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NFL's first game in France, Steelers vs. Saints, is played despite protests in Paris

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 4 outlets. No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered it yet.

9 articles in total, 2 of them opinion. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Gendarmes in tactical vests stand outside a stadium as Steelers fans walk past, with NFL Paris banners behind.
Image via Fox NewsHow images are chosenReport this image

The NFL held its first-ever game in France on Sunday, when the Pittsburgh Steelers played the New Orleans Saints. Protests and rioting had broken out in Paris and other French cities in the days before the game. NBC News reported that thousands of American fans attended amid tight security and heavily armed patrols. CBS News reported that the State Department had advised Americans to stay cautious. Fox News reported that President Donald Trump said he was worried about the game, and that Paris Saint-Germain moved its Saturday match to Monday because of the unrest. Fox News also reported that the Steelers won.

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. The NFL played its first-ever game in France on Sunday, Steelers against Saints, despite protests in Paris and other French cities.

    Reported byLeft2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    CBS News, NBC News
    Far Right
    Fox News

  2. Protests and rioting broke out in Paris and other French cities in the days before the game.

    Across the spectrumReported byLeft2Right1Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    CBS News, NBC News
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    Townhall, Fox News

  3. Thousands of American fans attended the game under tight security and heavily armed patrols.

    One side only: the leftReported byLeft2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    CBS News, NBC News

  4. The State Department advised Americans to stay cautious because of recent violence and rioting.

    One outletCBS News· Left

  5. Paris Saint-Germain postponed its Saturday match to Monday because of the unrest.

    One outletFox News· Far Right

  6. President Donald Trump said he was worried about the game, and Fox News reported he had called for it to be postponed.

    One outletFox News· Far Right

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • Paris was in chaos or war-torn during the NFL game.

    Townhall, the New York Post and Fox News describe riot-torn or war-torn Paris and chaos in the city. NBC News describes fans in high spirits and undeterred, while CBS News reports rioting and violence alongside the fans' trip.

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side reports that the NFL's first game in France, Steelers against Saints, was played on Sunday despite protests and unrest in Paris. Right-side outlets lead with riots, chaos and Trump's concerns, while left-side outlets lead with fans going ahead and the security and warnings around the trip.

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Left-side headlines stress that fans went ahead with the game despite mass protests, and describe the trip in calm terms such as high spirits and being undeterred.

    NFL game kicks off in France after mass protests
    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

    2 outlets · 1 opinion

    Right-side headlines stress riots, chaos and danger to fans in riot-torn or war-torn Paris; the Far Right opinion pieces are the most vivid, comparing the trip to the Freddie Gray riots.

    NFL fans put on brave face in Paris as Steelers beat Saints with Sensational language“chaos”Chaos presents the city as in disorder, which goes beyond the protests, looting and violence the article describes.More neutral: unrestDisagree with this highlight? in the city
    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.

  • Left1

    heavily armed patrols

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right7

    mayhemWar-Torntear the city of lights apartovercomes

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    mayhemMore neutral: unrest

    A dramatic word for the disorder that adds emphasis beyond the facts given.

    That game, held on April 25, went into extra innings, but the mayhem spilled too close to the ballpark.

    Used byTownhall (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    War-TornMore neutral: riot-hit

    Calls Paris war-torn, which describes riots and protests as a war and goes beyond the facts given.

    So, NFL, Maybe Having That Saints-Steelers Game in War-Torn Paris Was a Bad Idea

    Used byTownhall (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    tear the city of lights apartMore neutral: even as protests were expected in the city

    Dramatizes the threat of protests as tearing the city apart, which the facts given do not show.

    …took in the sights of Paris even as looming protests threatened to tear the city of lights apart.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    overcomesMore neutral: plays despite

    Presents the game as a triumph over unrest, where neutral wording such as plays despite would describe the decision without judgment.

    NFL overcomes civil unrest, Trump concerns and calls to postpone as Steelers and Saints kick off…

    Used byFox News (Far Right)

Show 4 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Sensational language

    heavily armed patrolsMore neutral: armed patrols

    The adjective adds emphasis beyond the fact that armed patrols were present.

    …fans showed up for the Steelers-Saints game amidst tight security and heavily armed patrols.

    Used byNBC News (Left)

  • Loaded verb

    bravedMore neutral: attended

    Braved casts attending the game as facing danger, while the fans quoted in the same article say it was not as bad as expected.

    While NFL fans braved Paris amid civil unrest and violent protests to attend the first-ever game in France,…

    Used byFox News (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    admittedMore neutral: said

    Admitted implies a reluctant confession, while the sentence reports a plain statement of concern.

    Even President Donald Trump admitted he was "worried about it," talking about the Steelers-Saints matchup.

    Used byFox News (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    chaosMore neutral: unrest

    Chaos presents the city as in disorder, which goes beyond the protests, looting and violence the article describes.

    NFL fans put on brave face in Paris as Steelers beat Saints with chaos in the city

    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

2 outlets

Leads with

  • fans attending anyway
  • game going ahead despite mass protests
  • State Department caution
  • heavy security

Leaves out

  • Trump's concerns about the game
  • Paris Saint-Germain postponing its match

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

See the 2 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

2 outlets · 1 opinion

Leads with

  • riots and chaos in Paris
  • danger to fans
  • Trump's concerns about postponement
  • fans shrugging off the risk

Leaves out

  • State Department advice to stay cautious

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

See the 3 headlines from the rightHide the headlines

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

    17 hr 52 min later

    Its first report, Oct 25, 2:15 PM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    First to report

    New York Post, Oct 24, 8:23 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. New York PostRightOct 24, 8:23 PM EDT
  2. NBC NewsLeftOct 25, 2:15 PM EDT
  3. CBS NewsLeftOct 25, 6:00 PM EDT
  4. Fox NewsFar RightOct 25, 8:58 PM EDT

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

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