Crime & JusticeBreakingUpdated 1 hr ago

Justice Department announces enforcement actions in student-aid fraud case

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, all right-leaning.

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

Image via The Epoch TimesHow images are chosen Report this image

Fox News, The Washington Times and The Epoch Times report that the Justice Department has launched Operation Ghostbusters, a nationwide enforcement effort against student-aid fraud. According to the outlets, Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald announced the first wave of enforcement actions at a news conference on Thursday, and the department announced indictments on October 29. Officials say the scheme used stolen identities of U.S. citizens to enroll fictional “ghost students” and collect federal financial aid, and that it has operated since 2021 with potential losses in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The Washington Times reports that officials say some of the schemes are tied to overseas operations, often in Africa.

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

New to Mantle? It shows who is covering each story across the political spectrum, and highlights loaded words. How to read a storyHide the guide

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.

The Justice Department has launched a nationwide crackdown called Operation Ghostbusters against student-aid fraud.
One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
Right
The Washington Times
Far Right
Fox News, The Epoch Times
Officials estimate the losses from the scheme in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
Right
The Washington Times
Far Right
Fox News
Fraudsters use stolen identities of U.S. citizens to enroll fictional “ghost students” and collect federal student aid.
One side only: the rightReported byFar Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
Far Right
Fox News, The Epoch Times
Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald announced the first wave of enforcement actions at a news conference on Thursday.
One outletFox News· Far Right
The Justice Department announced indictments on October 29.
One outletThe Epoch Times· Far Right
Officials say some of the schemes are tied to overseas operations, often in Africa.
One outletThe Washington Times· Right

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three outlets report that the Justice Department launched Operation Ghostbusters against student-aid fraud using fake enrollees and stolen identities, with losses estimated in the hundreds of millions. Right-side coverage presents the case as a federal crackdown, with the scale of losses as the lead.

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
No coverage yet
No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
the right
3 outlets
Headlines lead with the Justice Department’s operation or the money lost; Far Right Fox News adds ‘massive’, and The Washington Times centers the stolen millions.
'Ghost' students have stolen millions in federal financial aid
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.

Mantle found no loaded language in this coverage. Every headline and opening was checked against Mantle’s published word list, and Mantle’s AI read all 3 articles in context. Straight reporting often has none.

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

0 outlets

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

From the right

3 outlets

Leads with

Operation Ghostbusters crackdown
Hundreds of millions in losses
Stolen identities and fake enrollees

See the 3 headlines from the rightHide the headlines

The Epoch TimesFar Right
Justice Department Announces Indictments in Student Loan Fraud Case
U.S. Department of Justice officials announce indictments on the morning of Oct. 29 after Operation Ghostbusters, an investigation into a large-scale student loan fraud scheme. The fraudsters created fraudulent federal student loan accounts using stolen U.S. …
1 hr agoRead at The Epoch Times (opens in a new tab)
The Washington TimesRight
'Ghost' students have stolen millions in federal financial aid
Fraudsters are inventing "ghost" students who enroll in college, never show up, yet pocket thousands of dollars in federal financial aid, government officials revealed Thursday, saying the scams -- often tied to overseas operations in Africa -- have stolen hundreds of millions …
1 hr agoRead at The Washington Times (opens in a new tab)
Fox NewsFar Right
DOJ’s ‘Operation Ghostbusters’ targets massive student-aid fraud scheme built on fake enrollees
Operation Ghostbusters targets ghost students and identity theft in a student aid fraud scheme with potentially hundreds of millions in taxpayer losses.
1 hr agoRead at Fox News (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
No report yet
From the outlets Mantle follows
Right
First to report
Fox News, Oct 29, 11:28 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order

Fox NewsFar RightOct 29, 11:28 AM EDT
The Washington TimesRightOct 29, 11:29 AM EDT
The Epoch TimesFar RightOct 29, 12:00 PM EDT

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

Justice Department announces enforcement actions in student-aid fraud case

Coverage spectrum

Key points

Compare views

the left

the center

the right

Language to notice

Side by side

From the left

From the center

From the right

Justice Department Announces Indictments in Student Loan Fraud Case

'Ghost' students have stolen millions in federal financial aid

DOJ’s ‘Operation Ghostbusters’ targets massive student-aid fraud scheme built on fake enrollees

How the coverage built up

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