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Macklemore says nine US arenas declined to host his Free Palestine tour

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Coverage spectrum

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

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

Macklemore says nine major U.S. arenas refused to host his Free Palestine benefit tour, and that venues offered dates by mid-September before withdrawing them once they learned the shows would benefit Palestinians. The Guardian and Breitbart report that he was removed from Ed Sheeran’s US tour in September after onstage remarks supporting Palestine. A Madison Square Garden spokesperson told TMZ that the venue has limited availability and that Macklemore is not an arena-level act. Macklemore’s first Free Palestine dates were in Dublin, London and Paris.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. Editors read every story. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Macklemore says nine US arenas declined to host his Free Palestine tour.

    Reported byLeft1Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    Breitbart News

  2. Macklemore says venues offered dates by mid-September and then withdrew them after learning the shows would benefit Palestinians.

    Reported byLeft1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Right
    New York Post

  3. A Madison Square Garden spokesperson told TMZ that the venue has limited availability and that Macklemore is not an arena-level act.

    One outletNew York Post· Right

  4. Macklemore was removed from Ed Sheeran’s 2026 US tour in September after onstage remarks supporting Palestine.

    Reported byLeft1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Far Right
    Breitbart News

  5. Macklemore’s Free Palestine tour first played Dublin, London and Paris before the US arena requests.

    Reported byLeft1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Far Right
    Breitbart News

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Questions the coverage answers differently, and who says what.

  • Did the venues withdraw available dates after learning the shows would benefit Palestinians?

    Macklemore says venues offered dates through the end of the year and then withdrew them once they learned the shows were a Palestine benefit. A Madison Square Garden spokesperson, reported by the New York Post, said the venue has limited availability and that Macklemore is not an arena-level act.

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three outlets report Macklemore’s claim that nine US arenas refused to host his Free Palestine tour after his removal from Ed Sheeran’s tour. The right-side outlets lead with labels such as radical and humiliated and with the arena’s rebuttal, while the left-side Guardian reports the claim as an account of intimidation and suppression.

  • the left

    1 outlet

    The Guardian reports Macklemore’s claim as a statement, naming the number of arenas and the tour, and attributes the allegation of intimidation and suppression to him without adjectives.

    Macklemore says that nine US arenas turned down his Free Palestine tour
    The GuardianLeftAll 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

    2 outlets

    Far-right Breitbart casts Macklemore as a radical rapper dropped over Hamas-adjacent activism; the New York Post headlines him as humiliated and stresses the arena’s rebuttal.

    Loaded modifier“Humiliated”Describes Macklemore’s state with a judgement that the reporting does not establish.More neutral: Macklemore speaks outDisagree with this highlight? Macklemore speaks out after ‘Free Palestine’ tour pitch to California arenas: ‘We will build our own stages’
    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.

  • Left0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right4

    bruising explanationHumiliatedRadicalHamas-adjacent activism

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    bruising explanationMore neutral: explanation

    Calls the spokesperson’s comment harsh through an adjective rather than describing what it said.

    And they never will.” But Madison Square Garden offered a bruising explanation for the rejection, he’s simply not a big enough act.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    HumiliatedMore neutral: Macklemore speaks out

    Describes Macklemore’s state with a judgement that the reporting does not establish.

    Humiliated Macklemore speaks out after ‘Free Palestine’ tour pitch to California arenas: ‘We…

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    RadicalMore neutral: anti-Israel rapper

    Adds a judgement about the rapper’s character that the reported facts do not establish.

    Radical anti-Israel rapper Macklemore is accusing arena venues including Madison Square…

    Used byBreitbart News (Far Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    Hamas-adjacent activismMore neutral: pro-Palestinian activism

    Ties his activism to a militant group without stating what the link is or citing evidence for it.

    He was eventually booted off the tour by Sheeran’s promoters for his Hamas-adjacent activism.

    Used byBreitbart News (Far 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

Leads with

  • Nine arenas declining the tour
  • Claim of intimidation, manipulation and suppression
  • Removal from Ed Sheeran’s US tour

Leaves out

  • MSG’s stated reason that Macklemore is not an arena-level act

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

See the headline from the leftHide the headlines
  • The GuardianLeft

    Macklemore says that nine US arenas turned down his Free Palestine tour

    Rapper called out ‘intimidation, manipulation and suppression’ in a social media post, claiming major arenas refused to host him after the Ed Sheeran controversy Macklemore says that nine major US arenas have refused to host his Free Palestine fundraising tour, calling out …

    Read at The Guardian (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

2 outlets

Leads with

  • Removal from Ed Sheeran’s tour
  • Hamas-adjacent and radical labels
  • Madison Square Garden’s rebuttal

Leaves out

  • The Guardian’s praise of the European shows as a triumph

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

See the 2 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • Breitbart NewsFar Right

    Macklemore Accuses Madison Square Garden and Other U.S. Venues of Blocking His 'Free Palestine' Tour

    Loaded modifier“Radical”Adds a judgement about the rapper’s character that the reported facts do not establish.More neutral: anti-Israel rapperDisagree with this highlight? anti-Israel rapper Macklemore is accusing arena venues including Madison Square Garden of refusing to host his "Free Palestine" tour.

    Read at Breitbart News (opens in a new tab)
  • New York PostRight

    Loaded modifier“Humiliated”Describes Macklemore’s state with a judgement that the reporting does not establish.More neutral: Macklemore speaks outDisagree with this highlight? Macklemore speaks out after ‘Free Palestine’ tour pitch to California arenas: ‘We will build our own stages’

    Macklemore says more benefit concerts are coming, even if the next stage looks considerably different.

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

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

    The Guardian, Nov 6, 2:46 PM EST

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    3 hr 39 min later

    Its first report, Nov 6, 6:26 PM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The GuardianLeftNov 6, 2:46 PM EST
  2. New York PostRightNov 6, 6:26 PM EST
  3. Breitbart NewsFar RightNov 7, 5:59 AM EST

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

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