Skip to content

PoliticsFeature

Katie Zacharia holds first briefing as White House press secretary

By

Coverage spectrum

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

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

A woman with long blonde hair smiles at a podium before a White House seal and flag.
Image via The Free PressHow images are chosenReport this image

The Independent and The Free Press report that Katie Zacharia held her first briefing as White House press secretary on Tuesday, lasting 14 minutes. Anthony Scaramucci, who served 11 days as White House communications director in 2017, posted on X that the “clock is running” on her tenure, according to The Independent and The Daily Beast. The Free Press reports that he said she seems too nice to doom herself by arguing with the president, and that Trump said she did an excellent job. The Independent and The Daily Beast describe the debut as rocky and say it drew online mockery.

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, the new White House press secretary, gave her first briefing on Tuesday, lasting 14 minutes.

    Reported byLeft1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Independent
    Right
    The Free Press

  2. Anthony Scaramucci posted on X that the “clock is running” on Zacharia’s tenure and shared a meme comparing her to lettuce.

    One side only: the leftReported byFar Left1Left1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Left
    The Independent

  3. Scaramucci was fired after 11 days as White House communications director in 2017.

    Reported byFar Left1Left1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Left
    The Independent
    Right
    The Free Press

  4. Trump said Zacharia did an excellent job in her debut.

    One outletThe Free Press· Right

  5. Scaramucci said in an interview that Zacharia seems too nice to doom herself by arguing with the president.

    One outletThe Free Press· Right

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • Zacharia’s debut was rocky.

    The Independent and The Daily Beast describe the debut as rocky and say it drew online mockery. Trump said she did an excellent job, and The Free Press describes a nervous delivery with stumbles over her words.

How each side tells it

Compare views

All sides present report Katie Zacharia's first White House briefing as press secretary on Tuesday and Scaramucci's comments on her tenure. Left outlets focus on Scaramucci's mocking posts and 11-day record; the right's report, from The Free Press, stresses his view that she is too nice to doom herself.

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Both left headlines cast the story as Scaramucci’s commentary on Zacharia’s job survival, and the Far Left Daily Beast uses more mocking wording, calling her a Trump Mouthpiece.

    Scaramucci Weighs In on New Loaded modifier“Trump Mouthpiece”Labels the press secretary as a mere spokesman for the president before her record is established.More neutral: Trump press secretaryDisagree with this highlight?’s Survival Odds
    The Daily BeastFar LeftAll 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

    1 outlet

    The one right-side report, written by The Free Press, is headlined as a question put to Scaramucci about how long Zacharia will last, framing the story around his view of her.

    How Long Will Katie Zacharia Last as Press Secretary? We Asked Anthony Scaramucci.
    The Free PressRightAll 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.

  • Left2

    dubious recordTrump Mouthpiece

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded modifier

    dubious recordMore neutral: his record

    Calls Scaramucci’s tenure dubious as the writer’s own judgement rather than a reported fact.

    …on the job, is wondering whether press secretary Katie Zacharia could outlast his dubious record after her rocky Tuesday debut.

    Used byThe Independent (Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    Trump MouthpieceMore neutral: Trump press secretary

    Labels the press secretary as a mere spokesman for the president before her record is established.

    Scaramucci Weighs In on New Trump Mouthpiece’s Survival Odds

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

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

  • Scaramucci’s jibes and 11-day record
  • Zacharia’s survival odds
  • online mockery of the debut

Leaves out

  • Trump saying she did an excellent job

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

See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • The Daily BeastFar Left

    Scaramucci Weighs In on New Loaded modifier“Trump Mouthpiece”Labels the press secretary as a mere spokesman for the president before her record is established.More neutral: Trump press secretaryDisagree with this highlight?’s Survival Odds

    Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci said the “clock is running” on Katie Zacharia’s tenure as press secretary after a rocky Tuesday debut. “Thus far 1/11th of a Scaramucci,” he wrote in a post on X, referencing his own notoriously short term. …

    Read at The Daily Beast (opens in a new tab)
  • The IndependentLeft

    Even Scaramucci wonders if Katie Zacharia will make it to his 11-day run as press secretary

    Scaramucci also reposted a meme comparing Zacharia to a head of lettuce, referencing a viral 2022 challenge over whether Liz Truss would outlast a wilting lettuce as British prime minister

    Read at The Independent (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

1 outlet

Leads with

  • Scaramucci’s advice and view of her
  • her nervous debut and script reading
  • Trump’s praise of her performance

Leaves out

  • Scaramucci’s X posts saying the clock is running
  • the lettuce meme

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

See the headline 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

    The Independent, Oct 14, 10:16 AM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    12 hr 10 min later

    Its first report, Oct 14, 10:26 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The IndependentLeftOct 14, 10:16 AM EDT
  2. The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 14, 12:09 PM EDT
  3. The Free PressRightOct 14, 10:26 PM EDT

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

Read next

Help someone else find the truth beneath the surface

Most people see one side of a story. Share this one, so they can see how every side is telling it and decide for themselves.

Email it

Seen a mistake? Tell us what is wrong with this page