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Katie Zacharia out as White House press secretary after five days in the job

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 8 outlets across the spectrum.

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

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Katie Zacharia left her post as White House press secretary after five days, the shortest tenure in the job’s history, according to outlets on the left, right and center. Reports say a Fox News interview with Sean Hannity on Thursday came shortly before her removal, and some reports say chief of staff Susie Wiles orchestrated the decision. Outlets disagree on Wiles’s role in the interview: the Independent and the Daily Beast cite insiders saying she had a hand in arranging it, while Breitbart cites text messages it reviewed showing Zacharia sought the interview herself. Bloomberg reports that Donald Trump publicly backed Wiles after the exit.

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 was removed as White House press secretary after five days in the job.

    Reported byFar Left2Left2Center1Right2Far Right3See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast, HuffPost
    Left
    Bloomberg, The Guardian
    Center
    Newsweek
    Right
    Daily Mail, New York Post
    Far Right
    Townhall, PJ Media, Breitbart News

  2. Zacharia gave a Fox News interview with Sean Hannity on Thursday, less than 24 hours before she was removed.

    Reported byFar Left1Left1Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Left
    The Independent
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    Breitbart News

  3. Reports differ on whether chief of staff Susie Wiles arranged the Hannity interview or ordered the removal, citing unnamed insiders.

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

  4. Texts reviewed by Breitbart and the New York Post show Zacharia pushed for media interviews, including with Hannity.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    Breitbart News

  5. Trump moved to quash questions about the future of Susie Wiles as chief of staff after the exit.

    One outletBloomberg· Left

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • Susie Wiles had a role in arranging Zacharia’s Hannity interview or in her ouster.

    The Independent and the Daily Beast report, citing insiders, that Wiles had a hand in the interview, and the Daily Mail reports she orchestrated the ouster. Breitbart, citing text messages it reviewed, says Zacharia sought the interview herself and debunks a Politico report that Wiles set it up.

How each side tells it

Compare views

All sides report Katie Zacharia was out as White House press secretary after five days. Left outlets stress Susie Wiles’s alleged role in the ouster, while right outlets split between Wiles and Zacharia’s own push for TV interviews.

  • the left

    4 outlets · 1 opinion

    Headlines center Susie Wiles’s alleged role in the ouster and the chaos of the exit; the Far Left Daily Beast adds mocking labels such as ‘Ice Maiden’ and ‘humiliating’.

    Susie Wiles had a hand in setting up Katie Zacharia’s Sensational language“car crash”‘Car crash’ characterizes the interview’s outcome in the outlet’s own voice before the facts are set out.More neutral: Fox interviewDisagree with this highlight? Fox interview: report
    The IndependentLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    Newsweek’s single headline is a lessons-learned piece that treats the five-day tenure as settled and does not name who drove the exit.

    Katie Zacharia Remarks on Lessons Learned in 5 Days as Trump's Press Sec
    NewsweekCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    3 outlets · 2 opinion

    Headlines split: the Daily Mail and Townhall say Chief of Staff Susie Wiles ordered the ouster, while Breitbart says texts show Zacharia sought the Hannity interview herself.

    'Susie Wiles gave the kill order': Sensational language“Brutal inside story”‘Brutal’ adds a judgement of severity that the reporting does not establish.More neutral: Inside accountDisagree with this highlight? of Katie Zacharia's firing and how Trump's Loaded modifier“Ice Maiden”The nickname casts Wiles as cold and ruthless without evidence in the supplied text.More neutral: chief of staff Susie WilesDisagree with this highlight? Loaded verb“laid primetime 'trap'”‘Trap’ and ‘snare’ present a television interview as a deliberate ambush, a motive the supplied text does not establish.More neutral: set up a primetime interviewDisagree with this highlight? to snare Loaded modifier“disaster”Calls the press secretary’s tenure a disaster before the facts are set out.More neutral: press secretaryDisagree with this highlight? press secretary... as TV star frontrunner to replace her is revealed
    Daily MailRightAll 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.

  • Left21

    Ice Maidendisastrous five-day tenureflounderingaxed

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right16

    Ice Maidenthe executionBrutal inside storylaid primetime ‘trap’

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded modifier

    Ice MaidenMore neutral: chief of staff Susie Wiles

    The nickname casts Wiles as cold and ruthless without evidence in the supplied text.

    …the kill order': Brutal inside story of Katie Zacharia's firing and how Trump's Ice Maiden laid primetime 'trap' to snare disaster press secretary...

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)The Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    the executionMore neutral: the removal

    ‘Execution’ dramatizes a personnel decision.

    …that it was Trump's redoubtable chief of staff, Susie Wiles, who orchestrated the execution.

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

  • Sensational language

    Brutal inside storyMore neutral: Inside account

    ‘Brutal’ adds a judgement of severity that the reporting does not establish.

    'Susie Wiles gave the kill order': Brutal inside story of Katie Zacharia's firing and how Trump's Ice Maiden laid primetime 'trap' to…

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    laid primetime ‘trap’More neutral: set up a primetime interview

    ‘Trap’ and ‘snare’ present a television interview as a deliberate ambush, a motive the supplied text does not establish.

    …Brutal inside story of Katie Zacharia's firing and how Trump's Ice Maiden laid primetime 'trap' to snare disaster press secretary...

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

Show 32 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded modifier

    disasterMore neutral: press secretary

    Calls the press secretary’s tenure a disaster before the facts are set out.

    …of Katie Zacharia's firing and how Trump's Ice Maiden laid primetime 'trap' to snare disaster press secretary...

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

  • Sensational language

    disastrous five-day tenureMore neutral: five-day tenure

    The adjective passes judgement on her performance without citing specific evidence in the text.

    White House press secretary Katie Zacharia’s disastrous five-day tenure may have ended with a little help from Donald Trump’s chief of staff.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    flounderingMore neutral: White House career

    The word judges her position as failing before the facts of her exit are settled.

    …with Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Thursday, Zacharia tried to salvage her already floundering White House career.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    axedMore neutral: removed

    Slang for dismissal adds an informal, harsher tone than a neutral verb.

    She was axed less than 24 hours later.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    Sanctioned HitMore neutral: alleged White House setup

    The term frames the reported setup as a deliberate assassination-style plot, which the coverage presents as an allegation.

    Trump’s Ice Maiden Tied to ‘Sanctioned Hit’ on Katie Zacharia

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    tumultuous tenureMore neutral: five-day tenure

    The adjective adds drama to a five-day tenure without describing specific events.

    …everyone is spilling their guts about what happened during this brief, tumultuous tenure.

    Used byTownhall (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    put the proverbial hit on ZachariaMore neutral: ordered her removal, according to reports

    The phrase implies a deliberate attack on her, which the reports cited do not establish.

    Reports say White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles put the proverbial hit on Zacharia.

    Used byTownhall (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    Code RedMore neutral: decision to end her tenure

    The phrase manufactures a sense of emergency that the supplied coverage does not establish.

    It Was Susie Wiles Who Reportedly Ordered the Code Red on Katie Zacharia

    Used byTownhall (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    EngineeredMore neutral: helped bring about

    The word implies a deliberate plot, while the supplied reports describe Wiles arranging an interview.

    Here’s How White House Insiders Engineered Zacharia’s Exit

    Used byPJ Media (Far Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    Trump-palMore neutral: Fox News host Sean Hannity

    Labels the host as a Trump ally, which pre-judges the purpose of the interview.

    Zacharia’s contentious interview with Trump-pal Sean Hannity was described as a ‘sanctioned hit’ by one insider

    Used byThe Independent (Left)

  • Loaded verb

    grilledMore neutral: questioned

    ‘Grilled’ implies harsh pressure rather than questioning.

    During the Thursday night interview, Hannity grilled Zacharia over her Tuesday press briefing — which he called “widely panned” — and…

    Used byThe Independent (Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    embattledMore neutral: press secretary

    ‘Embattled’ pre-judges Zacharia’s standing before the reporting establishes it.

    …on the president’s preferred channel amounted to a “sanctioned hit” on the embattled press secretary.

    Used byThe Independent (Left)

  • Sensational language

    car crashMore neutral: Fox interview

    ‘Car crash’ characterizes the interview’s outcome in the outlet’s own voice before the facts are set out.

    Susie Wiles had a hand in setting up Katie Zacharia’s car crash Fox interview: report

    Used byThe Independent (Left)

  • Sensational language

    Turmoil EruptsMore neutral: White House Shake-up

    ‘Erupts’ dramatizes the internal situation beyond what the reporting describes.

    White House Turmoil Erupts as Trump Axes Zacharia, Backs Wiles

    Used byBloomberg (Left)

  • Loaded verb

    AxesMore neutral: fires

    ‘Axes’ is informal wording that implies abrupt, forceful removal.

    White House Turmoil Erupts as Trump Axes Zacharia, Backs Wiles

    Used byBloomberg (Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    disastrous hireMore neutral: hire

    ‘Disastrous’ judges the hire before the reporting sets out its results.

    President Donald Trump’s close personal assistant played a key role in his disastrous hire of Katie Zacharia, a new report has revealed.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    blonde aideMore neutral: aide

    Hair colour has no bearing on Harp’s role, so the label adds a demeaning description.

    …before being fired, was “furthered along with the strong input” of Trump’s fellow blonde aide, Natalie Harp, 35, sources tell Axios .

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    FiascoMore neutral: episode

    ‘Fiasco’ labels the hiring before the reporting explains what went wrong.

    Natalie Harp’s Role in White House Fiasco Revealed

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    debunk the Politico narrativeMore neutral: The texts contradict a Politico report that

    The outlet presents its own text messages as having refuted a report it disputes, which is a judgment on contested evidence.

    The texts debunk the Politico narrative that White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles “set up” and orchestrated the…

    Used byBreitbart News (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    DebunkingMore neutral: Contrary to a Politico report

    The headline states that texts refute the Politico account before the competing evidence is weighed.

    Texts Show Zacharia Sought Interview with Hannity, Debunking Politico's Claim Wiles Set It Up

    Used byBreitbart News (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    doomedMore neutral: brief

    Calling the tenure doomed gives a verdict on the outcome as if it were a reported fact.

    Katie Zacharia reveals her biggest lessons from doomed White House press secretary stint

    Used byThe Independent (Left)

  • Loaded verb

    grilled herMore neutral: questioned her

    “Grilled” adds a sense of hostile pressure beyond what the interview itself is reported to contain.

    Zacharia was fired hours after her rocky interview with Hannity, who grilled her over her inaugural press briefing and legal background

    Used byThe Independent (Left)

  • Sensational language

    disastrous weekMore neutral: difficult week

    “Disastrous” is the outlet’s own judgement of her week rather than a reported fact.

    …unfollows Sean Hannity on social media after interview helped cap off her disastrous week

    Used byThe Independent (Left)

  • Loaded verb

    showing off her toned absMore neutral: spotted in a workout outfit

    The phrase mocks her body and frames a routine public appearance as display.

    On Monday, Zacharia was spotted out and about in Los Angeles, California, showing off her toned abs days after being ousted from her role as Press Secretary.

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

  • Sensational language

    Superwoman-colored lycraMore neutral: workout outfit

    The comparison to a superhero costume adds ridicule that the report of her appearance does not require.

    Katie Zacharia dons Superwoman-colored lycra exercise outfit in first sighting since she quit as White House Press…

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

  • Sensational language

    disastrousMore neutral: short

    Disastrous is a judgement on her tenure that the dates and events do not establish by themselves.

    …outfit in first sighting since she quit as White House Press Secretary after five disastrous days

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    a mere four days after her first briefingMore neutral: four days after her first briefing

    The word mere signals a judgement that her tenure was too short to matter, which the reader is not given the basis to make.

    …was fired from President Trump’s administration on Friday — a mere four days after her first briefing.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Sensational language

    has last laughMore neutral: is seen working out in sunny SoCal after leaving

    The idiom implies Zacharia has triumphed over her firing, which the article does not establish.

    Ex White House press secretary Katie Zacharia has last laugh as she’s spotted working out in sunny SoCal

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Sensational language

    disastrous first briefingMore neutral: first briefing

    Disastrous is a judgement on the briefing that the description does not set out in detail.

    …secretary, Katie Zacharia, lasted less than a week at the podium after a disastrous first briefing

    Used byThe Independent (Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    another blonde womanMore neutral: Katie Zacharia

    Describing her by appearance links her to a pattern the article does not establish.

    Trump then tapped Katie Zacharia, another blonde woman, to replace Leavitt — she only lasted five days.

    Used byThe Independent (Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    Trump’s women problemMore neutral: how the administration treats women officials

    The headline presents a contested pattern as a problem of the president before the episode examines it.

    Katie Zacharia and Trump’s women problem – podcast

    Used byThe Guardian (Left)

  • Sensational language

    Humiliating ExitMore neutral: Exit from the role

    “Humiliating” judges how her exit went, a characterization the article does not establish from its own reporting.

    Katie Zacharia Posts Fighting Words After Humiliating Exit

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

Words quoted from someone else (6)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.

  • Sensational language

    Quoted

    sanctioned hitMore neutral: pointed interview

    ‘Sanctioned hit’ casts the interview as an ambush, a characterization from one unnamed insider.

    Zacharia’s contentious interview with Trump-pal Sean Hannity was described as a ‘sanctioned hit’ by one insider

    Quoted byThe Independent (Left)

    These are unnamed insider’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

  • Delegitimizing label

    Quoted

    hit jobMore neutral: critical interview

    Calling the interview a hit job asserts bad faith without evidence, in the words of a commenter.

    …while another added, “He doesn’t deserve your follow.” A third chimed in: “It was a hit job, but she was doomed anyway.” The 41-year-old was ousted on October 16 after just five…

    Quoted byThe Independent (Left)

    These are an unnamed social media commenter’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

  • Sensational language

    Quoted

    fiascoMore neutral: controversy

    The word is part of the anchor’s question and frames the tenure as a disaster.

    “What does this whole fiasco say about White House vetting and whether Donald Trump chooses people who look pretty…

    Quoted byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

    These are Andrew Bolt’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

  • Loaded modifier

    Quoted

    look prettyMore neutral: have the qualifications

    The question judges the hiring by appearance rather than by qualifications, a framing put to Spicer as a question.

    …fiasco say about White House vetting and whether Donald Trump chooses people who look pretty and just agree with him instead of people who are competent at the job?” anchor…

    Quoted byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

    These are Andrew Bolt’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

Show 2 more quoted phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded verb

    Quoted

    insistedMore neutral: said

    Insisted presents her statement as pressing a claim against doubt, where said would report her words neutrally.

    “Answering the president’s call to serve was an honor,” Zacharia insisted.

    Quoted byHuffPost (Far Left)

    These are Katie Zacharia’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

  • Loaded verb

    Quoted

    insistsMore neutral: says

    Insists presents her statement as pressing a claim against doubt, where says would report her words neutrally.

    …proud of her brief, if highly scrutinized, stint as White House press secretary and insists she’ll continue to support President Donald Trump even though her tenure in his…

    Quoted byHuffPost (Far Left)

    These are Katie Zacharia’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

4 outlets · 1 opinion

Leads with

  • Susie Wiles’s role in the ouster
  • The Hannity interview as the trigger
  • White House infighting

Leaves out

  • Texts reported by Breitbart and the New York Post showing Zacharia sought the interview

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

See the 5 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • The five-day tenure
  • Lessons learned from the role
See the headline from the centerHide the headlines
  • NewsweekCenter

    Katie Zacharia Remarks on Lessons Learned in 5 Days as Trump's Press Sec

    Zacharia gleaned three lessons from the five days she spent at the helm of the Trump administration's communications team.

    Read at Newsweek (opens in a new tab)

From the right

3 outlets · 2 opinion

Leads with

  • Wiles’s role in the ouster
  • Zacharia’s own push for TV interviews
  • Zacharia’s podium performance

Leaves out

  • Trump publicly backing Wiles amid questions about her future

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

See the 5 headlines 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

    4 hr 58 min later

    Its first report, Oct 17, 12:54 AM EDT

  • Center

    3 days 17 hr later

    Its first report, Oct 20, 1:44 PM EDT

  • Right

    First to report

    Daily Mail, Oct 16, 7:56 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Daily MailRightOct 16, 7:56 PM EDT
  2. The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 17, 12:54 AM EDT
  3. The IndependentLeftOct 17, 10:43 AM EDT
  4. BloombergLeftOct 17, 12:44 PM EDT
  5. New York PostRightOct 18, 11:42 AM EDT
  6. Breitbart NewsFar RightOct 18, 7:15 PM EDT
  7. NewsweekCenterOct 20, 1:44 PM EDT
  8. HuffPostFar LeftOct 20, 3:10 PM EDT

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

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