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Former press secretary Katie Zacharia is questioned by Piers Morgan on her exit

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets across the spectrum.

4 articles in total, 1 of them opinion. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Former White House press secretary Katie Zacharia appeared in a TV interview with Piers Morgan, released on Piers Morgan Uncensored on Wednesday, about her exit from the Trump administration after about five days in the role. Morgan said she sounded like a robot and that she repeatedly dodged questions about her private conversations with President Donald Trump. Zacharia said she is ruthlessly loyal to Trump and that supporting him is her obligation and excitement. She has also said the media is to blame for her firing, according to a New York Magazine opinion piece.

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. Katie Zacharia served as White House press secretary for about five days before her departure from the Trump administration.

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

  2. In a Piers Morgan Uncensored interview released Wednesday, Morgan said Zacharia sounded like a robot, and she denied being one.

    Reported byFar Left2Center1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    HuffPost, New York Magazine
    Center
    The Hill
    Right
    New York Post

  3. Morgan pressed Zacharia about her private conversations with President Trump, and she did not readily answer.

    Reported byCenter1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    The Hill
    Right
    New York Post

  4. Trump said he told Zacharia she “should reconsider” the position after negative publicity.

    One outletHuffPost· Far Left

  5. Zacharia said it was her “obligation and excitement to support” Trump and that she remains loyal to him.

    One outletHuffPost· Far Left

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • Katie Zacharia sounds like a robot.

    Piers Morgan says she sounds like a robot. Zacharia denies being a robot and says the media is to blame for her firing.

How each side tells it

Compare views

All sides report a TV exchange between Morgan and Zacharia over her brief tenure, in which Morgan said she sounded like a robot. The main difference is emphasis: the left stresses Morgan’s rebuke, the center the tangled exchange, and the right her private talks with Trump.

  • the left

    1 outlet · 1 opinion

    Left-side headlines centre the exchange: HuffPost says Zacharia was scolded and quotes Morgan’s ‘cut the crap’, while the New York Magazine opinion piece leads with her denial and blame of the media.

    ‘Cut The Crap’: Katie Zacharia Loaded verb“Scolded”“Scolded” casts the exchange as a reprimand in the outlet’s own voice, while the other coverage describes a contentious interview without settling who was rebuked.More neutral: QuestionedDisagree with this highlight? For Sounding Like A ‘Robot’
    HuffPostFar LeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    The Hill’s headline describes a tangled, contentious interview and quotes Morgan’s ‘robot’ remark without taking a side on who came out ahead.

    Piers Morgan, Katie Zacharia tangle in contentions interview: 'You sound like a robot'
    The HillCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    1 outlet

    The New York Post headline centres on Zacharia’s private chats with Trump and frames the interview as a spar, not her departure or the robot accusation.

    Katie Zacharia spars with Piers Morgan over her private chats with President Trump
    New York PostRightAll 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.

  • Left5

    fired backScoldedClaimedcringey

  • Center1

    dodged

  • Right4

    feistyfirestormbootedwidely criticized

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    dodgedMore neutral: did not answer

    Dodged implies evasion as a motive, where the report can only say she did not answer.

    …the Trump administration, accusing her of sounding like a “robot” as she repeatedly dodged questions about her five-day tenure.

    Used byThe Hill (Center)

  • Loaded verb

    fired backMore neutral: responded or replied

    Combat framing for a reply.

    President Donald Trump’s short-lived White House press secretary Katie Zacharia fired back at Piers Morgan during a heated interview in which the host accused her of sounding…

    Used byHuffPost (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    ScoldedMore neutral: Questioned

    “Scolded” casts the exchange as a reprimand in the outlet’s own voice, while the other coverage describes a contentious interview without settling who was rebuked.

    ‘Cut The Crap’: Katie Zacharia Scolded For Sounding Like A ‘Robot’

    Used byHuffPost (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    ClaimedMore neutral: said she had

    Claimed in the outlet’s own voice suggests the credential is false before the facts are shown.

    Claimed to have passed the bar in China?

    Used byNew York Magazine (Far Left)

Show 6 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Sensational language

    cringeyMore neutral: brief

    Cringey is a subjective judgement of the briefing rather than a description of it.

    Did just one, extremely short, extremely cringey briefing in that time?

    Used byNew York Magazine (Far Left)

  • Dehumanizing label

    TrumpbotMore neutral: Trump supporter

    Trumpbot reduces a person to a machine that repeats a politician’s words, which is a contemptuous label rather than a description.

    …to set a few things straight, the first one being that she’s not a (malfunctioning) Trumpbot, and also that everything that happened to her is the media’s fault.

    Used byNew York Magazine (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    feistyMore neutral: heated

    Feisty adds a tone of drama to the exchange.

    …to get Zacharia to talk about her communications with the president, leading to a feisty back and forth.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Sensational language

    firestormMore neutral: criticism

    Firestorm adds drama to the criticism the excerpt describes.

    From the start, Morgan pressed Zacharia on how she felt being amid a firestorm that ended up with her being booted from the job after only five days.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    bootedMore neutral: removed

    Booted is a colloquial verb that adds contempt to a removal from office.

    …pressed Zacharia on how she felt being amid a firestorm that ended up with her being booted from the job after only five days.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Vague attribution

    widely criticizedMore neutral: drew criticism from named critics

    Widely criticized does not say who criticized her, so the reader cannot check the claim.

    Zacharia’s first and only White House press briefing was widely criticized, and scrutiny was building on her characterizations of her legal credentials.

    Used byNew York Post (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

1 outlet · 1 opinion

Leads with

  • Morgan’s rebuke of Zacharia
  • her robot remark and denial
  • her short tenure and ouster
See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • HuffPostFar Left

    ‘Cut The Crap’: Katie Zacharia Loaded verb“Scolded”“Scolded” casts the exchange as a reprimand in the outlet’s own voice, while the other coverage describes a contentious interview without settling who was rebuked.More neutral: QuestionedDisagree with this highlight? For Sounding Like A ‘Robot’

    “I am ruthlessly loyal. I always have been, and I will continue to be,” the former press secretary said.

    Read at HuffPost (opens in a new tab)
  • New York MagazineFar LeftOpinion

    Katie Zacharia Denies Being a ‘Robot,’ Blames Media for Firing

    Remember Katie Zacharia? Loaded verb“Claimed”Claimed in the outlet’s own voice suggests the credential is false before the facts are shown.More neutral: said she hadDisagree with this highlight? to have passed the bar in China? Set a record for fewest days as press secretary, besting former champ Anthony Scaramucci? Did just one, extremely short, extremely Sensational language“cringey”Cringey is a subjective judgement of the briefing rather than a description of it.More neutral: briefDisagree with this highlight? briefing in that time? …

    Read at New York Magazine (opens in a new tab)

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • the contentious clash on Morgan’s show
  • Zacharia repeatedly dodging questions
  • her five-day tenure
See the headline from the centerHide the headlines
  • The HillCenter

    Piers Morgan, Katie Zacharia tangle in contentions interview: 'You sound like a robot'

    British broadcaster Piers Morgan clashed with former White House press secretary Katie Zacharia over her abrupt departure from the Trump administration, accusing her of sounding like a “robot” as she repeatedly Loaded verb“dodged”Dodged implies evasion as a motive, where the report can only say she did not answer.More neutral: did not answerDisagree with this highlight? questions about her five-day tenure. …

    Read at The Hill (opens in a new tab)

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

  • her private communications with Trump
  • the feisty back-and-forth
See the headline from the rightHide the headlines

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

    2 hr 39 min later

    Its first report, Oct 29, 1:00 PM EDT

  • Center

    First to report

    The Hill, Oct 29, 10:22 AM EDT

  • Right

    4 hr 51 min later

    Its first report, Oct 29, 3:13 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The HillCenterOct 29, 10:22 AM EDT
  2. HuffPostFar LeftOct 29, 1:00 PM EDT
  3. New York PostRightOct 29, 3:13 PM EDT

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

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