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NYC teacher investigated after praising Hamas leader in food co-op group chat

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, all right-leaning.

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

A lawsuit filed by Jewish members of the Park Slope Food Coop alleges that Damien Neva, 48, a teacher at PS 77 in Brooklyn, wrote “Long live Yahya al-Sinwar” in a Signal group chat in November 2024, referring to the Hamas leader who planned the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. The lawsuit, which stems from a dispute over the coop board’s vote to ban Israeli goods, also attributes to Neva a message saying “That lot does not have the votes to block our campaign,” reportedly referencing Jewish and pro-Israel members. Neva, described as a leader of the boycott campaign and a former fashion photographer, returned to school amid the controversy, prompting some parents to call for his dismissal. New York City education officials are reportedly investigating.

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. Damien Neva allegedly wrote “Long live Yahya al-Sinwar” in a Signal group chat in November 2024

    Reported byRight

  2. The message surfaced in a lawsuit filed by Jewish members of the Park Slope Food Coop after its board voted to ban Israeli goods

    Reported byRight

  3. Neva allegedly also wrote “That lot does not have the votes to block our campaign,” reportedly referring to Jewish and pro-Israel coop members

    Reported byRight

  4. Neva is a teacher at PS 77 in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and previously worked as a fashion photographer

    Reported byRight

  5. Some parents at PS 77 called for Neva to be fired after the allegations became public

    Reported byRight

  6. New York City education officials are investigating the matter

    Reported byRight

How each side tells it

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  • 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

    All supplied coverage comes from right-leaning outlets, with the New York Post publishing a series of escalating stories (the original report, a follow-up on Neva’s return to school, and a broader piece on Jewish families leaving public schools) while the Daily Wire and Daily Mail largely relay the Post’s reporting with similar framing.

    Loaded modifier“'Washed-up fashion photographer'”Though attributed to another outlet, the quoted label passes judgment on the subject's career.More neutral: former fashion photographerThis appears inside a quotation. The outlet is reporting someone else’s words.Disagree with this highlight? turned teacher faces probe over claims he praised Hamas leader in woke Brooklyn group chat
    Daily MailRightAll 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.

  • Right12

    antisemetic food fightbrazenly postedwashed-up fashion photographer-turned-public-school teacherheinous Hamas leader

In the outlets’ own words

  • Euphemism

    antisemetic food fightMore neutral: dispute over antisemitism allegations

    Describing a dispute involving antisemitism allegations as a ‘food fight’ trivializes the seriousness of the claims.

    The Park Slope Coop antisemetic food fight has spread to neighborhood schools.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    brazenly postedMore neutral: posted

    ‘Brazenly’ adds a judgmental characterization to the act of posting rather than describing it neutrally.

    A Brooklyn teacher brazenly posted, “Long live Yahya al-Sinwar’’ in a group chat, according to a new legal filing.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    washed-up fashion photographer-turned-public-school teacherMore neutral: former fashion photographer who is now a public-school teacher

    ‘Washed-up’ is a derogatory characterization of the subject's career that isn't necessary to the facts.

    Damien Neva, 48, a washed-up fashion photographer-turned-public-school teacher in, praised the heinous Hamas leader, who was the architect…

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    heinous Hamas leaderMore neutral: Hamas leader

    ‘Heinous’ is an evaluative adjective rather than a neutral description.

    …a washed-up fashion photographer-turned-public-school teacher in, praised the heinous Hamas leader, who was the architect of the Oct.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

Show 8 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded modifier

    brutal Hamas terroristMore neutral: Hamas leader

    ‘Brutal’ is an evaluative intensifier added to an already factual descriptor.

    A New York City public school teacher praised brutal Hamas terrorist Yahya al-Sinwar in a group chat with other members of a member-owned grocery…

    Used byThe Daily Wire (Far Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    bloodthirsty former leaderMore neutral: former leader

    ‘Bloodthirsty’ is an evaluative intensifier beyond neutral description.

    …PS 77 in Park Slope after his sick comments praising Yahya Al-Sinwar, the bloodthirsty former leader of the terrorist group in Gaza, were brought to light in a new lawsuit.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    boastedMore neutral: wrote

    ‘Boasted’ implies pride and intent beyond what is established, rather than a neutral reporting verb like ‘wrote’ or ‘said’.

    “Long live Yahya Al-Sinwar,” Neva boasted in a group chat with other terrorist sycophants, according to the suit.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Dehumanizing label

    terrorist sycophantsMore neutral: other group members

    Labels other group chat members with a contemptuous term rather than a neutral description.

    “Long live Yahya Al-Sinwar,” Neva boasted in a group chat with other terrorist sycophants, according to the suit.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Dehumanizing label

    Hamas-lovingMore neutral: teacher accused of praising a Hamas leader

    Labels the subject with an inflammatory characterization rather than describing the alleged conduct neutrally.

    Hamas-loving NYC teacher cowardly covers his face as he returns to school — and furious parents…

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    cowardly covers his faceMore neutral: covers his face

    ‘Cowardly’ passes judgment on the subject's motive for an action that has an innocuous explanation (avoiding media).

    Hamas-loving NYC teacher cowardly covers his face as he returns to school — and furious parents want him fired

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Dehumanizing label

    Hamas-loving Brooklyn teacherMore neutral: Brooklyn teacher accused of praising a Hamas leader

    Repeats an inflammatory label for the subject rather than describing the alleged conduct neutrally.

    Hamas-loving Brooklyn teacher Damien Neva is just the latest example of why thousands of Jewish parents…

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    fleeMore neutral: leave

    ‘Flee’ dramatizes the act of leaving public schools, implying danger rather than a neutral description of departure.

    Jewish kids flee NY public schools over Oct.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

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.

  • Loaded modifier

    Quoted

    'Washed-up fashion photographer'More neutral: former fashion photographer

    Though attributed to another outlet, the quoted label passes judgment on the subject's career.

    'Washed-up fashion photographer' turned teacher faces probe over claims he praised Hamas leader in woke…

    Quoted byDaily Mail (Right)

    Inside a quotation: the outlets are reporting someone else’s words.

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 specific wording of Neva’s alleged messages
  • parental outrage and calls for his firing
  • Neva’s background as a failed photographer
  • a broader narrative of antisemitism in NYC public schools
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

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    First to report

    New York Post, Oct 5, 5:30 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. New York PostRightOct 5, 5:30 AM EDT
  2. The Daily WireFar RightOct 5, 7:44 AM EDT
  3. Daily MailRightOct 5, 9:19 PM EDT

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

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