightReported byFar Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Right
    Townhall, The Daily Caller

  6. Reports say Langley offered no evidence for his claims that critics were paid or were bots.

    One side only: the rightReported byFar Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Right
    Townhall, The Daily Caller

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • Online criticism of Flock is driven by bots or paid posters rather than real people.

    Langley says so in the recording. Townhall and The Daily Caller say he gave no evidence for it. Straight Arrow News reports the claim without describing any evidence for it.

  • Social media chatter about Flock fell 95 percent from July.

    Langley gave this figure in the recording. The supplied coverage contains no independent data on it.

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three outlets report that Langley told a police conference that online criticism of Flock is not real, based on a recording obtained by 404 Media. The center outlet reports his claims with attribution, while both right-side outlets stress the leaked audio and the lack of evidence behind his claims.

  • the left

    No coverage yet

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

  • the center

    1 outlet

    Headlines the CEO’s claim in his own words and attributes it with ‘claims’, without adopting it as fact.

    ‘Not real’: Flock CEO claims criticism of surveillance firm comes from bots, not people
    Straight Arrow NewsCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    2 outlets

    Both Far Right outlets present leaked audio as catching the CEO in a falsehood, with headlines saying his backlash claim is fake or that he wants readers to disbelieve online criticism.

    Flock Safety CEO Loaded verb“Caught”The word implies the CEO was exposed doing wrong, while the reported audio only records what he said.More neutral: Leaked Audio ShowsDisagree with this highlight? on Leaked Audio Claiming Backlash Against Surveillance Delegitimizing label“Is Fake”The outlet states in its own voice that the backlash is fake, which is a judgement rather than a reported fact.More neutral: Says Backlash Is Not RealDisagree with this highlight?
    TownhallFar 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.

  • Left

    Has not covered this story.

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right5

    lashed outCaughtIs FakeWants You To Think

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    lashed outMore neutral: criticized

    The phrase implies an angry outburst, while the reported remarks were given during a conference speech.

    Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley lashed out at critics of his company’s automated license plate reader cameras, claiming that…

    Used byTownhall (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    CaughtMore neutral: Leaked Audio Shows

    The word implies the CEO was exposed doing wrong, while the reported audio only records what he said.

    Flock Safety CEO Caught on Leaked Audio Claiming Backlash Against Surveillance Is Fake

    Used byTownhall (Far Right)

  • Delegitimizing label

    Is FakeMore neutral: Says Backlash Is Not Real

    The outlet states in its own voice that the backlash is fake, which is a judgement rather than a reported fact.

    Flock Safety CEO Caught on Leaked Audio Claiming Backlash Against Surveillance Is Fake

    Used byTownhall (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    Wants You To ThinkMore neutral: Says Online Criticism Is Not Real

    The phrase asserts a motive to deceive readers, which the reported remarks do not establish.

    Flock CEO Wants You To Think Internet Hate For His Company Isn’t Real

    Used byThe Daily Caller (Far Right)

Show 1 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded modifier

    Internet HateMore neutral: online criticism

    The phrase labels online criticism as hatred in the outlet’s own voice.

    Flock CEO Wants You To Think Internet Hate For His Company Isn’t Real

    Used byThe Daily Caller (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

0 outlets

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

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • Claim that criticism is bot-driven
  • Recording of remarks obtained by 404 Media
  • Claimed 95 percent drop in social media chatter

Leaves out

  • Reports that Langley offered no evidence for his claims

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

See the headline from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

2 outlets

Leads with

  • Leaked audio as proof
  • Claim that critics are paid or are bots
  • Langley’s refusal of press interviews
  • No evidence offered for the claims

Leaves out

  • Langley’s 2025 remark calling anti-Flock activists a terrorist organization and his later apology

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

See the 2 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • The Daily CallerFar Right

    Flock CEO Loaded verb“Wants You To Think”The phrase asserts a motive to deceive readers, which the reported remarks do not establish.More neutral: Says Online Criticism Is Not RealDisagree with this highlight? Loaded modifier“Internet Hate”The phrase labels online criticism as hatred in the outlet’s own voice.More neutral: online criticismDisagree with this highlight? For His Company Isn’t Real

    ‘These people are being paid to say these things’

    Read at The Daily Caller (opens in a new tab)
  • TownhallFar Right

    Flock Safety CEO Loaded verb“Caught”The word implies the CEO was exposed doing wrong, while the reported audio only records what he said.More neutral: Leaked Audio ShowsDisagree with this highlight? on Leaked Audio Claiming Backlash Against Surveillance Delegitimizing label“Is Fake”The outlet states in its own voice that the backlash is fake, which is a judgement rather than a reported fact.More neutral: Says Backlash Is Not RealDisagree with this highlight?

    Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley Loaded verb“lashed out”The phrase implies an angry outburst, while the reported remarks were given during a conference speech.More neutral: criticizedDisagree with this highlight? at critics of his company’s automated license plate reader cameras, claiming that backlash is an illusion and that critics are just online bots.

    Read at Townhall (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

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Center

    First to report

    Straight Arrow News, Oct 27, 11:39 AM EDT

  • Right

    35 min later

    Its first report, Oct 27, 12:15 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Straight Arrow NewsCenterOct 27, 11:39 AM EDT
  2. TownhallFar RightOct 27, 12:15 PM EDT
  3. The Daily CallerFar RightOct 28, 5:23 PM EDT

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

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