Military & SecurityDevelopingUpdated 2 hr ago

Sen. Chris Murphy says he was briefed on planned U.S. action against Iran

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, all left-leaning.

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

The Daily Beast, Truthout and The New Republic report that Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said he was briefed by Pentagon officials on a plan for further U.S. military action against Iran after the midterm elections. Murphy said he could not give details of the plan. The outlets quote him calling it “insane” and warning that it would bring “devastating escalation” and the “likely destruction of our commitment to the rule of law.” The New Republic cites anonymous sources who say the U.S. has already begun warning its allies of a renewed military campaign.

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

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The coverage spectrum counts the outlets covering a story at each of five points. A short or missing segment means that part of the spectrum is mostly quiet.

Governor Loaded verb“slams”It adds drama to what was said. The governor criticized the lawmakers; “slams” makes it sound like a fight.More neutral: criticizes lawmakers over budget delay

Highlights mark words that carry a judgement. Tap one to see why, and what a neutral writer would say. Here it is “criticizes”.

The 5-point spectrum

Far Left
Voices that strongly advocate for progressive policies and systemic change.
Left
Mainstream liberal perspectives focusing on social equality and regulation.
Center
Sources that prioritize neutral reporting and balanced viewpoints.
Right
Mainstream conservative perspectives focusing on market freedom and tradition.
Far Right
Voices that strongly advocate for conservative values and limited government.

How we measure bias

What happened

Key points

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

Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, says he was briefed on a planned U.S. military campaign against Iran after the midterm elections.
One side only: the leftReported byFar Left3See the outletsHide the outlets
Far Left
The Daily Beast, Truthout, The New Republic
Murphy says he could not share details of the plan.
One side only: the leftReported byFar Left2See the outletsHide the outlets
Far Left
The Daily Beast, Truthout
Murphy called the plan “insane” and said it would bring devastating escalation and the likely destruction of the commitment to the rule of law.
One side only: the leftReported byFar Left3See the outletsHide the outlets
Far Left
The Daily Beast, Truthout, The New Republic
Murphy made the remarks at a Middle East Institute event on Wednesday.
One side only: the leftReported byFar Left2See the outletsHide the outlets
Far Left
Truthout, The New Republic
Anonymous sources say the U.S. has begun warning its allies of a renewed military campaign against Iran; the supplied coverage does not confirm this independently.
One outletThe New Republic· Far Left

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three outlets report that Sen. Chris Murphy was briefed on a planned post-election action against Iran and warned it would cause devastating escalation. The left-side coverage leads with Murphy’s verdict that the plan is insane and attributes the plan to President Trump.

the left
3 outlets
Headlines center Sen. Chris Murphy’s warning and his word “insane,” with one calling the plan Trump’s and another stressing the escalation and threat to the rule of law.
Senator Briefed on Trump’s Iran War Plans Warns of “Sensational language“Devastating Escalation”The capitalized quoted phrase makes a senator’s prediction the headline’s main claim, and the word adds drama.More neutral: escalationThese are Chris Murphy’s words. The outlet is reporting them.Disagree with this highlight?”
TruthoutFar LeftAll 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
No coverage yet
No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

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
unleashRevealsso horrific
Center
Has not covered this story.
Right
Has not covered this story.

In the outlets’ own words

Loaded verb
unleashMore neutral: carry out
The verb describes the planned military action as a violent release, adding drama beyond the reported facts.
A senior lawmaker said he’s been briefed on the war plan Donald Trump is expected to unleash after next Tuesday’s midterm election.
Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)
Loaded verb
RevealsMore neutral: says he was briefed on
The headline presents a senator’s account of a briefing as a disclosure of a confirmed plan, which the supplied text does not establish.
Senator Reveals Trump’s ‘Insane’ Plan for After the Election
Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)
Sensational language
so horrificMore neutral: severe
The outlet’s own description of the planned strikes as horrific adds a judgement the reported facts do not establish.
…on Iran after the midterm elections has warned that the attacks are slated to be so horrific that they will lead to the “destruction” of the U.S.’s “commitment to the rule of…
Used byTruthout (Far Left)

Words quoted from someone else (3)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.
…said he couldn’t give details of the Iran War blueprint, but he described it as “insane.” He claimed it would lead to the “likely destruction of our commitment to the rule of…
Quoted byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)The New Republic (Far Left)
These are Chris Murphy’s words. The outlets are reporting them.
Sensational language
Quoted
Devastating EscalationMore neutral: escalation
The capitalized quoted phrase makes a senator’s prediction the headline’s main claim, and the word adds drama.
Senator Briefed on Trump’s Iran War Plans Warns of “Devastating Escalation”
Quoted byTruthout (Far Left)
These are Chris Murphy’s words. The outlets are reporting them.
Sensational language
Quoted
Their Plan Is InsaneMore neutral: Murphy criticizes next stage of Iran war plan
The headline turns a senator’s quoted judgement into the headline’s main claim, adding drama without new facts.
“Their Plan Is Insane”: Dem Senator Warns About Next Stage in Iran War
Quoted byThe New Republic (Far Left)
These are Chris Murphy’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

3 outlets

Leads with

Murphy’s description of the plan as insane
warning of devastating escalation
threat to the rule of law
Trump’s planned post-election Iran war

See the 3 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

The New RepublicFar Left
“Sensational language“Their Plan Is Insane”The headline turns a senator’s quoted judgement into the headline’s main claim, adding drama without new facts.More neutral: Murphy criticizes next stage of Iran war planThese are Chris Murphy’s words. The outlet is reporting them.Disagree with this highlight?”: Dem Senator Warns About Next Stage in Iran War
A group of senators was briefed on what the next phase of the Trump administration’s war on Iran will look like. One of them thinks it’s “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?. …
2 hr agoRead at The New Republic (opens in a new tab)
TruthoutFar Left
Senator Briefed on Trump’s Iran War Plans Warns of “Sensational language“Devastating Escalation”The capitalized quoted phrase makes a senator’s prediction the headline’s main claim, and the word adds drama.More neutral: escalationThese are Chris Murphy’s words. The outlet is reporting them.Disagree with this highlight?”
Sen. Chris Murphy said the plans would lead to the “destruction of our commitment to the rule of law” if carried out.
2 hr agoRead at Truthout (opens in a new tab)
The Daily BeastFar Left
Senator Loaded verb“Reveals”The headline presents a senator’s account of a briefing as a disclosure of a confirmed plan, which the supplied text does not establish.More neutral: says he was briefed onDisagree with this highlight? Trump’s ‘Sensational language“Insane”The headline puts a senator’s characterization of the plan in scare quotes without attribution in the headline itself.More neutral: criticizedThese are Chris Murphy’s words. The outlet is reporting them.Disagree with this highlight?’ Plan for After the Election
A senior lawmaker said he’s been briefed on the war plan Donald Trump is expected to Loaded verb“unleash”The verb describes the planned military action as a violent release, adding drama beyond the reported facts.More neutral: carry outDisagree with this highlight? after next Tuesday’s midterm election. Sen. Chris Murphy said he couldn’t give details of the Iran War blueprint, but he described it 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?. …
4 hr agoRead at The Daily Beast (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

0 outlets

No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

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
The Daily Beast, Oct 29, 1:53 PM EDT
Center
No report yet
From the outlets Mantle follows
Right
No report yet
From the outlets Mantle follows

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order

The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 29, 1:53 PM EDT
TruthoutFar LeftOct 29, 4:17 PM EDT
The New RepublicFar LeftOct 29, 4:22 PM EDT

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

Sen. Chris Murphy says he was briefed on planned U.S. action against Iran

Coverage spectrum

Key points

Compare views

the left

the center

the right

Language to notice

In the outlets’ own words

Side by side

From the left

From the center

From the right

How the coverage built up

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