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Steelers and Saints to play NFL game in Paris on Sunday amid protests and riots in France

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 6 outlets across the spectrum.

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

Riot police in helmets stand near a large fire and burning car on a Paris street.
Image via Breitbart NewsHow images are chosenReport this image

The NFL will play the Steelers and the Saints in Paris on Sunday, its first regular-season game in France, despite protests and rioting across the country. The league says it is vigilant about security and remains confident in its plans, according to Fox News. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told OutKick and Fox News Digital that the US embassy in France believes the game will be fine. Dani Watt, wife of Steelers linebacker TJ Watt, publicly questioned why the game is going ahead. Newsweek reports fan backlash over the decision. Breitbart reports that the unrest followed protests over school conditions and living costs.

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 will play the Steelers and Saints in Paris on Sunday despite unrest in France.

    Reported byLeft1Center2Right1Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Al Jazeera English
    Center
    Newsweek, The Hill
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    Fox News, Breitbart News

  2. Protests and rioting have spread across France.

    Reported byLeft1Center2Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Al Jazeera English
    Center
    Newsweek, The Hill
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    Breitbart News

  3. The NFL says it is vigilant about security and remains confident in its plans for the game.

    One side only: the rightReported byFar Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Right
    Fox News, Breitbart News

  4. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US embassy in France believes the game will be fine.

    Reported byCenter1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    The Hill
    Far Right
    Fox News

  5. Dani Watt, wife of Steelers linebacker TJ Watt, questioned the decision to play the game.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    Fox News, Breitbart News

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • The game can go ahead safely in Paris despite the unrest.

    The NFL says it remains confident in its security plans, and Rubio says the US embassy believes the game will be fine. Dani Watt and some fans question how playing the game makes sense amid the unrest.

How each side tells it

Compare views

All sides report that the NFL will play the Steelers and Saints in Paris on Sunday despite unrest in France. The left headline stresses the historic matchup in a riot-hit city, the center stresses fan backlash and Rubio's assurance, and the right stresses NFL security plans and Dani Watt's objection, with the far right using harsher wording.

  • the left

    1 outlet

    Headline presents the game as a historic matchup set in a riot-hit city, placing the sporting event against the unrest.

    Steelers and Saints set for historic NFL clash in riot-hit Paris
    Al Jazeera EnglishLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    2 outlets

    Center headlines split: Newsweek leads with fan backlash over the decision, while The Hill leads with Rubio's assurance that the game will be fine despite riots.

    Rubio: NFL game in Paris will be 'fine' despite riots
    The HillCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    3 outlets

    Headlines center the NFL's security plans and TJ Watt's wife's objection; Far Right outlets Breitbart and Fox run the sharpest versions, with Breitbart describing Paris as in anarchy.

    T.J. Watt’s Wife Loaded verb“Calls Out”Calls out frames her questioning as a public rebuke, while the article reports a challenge she posted on Instagram.More neutral: questionsDisagree with this highlight? NFL for Proceeding with Paris Game Despite Riots: 'Tell Me How This Makes Sense?'
    Breitbart 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.

  • Center2

    fumingFierce Backlash

  • Right2

    riot-torn countryCalls Out

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    fumingMore neutral: criticizing

    The verb describes anger more strongly than the reported reaction supports.

    Football fans are fuming over the NFL's decision to forge ahead with the Saints-Steelers game amid the current…

    Used byNewsweek (Center)

  • Sensational language

    Fierce BacklashMore neutral: Criticism

    The word adds intensity beyond what the reported criticism establishes.

    NFL Facing Fierce Backlash for Playing Saints-Steelers During France Protests

    Used byNewsweek (Center)

  • Sensational language

    riot-torn countryMore neutral: a country where protests have turned violent

    The term describes the whole country by its worst moments rather than the specific areas where unrest occurred.

    …in France seems inexorable with no one else publicly questioning going into a riot-torn country, Watt asked one simple question on her Instagram story relating to how the game…

    Used byFox News (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    Calls OutMore neutral: questions

    Calls out frames her questioning as a public rebuke, while the article reports a challenge she posted on Instagram.

    Watt’s Wife Calls Out NFL for Proceeding with Paris Game Despite Riots: 'Tell Me How This Makes Sense?'

    Used byBreitbart 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

1 outlet

Leads with

  • historic matchup
  • riot-hit Paris
  • game going ahead despite riots
See the headline from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

2 outlets

Leads with

  • fan backlash
  • Rubio's assurance the game will be fine
  • riots across the country
See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

3 outlets

Leads with

  • Dani Watt's objection
  • NFL's decision to proceed
  • Rubio's assurance the game will be fine
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

    23 hr 8 min later

    Its first report, Oct 21, 2:59 PM EDT

  • Center

    2 hr 31 min later

    Its first report, Oct 20, 6:23 PM EDT

  • Right

    First to report

    New York Post, Oct 20, 3:51 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. New York PostRightOct 20, 3:51 PM EDT
  2. Fox NewsFar RightOct 20, 5:03 PM EDT
  3. NewsweekCenterOct 20, 6:23 PM EDT
  4. Breitbart NewsFar RightOct 20, 10:47 PM EDT
  5. The HillCenterOct 21, 2:36 PM EDT
  6. Al Jazeera EnglishLeftOct 21, 2:59 PM EDT

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

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