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Missouri man adopted as infant learns singer Michael McDonald is his biological father

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 8 outlets, mostly right-leaning (62%).

11 articles in total, 1 of them opinion. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Michael Goessling, a 58-year-old St. Louis man adopted as an infant, has learned that his biological father is five-time Grammy winner Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers. Goessling was placed for adoption after his biological parents conceived him when both were 14 years old, and he was raised by adoptive parents Paul and Kay Goessling. The discovery began when a half-brother he didn’t know about submitted a DNA sample to 23andMe, leading to contact between the families. Goessling met his biological mother in person on his 58th birthday and later spoke with McDonald by phone, asking, “Are you Michael McDonald?” McDonald confirmed it, and the two later met in person and embraced.

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. Michael Goessling was placed for adoption as an infant and raised in St. Louis by Paul and Kay Goessling.

    Reported byLeftRight

  2. His biological parents conceived him when they were both 14 years old.

    Reported byLeftRight

  3. The discovery began after a half-brother he didn’t know existed took a 23andMe DNA test.

    Reported byLeftRight

  4. Goessling met his biological mother in person on his 58th birthday.

    Reported byLeftRight

  5. During a phone call, Goessling asked, “Are you Michael McDonald?” and McDonald replied, “Yeah, I’m afraid so.”

    Reported byLeftRight

Show 2 more pointsShow fewer points

  1. McDonald said “the real rock stars in this story” were Goessling’s adoptive parents.

    Reported byRight

  2. Goessling received a letter in May from an attorney representing his birth parents asking to make contact.

    Reported byLeftRight

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • Goessling’s age at the time of the reunion

    NY Post, Breitbart and other outlets describe him meeting his biological mother on his “58th birthday,” while NBC News describes him as “59” at the time the story was reported.

How each side tells it

Compare views

  • the left

    3 outlets

    Left-side outlets report the discovery straightforwardly, with NBC News emphasizing direct quotes from the phone call and TheGrio and the Times following the same factual chronology.

    Missouri man learns his biological father is a rock star man learns his biological father is a rock star
    NBC NewsLeftAll 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

    5 outlets · 1 opinion

    Right-side outlets, including an opinion piece from PJ Media and a rhetorical aside from The Western Journal, generally frame the story around the emotional reunion and McDonald’s fame, while Fox News’s exclusive leans into dramatic language about the reveal.

    EXCLUSIVE: Michael McDonald’s long-lost son reveals Sensational language“stunning moment”Describes the discovery with dramatic emphasis rather than a neutral description of the event.More neutral: the moment he discoveredDisagree with this highlight? he discovered famous father after 58 years
    Fox NewsFar RightAll 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.

  • Right1

    stunning moment

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    stunning momentMore neutral: the moment he discovered

    Describes the discovery with dramatic emphasis rather than a neutral description of the event.

    EXCLUSIVE: Michael McDonald’s long-lost son reveals stunning moment he discovered famous father after 58 years

    Used byFox 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

3 outlets

Leads with

  • chronological account of the DNA discovery
  • quotes from Goessling describing the phone call
  • background on the adoption

Leaves out

  • McDonald’s quote calling the adoptive parents “the real rock stars” of the story

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

See the 3 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

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

5 outlets · 1 opinion

Leads with

  • the emotional reunion between father and son
  • McDonald’s celebrity status and musical career
  • praise for the adoptive parents
See the 7 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • Fox NewsFar Right

    EXCLUSIVE: Michael McDonald’s long-lost son reveals Sensational language“stunning moment”Describes the discovery with dramatic emphasis rather than a neutral description of the event.More neutral: the moment he discoveredDisagree with this highlight? he discovered famous father after 58 years

    A St. Louis man adopted through Catholic Charities nearly 60 years ago learned his biological father is Doobie Brothers singer Michael McDonald.

    Read at Fox News (opens in a new tab)

    Also published by New York Post. It counts once.

  • The Western JournalFar Right

    DNA Test Leads to Adopted Man Learning His Biological Father Is a Rock-and-Roll Legend

    A man from St. Louis, Missouri, who’d been adopted, found out his biological father is five-time Grammy Award winner Michael McDonald after his half-brother took a DNA test last year.

    Read at The Western Journal (opens in a new tab)
  • The Washington TimesRight

    St. Louis man learns his father is Doobie Brothers' Michael McDonald

    A St. Louis man who spent decades wondering about his biological roots has discovered that his father is Michael McDonald, the five-time Grammy-winning singer of the Doobie Brothers.

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

    Video: Adopted Missouri Man Discovers Doobie Brothers Singer Michael McDonald Is His Biological Father

    An adopted Missouri man has discovered that Doobie Brothers singer Michael McDonald is his biological father.

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

    Adopted Missouri man discovers Michael McDonald of Doobie Brothers, yacht rock fame is his biological father

    “The real rock stars in this story are his adoptive parents," the five-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter said.

    Read at New York Post (opens in a new tab)
  • PJ MediaFar RightOpinion

    ‘You Belong to Me’: Man Discovers That Michael McDonald Is His Biological Father

    I don’t know what it’s like to be adopted, but I imagine that the desire to find out who your biological parents are could be an emotional journey minute by minute. …

    Read at PJ Media (opens in a new tab)
  • New York PostRightFox News report

    Michael McDonald’s long-lost son reveals heartwarming family moments since discovering his dad was Doobie Brothers star

    New York Post published a report that is shown in full at Fox News. The headline is the one New York Post gave it.

    Read at New York Post (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

    12 hr 20 min later

    Its first report, Oct 2, 10:04 AM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    First to report

    New York Post, Oct 1, 9:44 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. New York PostRightOct 1, 9:44 PM EDT
  2. TheGrioLeftOct 2, 10:04 AM EDT
  3. The New York TimesLeftOct 2, 12:05 PM EDT
  4. NBC NewsLeftOct 2, 1:59 PM EDT
  5. Breitbart NewsFar RightOct 2, 2:15 PM EDT
  6. The Washington TimesRightOct 2, 4:34 PM EDT
  7. The Western JournalFar RightOct 2, 6:11 PM EDT
  8. Fox NewsFar RightOct 2, 7:00 PM EDT

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

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