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Rep. Nancy Mace posts on X about Cornell 7 rape lawsuit, drawing wide attention

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Coverage spectrum

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

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

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace wrote on X late Thursday that “a consensual gangbang is not a rape,” a post that spread widely. The New York Post reported more than 1.3 million views and Breitbart News more than 2.6 million. The post concerns the Cornell 7 case, in which a former Cornell student known as Jane Doe has accused seven fraternity brothers of raping her in a civil lawsuit. The New York Post and Breitbart News report newly released texts in which she chatted with some of the men and told them they should not “feel any shame.” Her lawyer, Thomas Giuffra, said the messages came during an early stage of her processing the events. Breitbart News reports that local authorities have reopened a criminal investigation for grand jury review. The Independent reports that Mace later said, “I didn’t mean it like that.”

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. Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Republican, wrote on X late Thursday that “a consensual gangbang is not a rape.”

    Reported byLeft1Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Independent
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    Breitbart News

  2. The accuser, known as Jane Doe, has accused seven fraternity brothers of raping her in a civil lawsuit.

    Reported byLeft1Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Independent
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    Breitbart News

  3. Newly released texts show Jane Doe chatting with some of the men after the encounter and telling them they should not “feel any shame.”

    One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    Breitbart News

  4. Her lawyer, Thomas Giuffra, said the messages reflected an early stage of processing the events.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    Breitbart News

  5. Local authorities have reopened a criminal investigation for grand jury review.

    One outletBreitbart News· Far Right

  6. Mace later said, “I didn’t mean it like that! And I am no expert.”

    One outletThe Independent· Left

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • How many people viewed Mace’s post.

    The New York Post reports more than 1.3 million views; Breitbart News reports more than 2.6 million.

  • What Mace’s remark says about the accuser.

    The Independent presents the remark as a possible attack on the accuser and reports that Mace later said she did not mean it like that. The New York Post and Breitbart News present it as a comment on the case, alongside texts the accuser sent and her lawyer’s explanation of them.

How each side tells it

Compare views

  • the left

    1 outlet

    The Independent’s headline frames the remark as Mace appearing to blast a sexual assault survivor, leading with her status as a survivor rather than the content of the post.

    Sexual assault survivor Nancy Mace appears to Loaded verb“blast”“Blast” implies a harsh personal attack, while “criticizes” describes the remark without that added judgement.More neutral: criticizesDisagree with this highlight? victim in ‘Cornell 7’ case
    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

    2 outlets

    The New York Post and Breitbart headlines center Mace’s insistence and the online reaction to her post, with Breitbart, which is far right, using sharper wording such as “firestorm” and “so-called” where the Post is more measured.

    Rep. Nancy Mace Ignites Social Media Sensational language“Firestorm”Dramatizes the online reaction, where a neutral headline would describe the post and its reach.More neutral: draws wide attentionDisagree with this highlight? After Comment on Cornell 7 Rape Lawsuit
    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.

  • Left1

    blast

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right4

    explosive allegationsinsistsso-calledFirestorm

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    explosive allegationsMore neutral: allegations

    Adds drama to her allegations, where the plain word alone would report them.

    …about the Cornell 7 case some 18 months after she came forward with her own explosive allegations that she’d been drugged and raped by her ex and three of his associates.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    insistsMore neutral: says

    “Insists” suggests stubborn refusal, while “says” reports the statement neutrally.

    Nancy Mace insists Jane Doe was willing participant in Cornell 7 ‘consensual gangbang’

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    blastMore neutral: criticizes

    “Blast” implies a harsh personal attack, while “criticizes” describes the remark without that added judgement.

    Sexual assault survivor Nancy Mace appears to blast victim in ‘Cornell 7’ case

    Used byThe Independent (Left)

  • Delegitimizing label

    so-calledMore neutral: the Cornell 7 case

    Questions the name of the case before the facts are settled, although the name is the one used in the lawsuit.

    …Mace (R-SC) started a social media firestorm late Thursday after implying that the so-called “Cornell 7” assault case was not rape but consensual.

    Used byBreitbart News (Far Right)

Show 1 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Sensational language

    FirestormMore neutral: draws wide attention

    Dramatizes the online reaction, where a neutral headline would describe the post and its reach.

    Nancy Mace Ignites Social Media Firestorm After Comment on Cornell 7 Rape Lawsuit

    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

  • Mace’s own history as a rape survivor
  • the remark’s effect on the accuser
  • Mace’s later response to critics

Leaves out

  • the accuser’s texts to the men
  • her lawyer’s explanation of the texts
  • the reopened grand jury investigation

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

See the headline from the leftHide the headlines

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

2 outlets

Leads with

  • the accuser’s friendly texts to the men
  • the lawyer’s account of her processing the night
  • the post’s reach online

Leaves out

  • Mace’s later statement that she did not mean it like that

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

See the 2 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • Breitbart NewsFar Right

    Rep. Nancy Mace Ignites Social Media Sensational language“Firestorm”Dramatizes the online reaction, where a neutral headline would describe the post and its reach.More neutral: draws wide attentionDisagree with this highlight? After Comment on Cornell 7 Rape Lawsuit

    Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) started a social media firestorm late Thursday after implying that the Delegitimizing label“so-called”Questions the name of the case before the facts are settled, although the name is the one used in the lawsuit.More neutral: the Cornell 7 caseDisagree with this highlight? “Cornell 7” assault case was not rape but consensual.

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

    Outspoken Rep. Nancy Mace Loaded verb“insists”“Insists” suggests stubborn refusal, while “says” reports the statement neutrally.More neutral: saysDisagree with this highlight? Jane Doe was willing participant in Cornell 7 ‘consensual gangbang’

    "IDK who needs to hear this, but a consensual gangbang is not a rape," Mace wrote on X in a message viewed more than 1.3 million times since she posted it late Thursday.

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

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

    4 hr 56 min later

    Its first report, Oct 9, 5:24 PM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    First to report

    New York Post, Oct 9, 12:29 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. New York PostRightOct 9, 12:29 PM EDT
  2. The IndependentLeftOct 9, 5:24 PM EDT
  3. Breitbart NewsFar RightOct 10, 1:29 PM EDT

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

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