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Climate & Environment

South Korean study finds paper straws may have larger environmental impact than plastic

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 4 outlets, mostly right-leaning (75%).

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

The Daily Beast describes a South Korean government-commissioned study that compared four straw types, conventional plastic, paper, biodegradable plastic and bio-based polyethylene, across 16 environmental categories. The New York Post, the Daily Wire, the Daily Beast and Breitbart News report that paper straws may be worse for the environment than plastic ones. Breitbart reports that conventional plastic straws had the smallest impact in 10 of the 16 categories and that paper straws had 6.33 times the carcinogenic impact of plastic straws. Breitbart also reports that President Donald Trump ended the Biden administration’s push for paper straws last year.

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. According to the Daily Beast, a South Korean government-commissioned study compared four straw types across 16 environmental categories.

    Reported byFar Left1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Far Right
    Breitbart News

  2. Paper straws may be worse for the environment than plastic ones over their full life cycle, according to reports of the study.

    Reported byFar Left1Right1Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    The Daily Wire, Breitbart News

  3. Conventional plastic straws had the smallest environmental impact in 10 of the 16 categories, according to the study.

    One outletBreitbart News· Far Right

  4. Paper straws had 6.33 times the carcinogenic impact of conventional plastic straws, according to the study.

    One outletBreitbart News· Far Right

  5. President Donald Trump ended the Biden administration’s push for paper straws last year, according to Breitbart.

    One outletBreitbart News· Far Right

How each side tells it

Compare views

All sides present report that a South Korean study found paper straws may be worse for the environment than plastic ones. Right-side outlets treat the finding as vindication of Trump’s reversal and criticism of paper straws, while the left-side Daily Beast presents it as an exposé.

  • the left

    1 outlet

    Left-side coverage is one Far Left report that frames the study as an exposé revealing an ugly truth about paper straws.

    Study Loaded verb“Exposes”Exposes presents the finding as a hidden truth being uncovered rather than a study result.More neutral: FindsDisagree with this highlight? Sensational language“Ugly Truth”Ugly Truth adds a dramatic judgement about the paper straws that the study's measurements do not state.More neutral: Paper Straws Worse, Study FindsDisagree with this highlight? Behind Paper Straws
    The Daily BeastFar 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

    3 outlets

    Right-side headlines state the study as proof that paper straws are worse than plastic; the Far Right Daily Wire mocks paper straws as a failed eco fix, and Breitbart frames it as vindicating Trump.

    Paper straws worse for the environment than plastic ones, says study
    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.

  • Left2

    ExposesUgly Truth

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right7

    damning studylong-winded environmental protestssoggy, wilted tube of cardboardDespite being told for the last decade

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    damning studyMore neutral: study

    The word damning adds a verdict of condemnation beyond the study's reported measurements.

    A damning study out of South Korea has revealed that paper straws might actually be worse for the…

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    long-winded environmental protestsMore neutral: environmental campaigns

    Long-winded characterizes the campaigners in a dismissive way that the reported facts do not support.

    The findings suck the air out of some long-winded environmental protests, which claimed for a decade that plastic straws were on par with toxic…

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    soggy, wilted tube of cardboardMore neutral: paper straw

    The description mocks paper straws in the outlet's own voice rather than describing the product neutrally.

    …— and fought to make iced lattes nearly impossible to drink through a soggy, wilted tube of cardboard.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Vague attribution

    Despite being told for the last decadeMore neutral: Paper straws have long been promoted as safer and more environmentally friendly

    The phrase attributes a long-running message to unnamed people without identifying who made it.

    Despite being told for the last decade that paper straws are safer and more “eco-friendly” than their plastic…

    Used byThe Daily Wire (Far Right)

Show 5 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded modifier

    Soggy Paper StrawMore neutral: Paper Straw

    Soggy is a mocking adjective in the outlet's own voice that the study's findings do not address.

    Turns Out Your Soggy Paper Straw Wasn’t Saving The Planet After All

    Used byThe Daily Wire (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    ExposesMore neutral: Finds

    Exposes presents the finding as a hidden truth being uncovered rather than a study result.

    Study Exposes Ugly Truth Behind Paper Straws

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    Ugly TruthMore neutral: Paper Straws Worse, Study Finds

    Ugly Truth adds a dramatic judgement about the paper straws that the study's measurements do not state.

    Study Exposes Ugly Truth Behind Paper Straws

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Absolutist framing

    Trump Was RightMore neutral: Study Finds Paper Straws More Harmful to the Environment than Plastic

    The headline presents a contested policy dispute as settled in favor of one politician.

    Trump Was Right: Study Finds Paper Straws More Harmful to the Environment than Plastic, Contain…

    Used byBreitbart News (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    Contain CarcinogensMore neutral: with Higher Carcinogenic Impact

    The study measured a life-cycle carcinogenic impact, not carcinogens contained in the straws.

    …Right: Study Finds Paper Straws More Harmful to the Environment than Plastic, Contain Carcinogens

    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

  • study exposes an ugly truth
  • paper straws worse than plastic
  • government-commissioned study

Leaves out

  • Trump administration’s reversal of the Biden-era paper straw push

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

See the headline from the leftHide the headlines
  • The Daily BeastFar Left

    Study Loaded verb“Exposes”Exposes presents the finding as a hidden truth being uncovered rather than a study result.More neutral: FindsDisagree with this highlight? Sensational language“Ugly Truth”Ugly Truth adds a dramatic judgement about the paper straws that the study's measurements do not state.More neutral: Paper Straws Worse, Study FindsDisagree with this highlight? Behind Paper Straws

    Paper straws may be worse for the environment than the plastic ones they replaced, a new study has revealed. The South Korean government-commissioned study compared plastic, paper, biodegradable and sugarcane-based straws across 16 measures of environmental and human health …

    Read 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

3 outlets

Leads with

  • paper straws worse than plastic
  • carcinogenic impact of paper straws
  • Trump ended the paper straw push
See the 3 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • Breitbart NewsFar Right

    Absolutist framing“Trump Was Right”The headline presents a contested policy dispute as settled in favor of one politician.More neutral: Study Finds Paper Straws More Harmful to the Environment than PlasticDisagree with this highlight?: Study Finds Paper Straws More Harmful to the Environment than Plastic, Sensational language“Contain Carcinogens”The study measured a life-cycle carcinogenic impact, not carcinogens contained in the straws.More neutral: with Higher Carcinogenic ImpactDisagree with this highlight?

    A South Korean study found that paper straws may actually be more harmful to the environment than plastic ones, when taking into account their full life cycle from manufacturing to landfill. …

    Read at Breitbart News (opens in a new tab)
  • The Daily WireFar Right

    Turns Out Your Loaded modifier“Soggy Paper Straw”Soggy is a mocking adjective in the outlet's own voice that the study's findings do not address.More neutral: Paper StrawDisagree with this highlight? Wasn’t Saving The Planet After All

    Vague attribution“Despite being told for the last decade”The phrase attributes a long-running message to unnamed people without identifying who made it.More neutral: Paper straws have long been promoted as safer and more environmentally friendlyDisagree with this highlight? that paper straws are safer and more “eco-friendly” than their plastic counterparts, a new study shows that the cardboard replacement may actually be one of the worst options. …

    Read at The Daily Wire (opens in a new tab)
  • New York PostRight

    Paper straws worse for the environment than plastic ones, says study

    Paper straws can actually be worse for the environment, according to studies.

    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

    17 hr 27 min later

    Its first report, Oct 27, 11:49 AM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    First to report

    New York Post, Oct 26, 6:22 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. New York PostRightOct 26, 6:22 PM EDT
  2. The Daily WireFar RightOct 27, 9:58 AM EDT
  3. The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 27, 11:49 AM EDT
  4. Breitbart NewsFar RightOct 27, 3:20 PM EDT

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

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