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Rick Jackson declines Atlanta Press Club debate; Keisha Lance Bottoms answers questions alone

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 7 outlets across the spectrum.

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

Republican Rick Jackson did not attend a Georgia governor debate hosted by the Atlanta Press Club on Monday night, so Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms answered journalists’ questions alone beside an empty podium. The debate began at 8 p.m. EDT, on the eve of Georgia’s early voting. Bottoms told the forum that Jackson would rather hide behind his billions than explain his record, according to Fox News. The Center Square reports that she outlined a plan to fund Medicaid expansion. Jackson’s campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment, Fox News reports. The Cook Political Report rates the race a toss-up, according to PBS NewsHour.

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. Republican nominee Rick Jackson did not attend the Atlanta Press Club governor debate on Monday night.

    Across the spectrumReported byFar Left1Left1Center2Right2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Left
    TheGrio
    Center
    PBS NewsHour, Newsweek
    Right
    The Center Square, The Washington Times
    Far Right
    Fox News

  2. Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms answered questions from journalists alone beside an empty podium.

    Across the spectrumReported byFar Left1Left1Center2Right2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Left
    TheGrio
    Center
    PBS NewsHour, Newsweek
    Right
    The Center Square, The Washington Times
    Far Right
    Fox News

  3. The debate was held on the eve of Georgia’s early voting.

    Reported byCenter1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    Newsweek
    Right
    The Washington Times

  4. Bottoms said Jackson would rather hide behind his billions than explain his record of making money off Georgia taxpayers.

    One outletFox News· Far Right

  5. Bottoms outlined a plan to fund Medicaid expansion during the debate.

    One outletThe Center Square· Right

  6. The Cook Political Report rates the race a toss-up, according to PBS NewsHour.

    One outletPBS NewsHour· Center

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side reports that Republican Rick Jackson skipped the Atlanta Press Club debate, leaving Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms to answer questions alone. The sides differ mainly in emphasis: center headlines stress the unusual format, left headlines the empty podium and Jackson’s embarrassment, and right headlines his absence.

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Left headlines center Jackson’s absence and the empty podium; the Far Left Daily Beast goes further, calling him humiliated and a MAGA billionaire.

    Keisha Lance Bottoms faced an empty podium as Rick Jackson skipped the Atlanta Press Club debate
    TheGrioLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    2 outlets

    Center headlines present the solo debate as an unusual, live event, with PBS and Newsweek focusing on Bottoms answering questions alone.

    WATCH: At Georgia governor debate, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms set to answer questions solo
    PBS NewsHourCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    3 outlets

    Right headlines report Jackson skipping and Bottoms beside an empty podium; the Far Right Fox News adds her Biden-adviser link, and The Center Square leads with her Medicaid plan.

    Georgia GOP nominee skips debate, leaving Keisha Lance Bottoms with empty podium
    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.

  • Left7

    dodgingroastbizarre opticssnubbed

  • Center1

    Showdown

  • Right1

    chided

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    chidedMore neutral: criticized

    The verb presents her criticism as scolding rather than describing what she said.

    …candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms outlined her plans to fund Medicaid expansion and chided her opponent as she stood on the debate stage alone Monday night.

    Used byThe Center Square (Right)

  • Sensational language

    ShowdownMore neutral: debate

    The word suggests a confrontation, while the event was a debate in which one candidate did not attend.

    Keisha Lance Bottoms Debates Alone in Unusual Georgia Governor Showdown

    Used byNewsweek (Center)

  • Loaded verb

    dodgingMore neutral: skipping

    The verb assigns evasive motive to a non-attendance whose reason is disputed.

    GOP gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson was left humiliated after dodging a high-profile debate, leaving his opponent to roast an empty podium.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    roastMore neutral: speak to

    The verb describes a candidate’s remarks in mocking terms rather than as a speech.

    …was left humiliated after dodging a high-profile debate, leaving his opponent to roast an empty podium.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

Show 5 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Sensational language

    bizarre opticsMore neutral: the empty podium

    The phrase adds a judgement about how the event looked, beyond the facts of the empty podium.

    …Democratic candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms and took full advantage of the bizarre optics.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    snubbedMore neutral: did not attend

    The verb presents a scheduling decision as a deliberate insult without evidence in the text.

    The MAGA-aligned billionaire, who is running for governor in Georgia, snubbed the event alongside Democratic candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms and took full advantage…

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Partisan shorthand

    MAGAMore neutral: Republican

    The MAGA label is a partisan name attached to a person and frames him before the facts of the debate are described.

    MAGA Billionaire Humiliated After Ditching Debate

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    HumiliatedMore neutral: absent

    The word asserts Jackson’s emotional state and a judgement of his conduct, which the article does not establish.

    MAGA Billionaire Humiliated After Ditching Debate

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    DitchingMore neutral: skipping

    The verb adds a judgement of abandonment to the fact that he did not attend.

    MAGA Billionaire Humiliated After Ditching Debate

    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.

  • Loaded verb

    Quoted

    rather hide behind his billionsMore neutral: Jackson did not attend the debate

    Bottoms characterizes Jackson’s motive in a way that is her judgement, not a reported fact.

    …32 years," Bottoms said during the forum, claiming that Jackson, would "rather hide behind his billions than explain to you his record of making billions off the taxpayers of…

    Quoted byFox News (Far Right)

    These are Keisha Lance Bottoms’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

2 outlets

Leads with

  • Jackson’s absence
  • empty podium
  • Jackson’s embarrassment
  • MAGA billionaire label

Leaves out

  • Bottoms’s Medicaid expansion plan

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

See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • TheGrioLeft

    Keisha Lance Bottoms faced an empty podium as Rick Jackson skipped the Atlanta Press Club debate

    Keisha Lance Bottoms participated alone in an Atlanta Press Club debate after Republican nominee Rick Jackson declined to attend. The

    Read at TheGrio (opens in a new tab)
  • The Daily BeastFar Left

    Partisan shorthand“MAGA”The MAGA label is a partisan name attached to a person and frames him before the facts of the debate are described.More neutral: RepublicanDisagree with this highlight? Billionaire Sensational language“Humiliated”The word asserts Jackson’s emotional state and a judgement of his conduct, which the article does not establish.More neutral: absentDisagree with this highlight? After Loaded verb“Ditching”The verb adds a judgement of abandonment to the fact that he did not attend.More neutral: skippingDisagree with this highlight? Debate

    GOP gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson was left humiliated after Loaded verb“dodging”The verb assigns evasive motive to a non-attendance whose reason is disputed.More neutral: skippingDisagree with this highlight? a high-profile debate, leaving his opponent to Loaded verb“roast”The verb describes a candidate’s remarks in mocking terms rather than as a speech.More neutral: speak toDisagree with this highlight? an empty podium. …

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

From the center

2 outlets

Leads with

  • Bottoms answering alone
  • unusual debate format
  • timing before early voting

Leaves out

  • Jackson’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment

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

See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines
  • NewsweekCenter

    Keisha Lance Bottoms Debates Alone in Unusual Georgia Governor Sensational language“Showdown”The word suggests a confrontation, while the event was a debate in which one candidate did not attend.More neutral: debateDisagree with this highlight?

    The Democratic nominee answered questions alone after her opponent skipped the debate on the eve of Georgia’s early voting.

    Read at Newsweek (opens in a new tab)
  • PBS NewsHourCenter

    WATCH: At Georgia governor debate, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms set to answer questions solo

    Georgia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms is set to take the debate stage Monday without her Republican opponent.

    Read at PBS NewsHour (opens in a new tab)

From the right

3 outlets

Leads with

  • Jackson’s absence
  • empty podium
  • Bottoms’s Biden-adviser tie
  • Bottoms’s Medicaid plan

Leaves out

  • Cook Political Report toss-up rating

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

See the 3 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • The Washington TimesRight

    Georgia GOP nominee skips debate, leaving Keisha Lance Bottoms with empty podium

    Republican gubernatorial nominee Rick Jackson skipped the Atlanta Press Club's governor's debate Monday night, leaving Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms to field questions from journalists beside an empty podium on the eve of early voting.

    Read at The Washington Times (opens in a new tab)
  • Fox NewsFar Right

    GOP governor candidate skips debate against former Biden advisor, replaced by empty podium

    Georgia Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson did not attend a debate, leaving Democratic rival Keisha Lance Bottoms next to an empty podium at the event.

    Read at Fox News (opens in a new tab)
  • The Center SquareRight

    Bottoms outlines plan to fund Medicaid in solo debate

    (The Center Square) – Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms outlined her plans to fund Medicaid expansion and Loaded verb“chided”The verb presents her criticism as scolding rather than describing what she said.More neutral: criticizedDisagree with this highlight? her opponent as she stood on the debate stage alone Monday night.

    Read at The Center Square (opens in a new tab)

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

    17 hr 43 min later

    Its first report, Oct 13, 9:42 AM EDT

  • Center

    First to report

    PBS NewsHour, Oct 12, 3:59 PM EDT

  • Right

    4 hr 32 min later

    Its first report, Oct 12, 8:32 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. PBS NewsHourCenterOct 12, 3:59 PM EDT
  2. The Center SquareRightOct 12, 8:32 PM EDT
  3. NewsweekCenterOct 12, 11:46 PM EDT
  4. The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 13, 9:42 AM EDT
  5. TheGrioLeftOct 13, 11:13 AM EDT
  6. Fox NewsFar RightOct 13, 11:57 AM EDT
  7. The Washington TimesRightOct 13, 2:20 PM EDT

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

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