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New Mexico judge orders Meta to pay $25 billion in consumer protection case

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 19 outlets across the spectrum.

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

Illuminated hanging sign displaying the Meta logo in a building interior.
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A New Mexico judge ordered Meta Platforms to pay $25 billion after a jury found the company violated state consumer protection law in 43 million instances, according to Al Jazeera, Newsweek and Western Journal. Left and center outlets describe the verdict as finding that Meta misled Facebook users about data privacy. The case concerns Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting firm involved in Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, which obtained data from millions of Facebook users without their consent. Meta said it plans to appeal, and its chief legal officer said the company is confident it will prevail.

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. A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion in penalties.

    Across the spectrumReported byLeft4Center5Right2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The New York Times, The Guardian, Al Jazeera English, Los Angeles Times
    Center
    CNBC, BBC News, Deutsche Welle, France 24, Newsweek
    Right
    New York Post, The Washington Times
    Far Right
    The Western Journal

  2. The penalty followed a jury finding that Meta misled Facebook users about data privacy.

    Reported byLeft4Center4Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The New York Times, The Guardian, Al Jazeera English, Los Angeles Times
    Center
    BBC News, Deutsche Welle, France 24, Newsweek
    Far Right
    The Western Journal

  3. The case arose from Cambridge Analytica’s harvesting of Facebook user data, a firm involved in Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign.

    Reported byLeft1Center3Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Center
    BBC News, Deutsche Welle, Newsweek
    Right
    New York Post

  4. A jury in September found Meta committed more than 43 million violations of New Mexico consumer protection laws.

    Reported byLeft2Center1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Al Jazeera English, Los Angeles Times
    Center
    Newsweek
    Far Right
    The Western Journal

  5. The judge found state law warranted a penalty above $219 billion and reduced it to $25 billion.

    Reported byLeft1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Center
    Newsweek

  6. Meta says it plans to appeal, and its chief legal officer said it is confident it will prevail.

    One outletNewsweek· Center

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • The judge’s initial penalty figure before reduction.

    Reuters and Newsweek report the judge found state law warranted a penalty above $219 billion, while Western Journal reports an initial amount of $200 billion.

  • Meta misled users about data privacy.

    Left and center outlets report that the jury found Meta misled users; Meta says it plans to appeal, its chief legal officer said it is confident it will prevail, and Meta called the penalty a tax on speech.

How each side tells it

Compare views

All sides report that a New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion after a jury found it misled Facebook users on privacy. Center headlines state the penalty plainly, left headlines stress the misleading finding and right headlines stress the 2016 election link or a legal violation.

  • the left

    7 outlets

    Left headlines lead with the ruling and the finding that Meta misled users about privacy, and the Guardian’s description also ties the case to Trump’s 2016 campaign.

    Meta Ordered to Pay $25 Billion for Deceiving Users on Privacy
    The New York TimesLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    8 outlets

    Center headlines state the penalty plainly as a fine or order and name the Cambridge Analytica case, while Newsweek’s headline lists Meta’s other settlements and the Trump campaign.

    Meta ordered to pay $25 billion in Cambridge Analytica case
    Deutsche WelleCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    4 outlets

    Right-leaning headlines stress the 2016 election link or a legal violation; the NY Post’s is a Reuters report, and the far-right Western Journal’s calls it a forced settlement under BREAKING.

    Meta ordered to pay $25 billion for violating New Mexico's consumer protection law
    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.

  • Left1

    guilty of lying

  • Center2

    lying to the publicTrump Campaign Data Penalty

  • Right1

    slapped

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    lying to the publicMore neutral: misleading the public

    Lying asserts a deliberate intent to deceive, while the jury and judge found misleading statements.

    …following a two week trial earlier this year that found it had spent years lying to the public about how it handled Facebook user data.

    Used byBBC News (Center)

  • Loaded verb

    guilty of lyingMore neutral: found Meta misled

    Lying asserts a deliberate intent to deceive, while the verdict found misleading statements.

    A jury found Meta guilty of lying to Facebook users in ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠New Mexico about access to their data.

    Used byAl Jazeera English (Left)

  • Loaded verb

    slappedMore neutral: ordered

    Slapped is a dismissive physical verb for a court ordering a penalty.

    A state judge in New Mexico slapped Meta with one of the largest penalties on record for a tech company, ordering it to…

    Used byThe Western Journal (Far Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    Trump Campaign Data PenaltyMore neutral: New Mexico Privacy Penalty

    Ties the Trump campaign to the penalty against Meta, a link the penalty does not make; the case concerns a consulting firm’s data collection.

    Meta's Biggest Legal Settlements After $25B Trump Campaign Data Penalty

    Used byNewsweek (Center)

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.

  • Partisan shorthand

    Quoted

    a tax on speechMore neutral: a civil penalty

    Meta’s own name for the ruling presents its view of the penalty as fact; the penalty is a court-ordered civil penalty for violations found by a jury.

    Meta called the penalty “a tax on speech.”

    Quoted byFrance 24 (Center)

    These are Meta’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

7 outlets

Leads with

  • Meta misled users on privacy
  • one of the largest penalties
  • link to Trump’s 2016 campaign
See the 7 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • Los Angeles TimesLeft

    Meta hit with $25-billion penalty for misleading Facebook users about data privacy

    The penalty in New Mexico stems from a lawsuit about a data privacy scandal that Facebook faced more than eight years ago.

    Read at Los Angeles Times (opens in a new tab)
  • Al Jazeera EnglishLeft

    Judge orders Meta to pay $25bn in fines for Facebook privacy violations

    A jury found Meta Loaded verb“guilty of lying”Lying asserts a deliberate intent to deceive, while the verdict found misleading statements.More neutral: found Meta misledDisagree with this highlight? to Facebook users in ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠New Mexico about access to their data.

    Read at Al Jazeera English (opens in a new tab)
  • CBS NewsLeft

    Meta ordered to pay $25 billion to New Mexico in data privacy ruling

    A jury found that the social media company had deceived consumers for years about its data privacy policies.

    Read at CBS News (opens in a new tab)
  • The GuardianLeftReuters report

    Meta ordered to pay $25bn to New Mexico in Cambridge Analytica data-privacy case

    Jury had found Meta misled consumers after Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign obtained user data without consent A judge in New Mexico ordered Meta Platforms to pay $25bn on ⁠Wednesday after a jury found the company had misled consumers in a case arising from allegations that a …

    Read at The Guardian (opens in a new tab)
  • Business InsiderLeft

    Meta ordered to pay $25 billion penalty over the Cambridge Analytica case

    The $25 billion penalty could be the largest against Meta in the company's history.

    Read at Business Insider (opens in a new tab)
  • ABC NewsLeftAssociated Press report

    Meta ordered to pay $25 billion for deceiving users about privacy on Facebook

    A judge has ordered Meta to pay New Mexico $25 billion after a jury found the company liable for deceiving users about privacy and content moderation on Facebook

    Read at ABC News (opens in a new tab)

    Also published by PBS NewsHour. It counts once.

  • The New York TimesLeft

    Meta Ordered to Pay $25 Billion for Deceiving Users on Privacy

    The penalty, one of the largest levied against the tech giant, stemmed from a lawsuit by New Mexico claiming the social media company had misled users about their data privacy.

    Read at The New York Times (opens in a new tab)

From the center

8 outlets

Leads with

  • the $25 billion penalty
  • Cambridge Analytica case
  • Meta’s other legal settlements
See the 8 headlines from the centerHide the headlines
  • NewsweekCenter

    Meta's Biggest Legal Settlements After $25B Loaded modifier“Trump Campaign Data Penalty”Ties the Trump campaign to the penalty against Meta, a link the penalty does not make; the case concerns a consulting firm’s data collection.More neutral: New Mexico Privacy PenaltyDisagree with this highlight?

    Meta faces a $25 billion New Mexico penalty after years of multibillion-dollar settlements and fines over privacy and safety.

    Read at Newsweek (opens in a new tab)
  • France 24Center

    Meta fined $25 billion in New Mexico over Cambridge Analytica scandal

    A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion after a jury found the company deceived users in a case linked to the Cambridge Analytica scandal, media reported Wednesday. The ruling follows an $18 billion settlement with 48 other states over similar claims. …

    Read at France 24 (opens in a new tab)
  • Deutsche WelleCenter

    Meta ordered to pay $25 billion in Cambridge Analytica case

    A New Mexico judge ordered Facebook's parent company, Meta, to pay $25 billion for misleading users over the Cambridge Analytica breach, which took place during Donald Trump's first presidential campaign.

    Read at Deutsche Welle (opens in a new tab)
  • BBC NewsCenter

    Meta fined $25bn for 'lies' over user data privacy

    The fine is the largest to date against Facebook's owner, larger than an $18bn deal with California.

    Read at BBC News (opens in a new tab)
  • Straight Arrow NewsCenter

    Meta to pay $25B to New Mexico for deceiving customers in latest legal loss

    A judge has ordered Meta to pay New Mexico $25 billion after a jury ruled the company violated state law 43 million times.

    Read at Straight Arrow News (opens in a new tab)
  • The HillCenter

    Judge orders Meta to pay New Mexico $25B in Cambridge Analytica case

    A judge in New Mexico ordered the technology giant Meta to pay $25 billion after a jury found the company liable for misleading users about its privacy and content policies. …

    Read at The Hill (opens in a new tab)
  • CNBCCenter

    Meta ordered to pay $25 billion penalty in New Mexico Cambridge Analytica case

    Meta to pay $25 billion in penalties related to Cambridge Analytica scandal in New Mexico.

    Read at CNBC (opens in a new tab)
  • PBS NewsHourCenterAssociated Press report

    Meta must pay New Mexico $25 billion, its biggest fine ever, for deceiving users about Facebook privacy

    PBS NewsHour published a report that is shown in full at ABC News. The headline is the one PBS NewsHour gave it.

    Read at PBS NewsHour (opens in a new tab)

From the right

4 outlets

Leads with

  • 2016 election link
  • consumer protection violation
  • Meta being forced to pay
See the 4 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • Washington Free BeaconFar Right

    Soros AG Behind $25 Billion Judgment Against Meta That Promises To Police Speech

    A Democratic attorney general whose political rise was boosted by over $100,000 from George Soros secured a $25 billion judgment against Meta on Wednesday — the largest in the history of mankind — in a case that charged Meta with misleading users about its privacy practices. …

    Read at Washington Free Beacon (opens in a new tab)
  • The Western JournalFar Right

    BREAKING: Meta Forced to Pay $25 Billion Settlement for Privacy Breach

    A state judge in New Mexico slapped Meta with one of the largest penalties on record for a tech company, ordering it to pay $25 billion for privacy violations and

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

    Meta ordered to pay $25 billion for violating New Mexico's consumer protection law

    A district judge on Wednesday ordered that Meta pay a $25 billion civil penalty to New Mexico for violating the state's consumer protection law.

    Read at The Washington Times (opens in a new tab)
  • New York PostRightReuters report

    Meta ordered to pay $25B to New Mexico in Cambridge Analytica scandal over user data in 2016 election

    The state's attorney general had sued Meta in 2021 following revelations that Cambridge Analytica, a British political consulting firm, had harvested personal data from as many as 87 million Facebook users through a third-party app.

    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

    27 min later

    Its first report, Oct 21, 1:55 PM EDT

  • Center

    First to report

    CNBC, Oct 21, 1:27 PM EDT

  • Right

    26 min later

    Its first report, Oct 21, 1:53 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. CNBCCenterOct 21, 1:27 PM EDT
  2. New York PostRightOct 21, 1:53 PM EDT
  3. The New York TimesLeftOct 21, 1:55 PM EDT
  4. ABC NewsLeftOct 21, 2:04 PM EDT
  5. Business InsiderLeftOct 21, 2:11 PM EDT
  6. The HillCenterOct 21, 2:15 PM EDT
  7. The GuardianLeftOct 21, 2:34 PM EDT
  8. Straight Arrow NewsCenterOct 21, 2:35 PM EDT
  9. BBC NewsCenterOct 21, 2:40 PM EDT
  10. CBS NewsLeftOct 21, 2:44 PM EDT
  11. The Washington TimesRightOct 21, 3:15 PM EDT
  12. Deutsche WelleCenterOct 21, 3:27 PM EDT
  13. PBS NewsHourCenterOct 21, 3:49 PM EDT
  14. Al Jazeera EnglishLeftOct 21, 5:01 PM EDT
  15. France 24CenterOct 21, 5:21 PM EDT
  16. Los Angeles TimesLeftOct 21, 5:43 PM EDT
  17. The Western JournalFar RightOct 21, 5:50 PM EDT
  18. NewsweekCenterOct 21, 6:17 PM EDT
  19. Washington Free BeaconFar RightOct 21, 6:52 PM EDT

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

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