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Pentagon treats military base freezer malfunctions as suspected cyberattack

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 6 outlets. No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered it yet.

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

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According to Reuters reporting, the Pentagon is treating a string of freezer malfunctions at U.S. military base commissaries in late August as a suspected cyberattack, according to four officials familiar with the matter. A Reuters review of base Facebook posts and website updates found that at least six commissaries were affected. Investigators are working with French officials about an October cyberattack that disrupted supermarket freezers across France. In at least one case, investigators found that freezer temperatures had been raised overnight, spoiling food. The outlets say the cause has not been confirmed in the supplied reporting.

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. Officials said the Pentagon is treating freezer malfunctions at military base commissaries as a suspected cyberattack.

    Across the spectrumReported byFar Left1Left1Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Left
    The Independent
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    Breitbart News

  2. At least six commissaries were affected in August, according to a Reuters review of base Facebook posts and website updates.

    Reported byFar Left1Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    Breitbart News

  3. Investigators are in contact with French officials about an October cyberattack that disrupted supermarket freezers in France.

    Reported byLeft1Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Independent
    Far Right
    Breitbart News, RedState

  4. Investigators reportedly found that in at least one case someone raised freezer temperatures overnight, spoiling food.

    Reported byFar Left1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Far Right
    Breitbart News

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side reports that the Pentagon is treating freezer malfunctions at military commissaries as a suspected cyberattack. The main difference is emphasis: the Daily Beast’s headline makes it a personal failing of Pentagon leadership, while RedState frames it as a threat of sabotage to US bases.

  • the left

    3 outlets

    The Independent reports the Pentagon’s suspicion of hackers, while the far-left Daily Beast’s headline makes the episode a personal failing of Pentagon leadership.

    Pentagon suspects hackers caused mysterious freezer malfunctions at military bases
    The IndependentLeftAll 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

    3 outlets · 1 opinion

    Breitbart and the New York Post headline a Pentagon probe into a suspected cyberattack, while far-right RedState’s opinion piece calls it a new way to sabotage US bases.

    Pentagon Investigates Military Base Freezer Failures Absolutist framing“as Cyberattack”The headline states a suspected cause as established, while the description says officials only suspect a cyberattack.More neutral: as Suspected CyberattackDisagree with this highlight?
    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.

  • Left3

    crippledPentagon PeteDisaster

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right4

    as Cyberattackalarmingly similarSneakySabotage

In the outlets’ own words

  • Absolutist framing

    as CyberattackMore neutral: as Suspected Cyberattack

    The headline states a suspected cause as established, while the description says officials only suspect a cyberattack.

    Pentagon Investigates Military Base Freezer Failures as Cyberattack

    Used byBreitbart News (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    crippledMore neutral: disrupted

    Calling the disruption crippling goes beyond the reported fact that supermarkets were disrupted.

    …investigators are in touch with their French counterparts about a cyberattack that crippled supermarkets there

    Used byThe Independent (Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    Pentagon PeteMore neutral: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

    A mocking nickname for the defense secretary pre-judges him in a story about a food-storage malfunction.

    Pentagon Pete Suffers Military Food Disaster

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    DisasterMore neutral: spoiled food

    Calling the event a disaster exaggerates a set of spoiled-food incidents at six stores.

    Pentagon Pete Suffers Military Food Disaster

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

Show 3 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Sensational language

    alarmingly similarMore neutral: similar

    The adverb adds alarm that the reported facts do not themselves establish.

    Well, we're now learning that something alarmingly similar happened at several U.S.

    Used byRedState (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    SneakyMore neutral: new

    The informal word adds a sense of deception and drama that the investigation has not established.

    Hackers May Have Just Found a Sneaky New Way to Sabotage US Military Bases

    Used byRedState (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    SabotageMore neutral: affect

    The word presumes intent to damage before the investigation has established a cause.

    Hackers May Have Just Found a Sneaky New Way to Sabotage US Military Bases

    Used byRedState (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

  • Suspected hacking behind freezer failures
  • Link to French supermarket cyberattack
  • Spoiled food at commissaries
See the 3 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • The Daily BeastFar Left

    Loaded modifier“Pentagon Pete”A mocking nickname for the defense secretary pre-judges him in a story about a food-storage malfunction.More neutral: Defense Secretary Pete HegsethDisagree with this highlight? Suffers Military Food Sensational language“Disaster”Calling the event a disaster exaggerates a set of spoiled-food incidents at six stores.More neutral: spoiled foodDisagree with this highlight?

    Hackers are believed to be behind a series of strange freezer breakdowns at military bases across the U.S. Freezers at at least six commissaries—stores where troops and military staff buy their food—had their temperatures meddled with in August, Reuters reported. …

    Read at The Daily Beast (opens in a new tab)
  • The IndependentLeft

    Pentagon suspects hackers caused mysterious freezer malfunctions at military bases

    Military investigators are in touch with their French counterparts about a cyberattack that Sensational language“crippled”Calling the disruption crippling goes beyond the reported fact that supermarkets were disrupted.More neutral: disruptedDisagree with this highlight? supermarkets there

    Read at The Independent (opens in a new tab)
  • HuffPostFar LeftReuters report

    Pentagon Treating Military Base Freezer Malfunctions As Suspected Cyberattack, Officials Say

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

    Read at HuffPost (opens in a new tab)

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 · 1 opinion

Leads with

  • Pentagon cyberattack investigation
  • Sabotage risk to US bases
  • Parallel French supermarket attack
See the 4 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • The Washington TimesRight

    Pentagon treats military base freezer failures as suspected hack

    The Pentagon is reportedly investigating a series of late-August freezer and refrigeration malfunctions at U.S. military base commissaries as a suspected cyberattack.

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

    Pentagon Investigates Military Base Freezer Failures Absolutist framing“as Cyberattack”The headline states a suspected cause as established, while the description says officials only suspect a cyberattack.More neutral: as Suspected CyberattackDisagree with this highlight?

    The Pentagon is treating a string of freezer malfunctions at U.S. military base commissaries in late August as a suspected cyberattack, according to four officials familiar with the matter. …

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

    Pentagon treating military base freezer malfunctions as suspected cyberattack: officials

    The late August malfunctions affected at least six commissaries — on-base stores where military personnel buy ⁠their food.

    Read at New York Post (opens in a new tab)

    Also published by HuffPost. It counts once.

  • RedStateFar RightOpinion

    Hackers May Have Just Found a Sensational language“Sneaky”The informal word adds a sense of deception and drama that the investigation has not established.More neutral: newDisagree with this highlight? New Way to Loaded verb“Sabotage”The word presumes intent to damage before the investigation has established a cause.More neutral: affectDisagree with this highlight? US Military Bases

    Remember that strange story from earlier this month about French supermarkets getting hit by a cyberattack that caused their refrigeration systems to go haywire, resulting in mountains of food going bad and even causing some of the units to catch fire?

    Read at RedState (opens in a new tab)

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, 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

    4 hr 46 min later

    Its first report, Oct 29, 12:04 PM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    First to report

    New York Post, Oct 29, 7:18 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. New York PostRightOct 29, 7:18 AM EDT
  2. Breitbart NewsFar RightOct 29, 11:44 AM EDT
  3. The IndependentLeftOct 29, 12:04 PM EDT
  4. The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 29, 12:11 PM EDT
  5. HuffPostFar LeftOct 29, 12:28 PM EDT
  6. The Washington TimesRightOct 29, 2:08 PM EDT

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

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