PoliticsDeveloping
MI5 chief says Russia attempted to interfere in 2016 Brexit referendum
By Mantle News
Coverage spectrum
Covered by 3 outlets, mostly center (67%).
3 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias
The head of MI5, Ken McCallum, said Russia attempted to interfere in the 2016 Brexit referendum through social media, television broadcasts and online trolls, but said this did not mean the Kremlin affected the result. His remarks came after Andy Burnham, now prime minister, said Moscow had tried to interfere in the vote. McCallum said the attempts were not particularly sophisticated or successful and warned against overstating their impact. Conservative deputy leader Alex Burghart criticized his comments as a slap down to the prime minister. According to the Guardian, the Russian-owned broadcasters RT and Sputnik were among the channels involved.
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.
MI5 chief Ken McCallum said Russia attempted to interfere in the 2016 Brexit referendum.
Reported byLeft1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
- Left
- The Guardian
- Center
- BBC News
McCallum said the interference attempts did not establish that the Kremlin affected the result, and warned against overstating their impact.
Reported byLeft1Center2See the outletsHide the outlets
- Left
- The Guardian
- Center
- BBC News, Sky News
Andy Burnham said Moscow tried to interfere in the 2016 referendum, which drew criticism from some Brexit campaigners.
Reported byLeft1Center2See the outletsHide the outlets
- Left
- The Guardian
- Center
- BBC News, Sky News
McCallum said the two channels were Russian-owned broadcasters RT and Sputnik and fake social media accounts, and that neither was particularly sophisticated or successful.
One outletThe Guardian· Left
Conservative deputy leader Alex Burghart called McCallum’s comments an extraordinary slap down to the prime minister.
One outletBBC News· Center
How each side tells it
Compare views
Sides present report that MI5 chief Ken McCallum said Russia tried to interfere in the 2016 Brexit referendum but that this did not clearly change the result. The Guardian stresses the confirmation and the cost of the debate, while the center outlets stress the limited impact.
the left
1 outlet
The Guardian’s headline presents the MI5 chief’s comments as confirmation that Russia tried to interfere, and its text centers on the cost of continuing the debate.
Russia did try to interfere in Brexit referendum, head of MI5 confirms
The GuardianLeftAll left-leaning headlines the center
2 outlets
Both center headlines lead with the MI5 chief’s view that the impact was limited, and Sky’s calls the prime minister’s statement a meddling claim.
Russia did try to interfere with Brexit vote but had little impact, MI5 chief says
BBC NewsCenterAll center headlines the right
No coverage yet
No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
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.
Center2
provoked a backlashmeddling claim
Right
Has not covered this story.
In the outlets’ own words
Loaded verb
provoked a backlashMore neutral: drew criticism
Provoked implies the prime minister caused the reaction, where the reported fact is only that some campaigners criticized his remarks.
It comes after Prime Minister Andy Burnham provoked a backlash from some Brexit campaigners by saying it was "clear" there had been…
Used byBBC News (Center)
Delegitimizing label
meddling claimMore neutral: interference claim
Meddling is more pejorative than the interference used by the other outlets for the same reported event, and calling it a claim sets it apart from the head of MI5’s confirmation.
Brexit result 'not in dispute' despite PM's Russia meddling claim, MI5 chief says
Used bySky News (Center)
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 outletLeads with
- MI5 chief confirms interference attempt
- Burnham’s comments endorsed
- continued debate as a propaganda win for the Kremlin
Leaves out
- Conservative criticism of the MI5 chief’s comments
Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.
See the headline from the leftHide the headlines
- The GuardianLeft
Russia did try to interfere in Brexit referendum, head of MI5 confirms
Spy chief Ken McCallum said Kremlin had attempted to influence 2016 vote through social media and TV reports Russia did try to interfere in the Brexit referendum through social media and television reports, the head of MI5 said today, but he added that did not mean the Kremlin …
From the center
2 outletsLeads with
- limited impact on the result
- prime minister’s claim of interference
- Conservative criticism of the MI5 chief’s comments
Leaves out
- Named Russian-owned broadcasters RT and Sputnik
Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.
See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines
- Sky NewsCenter
Brexit result 'not in dispute' despite PM's Russia Delegitimizing label“meddling claim”Meddling is more pejorative than the interference used by the other outlets for the same reported event, and calling it a claim sets it apart from the head of MI5’s confirmation.More neutral: interference claimDisagree with this highlight?, MI5 chief says
The head of MI5 has said the result of the Brexit referendum "is not in dispute" after the prime minister said Russia had interfered in the 2016 vote.
- BBC NewsCenter
Russia did try to interfere with Brexit vote but had little impact, MI5 chief says
It comes after Andy Burnham said Moscow had tried to interfere in the 2016 referendum.
From the right
0 outletsNo right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
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 Guardian, Oct 13, 11:15 AM EDT
Center
1 hr 51 min later
Its first report, Oct 13, 1:06 PM EDT
Right
No report yet
From the outlets Mantle follows
See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
- The GuardianLeftOct 13, 11:15 AM EDT
- BBC NewsCenterOct 13, 1:06 PM EDT
- Sky NewsCenterOct 13, 3:43 PM EDT
Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.
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