PoliticsDevelopingUpdated 3 hr ago

Justice Department sends letters to election officials on preserving records

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, all left-leaning.

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

Raw Story, ABC News and The Daily Beast report that the Justice Department sent letters dated Oct. 29 to election officials in multiple states. Votebeat, which first reported the letters, says they are signed by acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter and remind officials to preserve election records for 22 months after a federal election. The outlets say the letters warn that willfully failing to preserve records can bring up to a year in prison or a $1,000 fine. Raw Story says the letters identify no particular violation or pending investigation. The letters arrived a day after U.S. District Judge David O. Carter said threats against election workers “must stop.”

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.

The Justice Department sent letters dated Oct. 29 to election officials in multiple states.
One side only: the leftReported byFar Left2Left1See the outletsHide the outlets
Far Left
Raw Story, The Daily Beast
Left
ABC News
The letters are signed by acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter.
One side only: the leftReported byFar Left2See the outletsHide the outlets
Far Left
Raw Story, The Daily Beast
The letters warn that failing to preserve election records can bring jail time or fines.
One side only: the leftReported byFar Left2Left1See the outletsHide the outlets
Far Left
Raw Story, The Daily Beast
Left
ABC News
The letters remind officials to preserve election records for 22 months after a federal election.
One outletRaw Story· Far Left
Raw Story reports that the letters identify no particular violation or pending investigation.
One outletRaw Story· Far Left
A day earlier, U.S. District Judge David O. Carter said threats against election workers “must stop.”
One outletRaw Story· Far Left

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three outlets are on the left and report the same core facts: Justice Department letters dated Oct. 29 warn election officials of jail time or fines over records rules, and the Far Left outlets frame the letters as intimidation by Trump’s Justice Department while ABC News reports them plainly.

the left
3 outlets
Far Left headlines differ from ABC News: Raw Story and The Daily Beast use charged words like “Meant to intimidate” and “Trump Goon,” while ABC News states the DOJ warning plainly.
DOJ says election officials could face jail time if they fail to preserve records
ABC NewsLeftAll 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.

Left3
goonsominous threatTrump Goon
Center
Has not covered this story.
Right
Has not covered this story.

In the outlets’ own words

Dehumanizing label
goonsMore neutral: officials
Calling Justice Department officials goons is a contemptuous label applied before the facts of the letters are weighed.
President Donald Trump’s goons at the Justice Department have fired off an ominous threat to local election officials…
Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)
Sensational language
ominous threatMore neutral: warning
The word ominous adds dramatic judgement to a letter that the outlet itself describes only as a warning of possible penalties.
President Donald Trump’s goons at the Justice Department have fired off an ominous threat to local election officials just days before the midterm election.
Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)
Dehumanizing label
Trump GoonMore neutral: Justice Department
Calling Justice Department officials goons is a contemptuous label applied before the facts of the letters are weighed.
Trump Goon Sends Ominous Threat to Election Officials
Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

Words quoted from someone else (1)Hide the quoted words

Loaded words that outlets reported someone else saying. They show what was said, not how the outlet chose to say it.

Absolutist framing
Quoted
Meant to intimidateMore neutral: Letters that a former official says could intimidate election officials
The headline presents a motive as established fact, although it is a former official’s opinion quoted in the body text.
'Meant to intimidate': Trump's DOJ sends fresh election warnings after judge's rebuke
Quoted byRaw Story (Far Left)
These are Justin Levitt’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

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

3 outlets

Leads with

threat of prosecution for election officials
intimidation of election officials
timing days before the midterm election
judge’s rebuke of threats against election workers

See the 3 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

The Daily BeastFar Left
Dehumanizing label“Trump Goon”Calling Justice Department officials goons is a contemptuous label applied before the facts of the letters are weighed.More neutral: Justice DepartmentDisagree with this highlight? Sends Sensational language“Ominous Threat”The word ominous adds dramatic judgement to a letter that the outlet itself describes only as a warning of possible penalties.More neutral: WarningDisagree with this highlight? to Election Officials
President Donald Trump’s Dehumanizing label“goons”Calling Justice Department officials goons is a contemptuous label applied before the facts of the letters are weighed.More neutral: officialsDisagree with this highlight? at the Justice Department have fired off an Sensational language“ominous threat”The word ominous adds dramatic judgement to a letter that the outlet itself describes only as a warning of possible penalties.More neutral: warningDisagree with this highlight? to local election officials just days before the midterm election. Multiple state election offices received identical letters from acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter dated Oct. …
3 hr agoRead at The Daily Beast (opens in a new tab)
ABC NewsLeft
DOJ says election officials could face jail time if they fail to preserve records
The DOJ has warned election officials in multiple states that they could face jail time if they fail to preserve election records in accordance with federal law.
4 hr agoRead at ABC News (opens in a new tab)
Raw StoryFar Left
'Absolutist framing“Meant to intimidate”The headline presents a motive as established fact, although it is a former official’s opinion quoted in the body text.More neutral: Letters that a former official says could intimidate election officialsThese are Justin Levitt’s words. The outlet is reporting them.Disagree with this highlight?': Trump's DOJ sends fresh election warnings after judge's rebuke
The Trump administration has sent fresh warnings of criminal prosecution to election officials nationwide, a day after a federal judge said threats against election workers “must stop,” Votebeat reported Friday. The letters, dated Oct. …
7 hr agoRead at Raw Story (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
Raw Story, Oct 30, 2:17 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

Raw StoryFar LeftOct 30, 2:17 PM EDT
ABC NewsLeftOct 30, 4:26 PM EDT
The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 30, 5:43 PM EDT

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

Justice Department sends letters to election officials on preserving records

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

DOJ says election officials could face jail time if they fail to preserve records

From the center

From the right

How the coverage built up

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