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Saudi Arabia and Syria sign defense cooperation deal

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets across the spectrum.

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

Two smiling men in formal dress walk together in an ornate palace hall, one gesturing, with a uniformed officer behind.
Image via Al Jazeera EnglishHow images are chosenReport this image

Syria and Saudi Arabia signed a defense cooperation agreement on Wednesday during Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s second visit to Riyadh in less than a month, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman overseeing the signing. Al Jazeera reports that the terms were not disclosed and that Syria’s Foreign Ministry called the agreement the most notable of the deals. Al Jazeera and Semafor report Saudi loans of $403 million for energy, housing, health and infrastructure projects in Syria. Syria’s foreign minister said Damascus was weighing joining the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, a mutual defense pact among Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan that was signed in August. Breitbart also reports the deal and the pact.

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. Syria and Saudi Arabia signed a defense cooperation agreement in Riyadh on Wednesday.

    Reported byLeft1Center1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Al Jazeera English
    Center
    Semafor
    Far Right
    Breitbart News

  2. Saudi Arabia agreed to more than $403 million in loans for Syrian reconstruction and infrastructure.

    Reported byLeft1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Al Jazeera English
    Center
    Semafor

  3. Syria’s foreign minister said Damascus was weighing joining the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement among Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan.

    Reported byLeft1Center1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Al Jazeera English
    Center
    Semafor
    Far Right
    Breitbart News

  4. Syria’s Foreign Ministry called the defense agreement the most notable of the deals but did not disclose its terms.

    One outletAl Jazeera English· Left

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three sides report that Syria and Saudi Arabia signed a defense cooperation deal in Riyadh on Wednesday. The left and center headlines state the deal in neutral terms, while the right headline leads with the Syrian president’s jihadist past.

  • the left

    1 outlet

    Al Jazeera’s headline leads with the defence agreement and the $403m in loans, without characterizing al-Sharaa; the side’s supplied coverage is this one report.

    Syria, Saudi Arabia sign defence cooperation deal, agree $403m in loans
    Al Jazeera EnglishLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    Semafor’s headline states the defense deal neutrally and places it within a wider regional security shift linked to the US-Iran war.

    Saudi Arabia signs defense deal with Syria
    SemaforCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    1 outlet

    Breitbart’s headline labels Syria’s president a jihadi and leads with that label, while its excerpt stresses al-Sharaa’s past in HTS and al-Qaeda.

    Syria's Loaded modifier“Jihadi President”The label attaches a militant past to the president in the outlet’s own voice before the article sets out what he did, which pre-judges him.More neutral: Syrian PresidentDisagree with this highlight? Signs Defense Deal with Saudi Arabia in Riyadh
    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.

  • Left0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right1

    Jihadi President

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded modifier

    Jihadi PresidentMore neutral: Syrian President

    The label attaches a militant past to the president in the outlet’s own voice before the article sets out what he did, which pre-judges him.

    Syria's Jihadi President Signs Defense Deal with Saudi Arabia in Riyadh

    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

  • the defence cooperation agreement
  • $403m in Saudi loans
  • al-Sharaa’s second Riyadh visit
See the headline from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • regional security realignment
  • the US-Iran war context
  • $403 million in concessional loans

Leaves out

  • al-Sharaa’s past leadership of HTS, which Breitbart reports

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

See the headline from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

  • al-Sharaa’s jihadist past
  • the defense agreement
  • the Riyadh visit
See the headline from the rightHide the headlines
  • Breitbart NewsFar Right

    Syria's Loaded modifier“Jihadi President”The label attaches a militant past to the president in the outlet’s own voice before the article sets out what he did, which pre-judges him.More neutral: Syrian PresidentDisagree with this highlight? Signs Defense Deal with Saudi Arabia in Riyadh

    Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and signed a variety of agreements alongside that country's crown prince.

    Read at Breitbart News (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

    First to report

    Al Jazeera English, Nov 4, 10:46 PM EST

  • Center

    1 day 13 hr later

    Its first report, Nov 6, 12:04 PM EST

  • Right

    12 hr 47 min later

    Its first report, Nov 5, 11:33 AM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Al Jazeera EnglishLeftNov 4, 10:46 PM EST
  2. Breitbart NewsFar RightNov 5, 11:33 AM EST
  3. SemaforCenterNov 6, 12:04 PM EST

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

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