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Rep. Ilhan Omar calls claim she married her brother “insane” in first interview since raid

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, all right-leaning.

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

New York Post, Daily Mail, Breitbart News and The Western Journal report that Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, called allegations that she married her brother “insane” in a television interview with MS NOW’s Chris Hayes. Asked whether she was related to her former husband, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, she said “not to my knowledge.” The outlets say she traced the allegations to a Somali blog that right-wing accounts spread. The interview came days after Homeland Security Investigations agents searched her Washington home, which the outlets describe as part of an investigation into alleged immigration fraud. The New York Post reports, citing sources, that a DNA match was obtained in that probe; the supplied coverage does not publish the evidence itself.

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. Rep. Ilhan Omar called allegations that she married her brother “insane” in a television interview on MS NOW.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    New York Post, Daily Mail
    Far Right
    Breitbart News
  2. Asked whether she was related to her ex-husband, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, Omar said “not to my knowledge.”

    One side only: the rightReported byRight2Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    New York Post, Daily Mail
    Far Right
    Breitbart News, The Western Journal
  3. Homeland Security Investigations agents executed a search warrant at Omar’s Washington home the week before the interview and seized phones and computers.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    New York Post, Daily Mail
  4. Omar said the marriage claim started with a Somali blog and spread after right-wing conspiracy theorists took it up.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    New York Post, Daily Mail
    Far Right
    Breitbart News
  5. The New York Post reported, citing sources, that a DNA match linking Omar and Elmi as siblings was obtained in a years-long investigation.

    One outletThe Western Journal· Far Right

  6. Omar described herself as working class and living paycheck to paycheck; the New York Post reported documents suggesting a combined net worth of about $30 million.

    One outletNew York Post· Right

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • Omar is related to her former husband, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi.

    Omar called the marriage-to-brother allegations insane and said “not to my knowledge” when asked if she was related to him. The Western Journal says sources report DNA evidence linking them as siblings, citing the New York Post’s reporting.

  • Omar’s personal financial situation.

    Omar described herself as working class and living paycheck to paycheck. The New York Post reports documents suggesting she and her husband had a combined net worth of some $30 million.

How each side tells it

Compare views

Right-side outlets report that Omar called claims she married her brother insane and said “not to my knowledge” about being related to her ex-husband. They differ in emphasis: news reports stress the hedged answer and the search, while the Far Right pieces call the answer evasive.

  • 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 · 1 opinion

    Headlines lead with Omar’s hedged answer, “not to my knowledge,” and the federal search of her home; Far Right outlets frame the answer as evasive, and an opinion piece says so outright.

    Ilhan Omar gives Sensational language“head-scratching”The word makes a judgement about her answer before readers have seen the exchange.More neutral: unclearDisagree with this highlight? response when asked if she’s related to ex-husband in first interview since DC raid
    New York PostRightAll 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.

  • Right5

    head-scratchingbizarrely worded responseexplosive allegationsimmigration fraud scam

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    head-scratchingMore neutral: unclear

    The word makes a judgement about her answer before readers have seen the exchange.

    Ilhan Omar gives head-scratching response when asked if she’s related to ex-husband in first interview since DC…

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Sensational language

    bizarrely worded responseMore neutral: response

    The adverb and adjective pass a judgement on her answer in the outlet’s own voice.

    Ilhan Omar has delivered a bizarrely worded response to explosive allegations that she married her own brother to commit…

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

  • Sensational language

    explosive allegationsMore neutral: allegations

    The adjective adds drama to allegations that the article does not establish.

    Ilhan Omar has delivered a bizarrely worded response to explosive allegations that she married her own brother to commit immigration fraud, insisting she…

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

  • Sensational language

    immigration fraud scamMore neutral: alleged immigration fraud

    The headline states the allegation as a scam in the outlet’s own voice, before any charge has been established.

    Ilhan Omar breaks silence on accusations she married her brother for immigration fraud scam amid federal probe

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

Show 1 more phrasesShow fewer
  • Loaded modifier

    plausible deniabilityMore neutral: a non-committal answer

    The phrase characterizes her answer as evasive before the reader has the context of her statement.

    Look, I understand that the principles of plausible deniability goes a long way in Washington, D.C.

    Used byThe Western Journal (Far Right)

Words quoted from someone else (2)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.

  • Sensational language

    Quoted

    insaneMore neutral: (omit) and quote the statement

    Diagnoses the speaker instead of quoting them.

    Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) on Wednesday called allegations that she married her brother “insane” – but didn’t entirely close the door to the possibility of being related to her…

    Quoted byNew York Post (Right)Daily Mail (Right)

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

  • Sensational language

    Quoted

    say something wild about youMore neutral: say something about you

    The host’s description of the president’s remarks as wild is a judgement, though attributed to the host.

    And every time he talks about you, he will casually say something wild about you.

    Quoted byBreitbart News (Far Right)

    These are Chris Hayes’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

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 · 1 opinion

Leads with

  • her hedged answer
  • federal search of her home
  • DNA claims about her ex-husband
  • gap between her income and reported net worth
See the 4 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • Omar Denies Ex-Husband Is Her Brother, On Being Related: 'Not to My Knowledge'

    Wednesday on MS NOW’s “All In,” Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) denied her ex-husband was her brother, but when asked about being possibly related in any way, said “not to my knowledge.” Host Chris Hayes said, “The president of the United

  • Ilhan Omar breaks silence on accusations she married her brother for Sensational language“immigration fraud scam”The headline states the allegation as a scam in the outlet’s own voice, before any charge has been established.More neutral: alleged immigration fraudDisagree with this highlight? amid federal probe

    Ilhan Omar dismissed long-running allegations that she married her brother as 'Sensational language“insane”Diagnoses the speaker instead of quoting them.More neutral: (omit) and quote the statementThis appears inside a quotation. The outlet is reporting someone else’s words.Disagree with this highlight?,' but gave an unusual response when pressed about their relationship.

  • Ilhan Omar gives Sensational language“head-scratching”The word makes a judgement about her answer before readers have seen the exchange.More neutral: unclearDisagree with this highlight? response when asked if she’s related to ex-husband in first interview since DC raid

    Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) on Wednesday called allegations that she married her brother “Sensational language“insane”Diagnoses the speaker instead of quoting them.More neutral: (omit) and quote the statementThis appears inside a quotation. The outlet is reporting someone else’s words.Disagree with this highlight?” – but didn’t entirely close the door to the possibility of being related to her ex-husband. …

  • The Western JournalFar RightOpinion

    Omar Wouldn't Say For Sure Her Ex-Husband Wasn't Her Brother: 'Not to My Knowledge'

    Look, I understand that the principles of Loaded modifier“plausible deniability”The phrase characterizes her answer as evasive before the reader has the context of her statement.More neutral: a non-committal answerDisagree with this highlight? goes a long way in Washington, D.C. I get that a well-placed “I have no recollection of that, senator” is sometimes

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 21, 9:18 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. New York PostRightOct 21, 9:18 PM EDT
  2. Daily MailRightOct 21, 10:32 PM EDT
  3. Breitbart NewsFar RightOct 21, 10:43 PM EDT

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

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