U.S. NewsFeature17 hr ago

Michigan Red Baron worker pauses GoFundMe after strangers raise nearly $800,000

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, all right-leaning.

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

Image via The Daily WireHow images are chosen Report this image

New York Post, Daily Mail and The Daily Wire report that Walt Zerod, a Michigan father of four who delivers frozen pizzas for Red Baron, has paused the GoFundMe page started for him after a prankster’s video of him went viral. The outlets say the fundraiser, started by Luke Oakenshield, a military veteran who did not know Zerod before the incident, had raised nearly $800,000 by Thursday, November 5. In an update, Zerod thanked donors, said he would not give interviews to protect his family’s privacy, and urged supporters to give to other causes or a local charity instead.

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

New to Mantle? It shows who is covering each story across the political spectrum, and highlights loaded words. How to read a storyHide the guide

The coverage spectrum counts the outlets covering a story at each of five points. A short or missing segment means that part of the spectrum is mostly quiet.

Governor Loaded verb“slams”It adds drama to what was said. The governor criticized the lawmakers; “slams” makes it sound like a fight.More neutral: criticizes lawmakers over budget delay

Highlights mark words that carry a judgement. Tap one to see why, and what a neutral writer would say. Here it is “criticizes”.

The 5-point spectrum

Far Left
Voices that strongly advocate for progressive policies and systemic change.
Left
Mainstream liberal perspectives focusing on social equality and regulation.
Center
Sources that prioritize neutral reporting and balanced viewpoints.
Right
Mainstream conservative perspectives focusing on market freedom and tradition.
Far Right
Voices that strongly advocate for conservative values and limited government.

How we measure bias

What happened

Key points

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

Walt Zerod paused the GoFundMe fundraiser started for him, announcing the decision on Thursday, November 5.
One side only: the rightReported byRight2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
Right
New York Post, Daily Mail
Far Right
The Daily Wire
The fundraiser had raised nearly $800,000 by the time it was paused.
One side only: the rightReported byRight2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
Right
New York Post, Daily Mail
Far Right
The Daily Wire
Zerod urged supporters to give to other causes, a local charity or a church helping families in need.
One side only: the rightReported byRight2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
Right
New York Post, Daily Mail
Far Right
The Daily Wire
Zerod said he would not give interviews to protect his family’s safety and privacy.
One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
Right
Daily Mail
Far Right
The Daily Wire
The GoFundMe was started by Luke Oakenshield, a military veteran from Chandler, Arizona, who did not know Zerod before the incident.
One outletThe Daily Wire· Far Right

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three outlets report that Walt Zerod paused a GoFundMe that raised nearly $800,000 after a prank video went viral. Coverage on this side differs mainly in tone, with the Daily Mail and New York Post stressing the prank’s cruelty while The Daily Wire centers the worker’s message.

the left
No coverage yet
No left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
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
3 outlets
Right-side headlines frame the worker as a victim of a cruel prank, with the Daily Mail using vile and humiliated, while The Daily Wire, rated Far Right, uses a neutral headline about his final message.
Michigan Red Baron worker in Loaded modifier“cruel prank”Calling the prank cruel is a judgement the headline makes in its own voice rather than a plain description of what happened.More neutral: prankDisagree with this highlight? pauses fundraiser after strangers help raise $785K
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.

Left
Has not covered this story.
Center
Has not covered this story.
Right8
confronting a prankstercruel videovileHumble

In the outlets’ own words

Loaded verb
confronting a pranksterMore neutral: responding to a prankster
Confronting implies a hostile encounter that the other outlets do not describe, where they say only that the worker was pranked or reacted.
The Red Baron employee who went viral last week for confronting a prankster has thanked supporters and asked them to help others after a fundraiser for…
Used byThe Daily Wire (Far Right)
Sensational language
cruel videoMore neutral: video
Calling the video cruel is a judgement in the outlet’s own voice rather than a description of its content.
Walt Z, a Red Baron employee, went viral after a streamer posted a cruel video of him pranking the father of four while on the job.
Used byDaily Mail (Right)
Sensational language
vileMore neutral: (omit) and quote or describe
Moral verdict in the reporter's voice.
The humble Red Baron worker who was humiliated by a vile influencer online has paused the GoFundMe page that has raised nearly $800,000 for him.…
Used byDaily Mail (Right)
Loaded modifier
HumbleMore neutral: Red Baron worker
The adjective pre-judges the worker’s character in the outlet’s own voice, adding sympathy the reporting does not state.
Humble Red Baron worker humiliated by vile influencer pauses GoFundMe that raised $800k so he…
Used byDaily Mail (Right)

Show 4 more phrasesShow fewer

Loaded verb
humiliatedMore neutral: pranked
The verb asserts how the worker felt and what was done to him, which the reporting does not establish beyond the prank itself.
Humble Red Baron worker humiliated by vile influencer pauses GoFundMe that raised $800k so he can live his life in…
Used byDaily Mail (Right)
Loaded modifier
vile influencerMore neutral: online prankster
Calling the person vile is a moral judgement in the outlet’s own voice that the reported facts do not establish.
Humble Red Baron worker humiliated by vile influencer pauses GoFundMe that raised $800k so he can live his life in peace
Used byDaily Mail (Right)
Loaded modifier
cruel trickMore neutral: trick
Calling the trick cruel is a judgement made in the outlet’s own voice rather than a plain description of the act.
A Michigan dad targeted in an Instagram prankster’s cruel trick has paused the fundraiser launched on his behalf after strangers rallied to raise…
Used byNew York Post (Right)
Loaded modifier
cruel prankMore neutral: prank
Calling the prank cruel is a judgement the headline makes in its own voice rather than a plain description of what happened.
Michigan Red Baron worker in cruel prank pauses fundraiser after strangers help raise $785K
Used byNew York Post (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

0 outlets

No left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

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

3 outlets

Leads with

the prank and the worker as victim
the nearly $800,000 raised
the worker’s thanks and request to give elsewhere

See the 3 headlines from the rightHide the headlines

New York PostRight
Michigan Red Baron worker in Loaded modifier“cruel prank”Calling the prank cruel is a judgement the headline makes in its own voice rather than a plain description of what happened.More neutral: prankDisagree with this highlight? pauses fundraiser after strangers help raise $785K
Walt Zerod, a father of four, thanked the thousands of people who rallied behind his family.
1 hr agoRead at New York Post (opens in a new tab)
Daily MailRight
Loaded modifier“Humble”The adjective pre-judges the worker’s character in the outlet’s own voice, adding sympathy the reporting does not state.More neutral: Red Baron workerDisagree with this highlight? Red Baron worker Loaded verb“humiliated”The verb asserts how the worker felt and what was done to him, which the reporting does not establish beyond the prank itself.More neutral: prankedDisagree with this highlight? by Loaded modifier“vile influencer”Calling the person vile is a moral judgement in the outlet’s own voice that the reported facts do not establish.More neutral: online pranksterDisagree with this highlight? pauses GoFundMe that raised $800k so he can live his life in peace
Walt Z, a Red Baron employee, went viral after a streamer posted a Sensational language“cruel video”Calling the video cruel is a judgement in the outlet’s own voice rather than a description of its content.More neutral: videoDisagree with this highlight? of him pranking the father of four while on the job.
13 hr agoRead at Daily Mail (opens in a new tab)
The Daily WireFar Right
Viral Red Baron Worker Leaves Supporters With A Final Message
The Red Baron employee who went viral last week for Loaded verb“confronting a prankster”Confronting implies a hostile encounter that the other outlets do not describe, where they say only that the worker was pranked or reacted.More neutral: responding to a pranksterDisagree with this highlight? has thanked supporters and asked them to help others after a fundraiser for his family collected nearly $800,000. …
17 hr agoRead at The Daily Wire (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
No report yet
From the outlets Mantle follows
Center
No report yet
From the outlets Mantle follows
Right
First to report
The Daily Wire, Nov 5, 8:59 AM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order

The Daily WireFar RightNov 5, 8:59 AM EST
Daily MailRightNov 5, 1:17 PM EST
New York PostRightNov 6, 1:09 AM EST

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

Michigan Red Baron worker pauses GoFundMe after strangers raise nearly $800,000

Coverage spectrum

Key points

Compare views

the left

the center

the right

Language to notice

In the outlets’ own words

Side by side

From the left

From the center

From the right

Michigan Red Baron worker in Loaded modifier“cruel prank”Calling the prank cruel is a judgement the headline makes in its own voice rather than a plain description of what happened.More neutral: prankDisagree with this highlight? pauses fundraiser after strangers help raise $785K

Viral Red Baron Worker Leaves Supporters With A Final Message

How the coverage built up

Read next

Police say one Lakewood officer was killed and three wounded in gunfight with suspect

Wisconsin reports infant measles death, its first from the disease since 1990

Judge temporarily blocks construction of Trump’s arch after panel approval

Hundreds of thousands protest across France over cost of living and wages

Trump says he would offer preemptive pardons to aides if Democrats win Congress

Key points

Compare views

the left

the center

the right

Language to notice

In the outlets’ own words

Side by side

From the left

From the center

From the right

Michigan Red Baron worker in cruel prankLoaded modifier“cruel prank”Calling the prank cruel is a judgement the headline makes in its own voice rather than a plain description of what happened.More neutral: prankDisagree with this highlight? pauses fundraiser after strangers help raise $785K

Viral Red Baron Worker Leaves Supporters With A Final Message

How the coverage built up

Read next

Police say one Lakewood officer was killed and three wounded in gunfight with suspect

Wisconsin reports infant measles death, its first from the disease since 1990

Judge temporarily blocks construction of Trump’s arch after panel approval

Hundreds of thousands protest across France over cost of living and wages

Trump says he would offer preemptive pardons to aides if Democrats win Congress

Michigan Red Baron worker in Loaded modifier“cruel prank”Calling the prank cruel is a judgement the headline makes in its own voice rather than a plain description of what happened.More neutral: prankDisagree with this highlight? pauses fundraiser after strangers help raise $785K