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Palantir hires former Democratic senator Jon Tester as adviser

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, mostly left-leaning (67%).

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

NPR reported Monday that Palantir hired former Democratic Sen. Jon Tester of Montana as an adviser. Tester told NPR the role is advisory, not lobbying, and said Palantir “has got a good story to tell.” Tester served 18 years in the Senate, opposing the USA Patriot Act. Palantir has been accused of letting the Trump administration use its tools to surveil Americans, according to NPR. Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden asked the company in an April 14 letter to respond to claims that it worked with the Department of Homeland Security on surveillance technology. The Senate Finance Committee has pressed Palantir to explain how its tools are used. The Daily Caller reports that taxpayers fund $2.3 billion in Palantir contracts.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. Editors read every story. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Palantir hired former Sen. Jon Tester as an adviser, NPR reported.

    Reported byLeft1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    NPR
    Far Right
    The Daily Caller

  2. Tester told NPR the arrangement is advisory and not lobbying.

    One outletThe Daily Caller· Far Right

  3. Tester served 18 years in the Senate and opposed the USA Patriot Act.

    One outletThe Daily Caller· Far Right

  4. Sen. Ron Wyden asked Palantir in an April 14 letter to respond to claims about its work with the Department of Homeland Security.

    One outletThe Daily Caller· Far Right

  5. Palantir has been accused of letting the Trump administration use its tools to surveil Americans, according to NPR.

    Reported byLeft1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    NPR
    Far Right
    The Daily Caller

  6. Progressives and journalists criticized the hire on Monday.

    One outletRaw Story· Far Left

How each side tells it

Compare views

Left and right outlets both report that Palantir hired former Democratic senator Jon Tester as an adviser, as NPR first reported. The left stresses the company’s surveillance scrutiny and progressive backlash, while the right stresses accusations of aiding mass surveillance and Democratic oversight.

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Headlines set the hire against Palantir’s scrutiny, with NPR stressing its image-building motive while far-left Raw Story leads with progressive backlash and a loaded ‘depressing’ label.

    Palantir hires a former Democratic senator as it faces scrutiny in new Congress
    NPRLeftAll 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

    1 outlet

    The Daily Caller’s single headline leads with accusations of aiding mass surveillance and frames the hire as a Democrat joining a company Democrats are scrutinizing.

    Palantir, Accused Of Aiding Mass Surveillance, Hires Democrat Who Fought Patriot Act
    The Daily CallerFar 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.

  • Left5

    secretiveto burnish its imageBacklash erupts‘depressing’

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded modifier

    secretiveMore neutral: software company

    The word is an evaluative description in the outlet’s own voice rather than a fact the coverage establishes.

    The secretive software company has been accused of letting its powerful tools be used by the Trump…

    Used byNPR (Left)

  • Loaded verb

    to burnish its imageMore neutral: to promote its work

    The phrase asserts a motive for the hire in the outlet’s own voice.

    Jon Tester to burnish its image.

    Used byNPR (Left)

  • Sensational language

    Backlash eruptsMore neutral: Criticism of

    The word ‘erupts’ dramatizes a reaction that the article describes as criticism from some progressives and journalists.

    Backlash erupts as ex-Dem senator makes ‘depressing’ move to Trump-tied tech giant

    Used byRaw Story (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    ‘depressing’More neutral: move

    The headline applies an evaluative label to the move without attributing it to a named speaker.

    Backlash erupts as ex-Dem senator makes ‘depressing’ move to Trump-tied tech giant

    Used byRaw Story (Far Left)

Show 1 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded modifier

    Trump-tiedMore neutral: with ties to Trump

    The label links the company to Trump in a way the headline does not spell out.

    Backlash erupts as ex-Dem senator makes ‘depressing’ move to Trump-tied tech giant

    Used byRaw Story (Far Left)

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

    corrupt windbagMore neutral: critical comment

    The phrase is a personal insult, quoted from a critic and attributed to Zaid Jilani.

    “What a corrupt windbag,” wrote journalist Zaid Jilani, reacting to Tester’s late-career pivot.

    Quoted byRaw Story (Far Left)

    These are Zaid Jilani’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

2 outlets

Leads with

  • Palantir’s surveillance scrutiny
  • Ties to the Trump administration
  • Progressive criticism of the hire

Leaves out

  • Tester’s statement that the role is advisory, not lobbying
  • Wyden’s April 14 letter

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

See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • Raw StoryFar Left

    Sensational language“Backlash erupts”The word ‘erupts’ dramatizes a reaction that the article describes as criticism from some progressives and journalists.More neutral: Criticism ofDisagree with this highlight? as ex-Dem senator makes Loaded modifier“‘depressing’”The headline applies an evaluative label to the move without attributing it to a named speaker.More neutral: moveDisagree with this highlight? move to Loaded modifier“Trump-tied”The label links the company to Trump in a way the headline does not spell out.More neutral: with ties to TrumpDisagree with this highlight? tech giant

    Former Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) drew a wave of criticism from progressives and journalists on Monday over his new gig, which one critic warned would only leave Americans “more jaded and distrustful” of their elected leaders going forward. …

    Read at Raw Story (opens in a new tab)
  • NPRLeft

    Palantir hires a former Democratic senator as it faces scrutiny in new Congress

    The Loaded modifier“secretive”The word is an evaluative description in the outlet’s own voice rather than a fact the coverage establishes.More neutral: software companyDisagree with this highlight? software company has been accused of letting its powerful tools be used by the Trump administration to surveil Americans. Now it's hiring former Sen. Jon Tester Loaded verb“to burnish its image”The phrase asserts a motive for the hire in the outlet’s own voice.More neutral: to promote its workDisagree with this highlight?.

    Read at NPR (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

1 outlet

Leads with

  • Accusations of aiding mass surveillance
  • Democratic scrutiny in Congress
  • Tester’s Patriot Act record
  • Taxpayer-funded contracts

Leaves out

  • Progressive backlash to the hire
  • Peter Thiel’s co-founder role and Trump ties

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

See the headline from the rightHide the headlines

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

    First to report

    NPR, Nov 9, 5:00 AM EST

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    7 hr 46 min later

    Its first report, Nov 9, 12:46 PM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. NPRLeftNov 9, 5:00 AM EST
  2. Raw StoryFar LeftNov 9, 11:32 AM EST
  3. The Daily CallerFar RightNov 9, 12:46 PM EST

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

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