PoliticsFeatureUpdated 2 hr ago

Hilton and Becerra campaign across California before governor race vote

Coverage spectrum

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

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

Image via New York PostHow images are chosen Report this image

Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton wore a mask of Democratic rival Xavier Becerra at a Halloween event on Saturday, as the two campaigned across California ahead of Tuesday's election to succeed Governor Gavin Newsom. At a Trunk or Treat event in Highland Park, Hilton said voters who backed Becerra would face a mileage tax, according to the Los Angeles Times. At a Sacramento campaign event, Becerra said that if Hilton took off the mask, Donald Trump would be underneath, and called Hilton a clown. According to Raw Story, recent polls had Becerra ahead of Hilton by as much as 27 points.

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

New to Mantle? It shows who is covering each story across the political spectrum, and highlights loaded words. How to read a storyHide the guide

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.

Steve Hilton, the Republican candidate for California governor, wore a mask of Democratic rival Xavier Becerra at a Halloween event on Saturday.
Across the spectrumReported byFar Left1Left1Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
Far Left
Raw Story
Left
Los Angeles Times
Right
New York Post
Far Right
RedState
At a Trunk or Treat event in Highland Park, Hilton said voters who backed Becerra would face a mileage tax.
One outletLos Angeles Times· Left
Becerra said at a Sacramento campaign event that Hilton's mask was hiding Donald Trump and called Hilton a clown.
One outletLos Angeles Times· Left
Recent polls reportedly showed Becerra ahead of Hilton by as much as 27 points.
One outletRaw Story· Far Left
California voters will decide the governor's race on Tuesday to succeed Gavin Newsom, who is in his final term.
One outletLos Angeles Times· Left

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side reports that Republican Steve Hilton wore a Becerra mask at a Halloween event before Tuesday's vote. Left outlets frame it as a struggling campaign's stunt, while right outlets frame it as a mocking attack on Becerra's policies.

the left
2 outlets
Left outlets frame the costume as a stunt by a trailing candidate, with Raw Story calling the campaign struggling and the LA Times describing a relatively sedate race with both candidates barnstorming the state.
Struggling GOP gubernatorial candidate goes full Halloween to attack his Dem rival
Raw StoryFar 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
1 outlet · 1 opinion
The New York Post frames it as Hilton mocking Becerra while warning about his policies, and the far-right RedState, in an opinion piece, uses a light Halloween tone and links it to another costume story.
Steve Hilton dresses as Xavier Becerra for Halloween while mocking Dem challenger
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
last-ditch effortcreepy mask
Center
Has not covered this story.
Right1
more boring than wallpaper

In the outlets’ own words

Loaded modifier
last-ditch effortMore neutral: an appearance
Describes the appearance as desperate, which is a judgement about motive.
…GOP gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton took to Fox News Saturday in a last-ditch effort to attack his political opponent’s policies — doing so dressed as his Democratic…
Used byRaw Story (Far Left)
Loaded modifier
more boring than wallpaperMore neutral: a Democratic candidate
It is a personal jab that adds ridicule rather than information.
…opponent, former Biden-era HHS Secretary Xaveria Becerra, a man who’s more boring than wallpaper…
Used byRedState (Far Right)
Sensational language
creepy maskMore neutral: mask
The adjective adds a negative judgement about the costume that the event report does not need.
Donning a creepy mask of Democratic rival Xavier Becerra, Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton…
Used byLos Angeles Times (Left)

Words quoted from someone else (1)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
should FRIGHTEN youMore neutral: should concern you
A campaign slogan that stresses fear rather than the policy itself.
"Becerra's policies should FRIGHTEN you," Hilton wrote.
Quoted byNew York Post (Right)
These are Steve Hilton’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

2 outlets

Leads with

Hilton's struggling campaign
Halloween stunt against Becerra
Becerra's mocking reply
Trailing in polls

See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

Los Angeles TimesLeft
From an LGBTQ+ rally to Trunk or Treat, Becerra and Hilton barnstorm California hoping to be next governor
With Tuesday's election barreling toward them, Becerra and Hilton traded barbs and did their the best to gin up support as they crisscrossed California in what has been a relatively sedate race to succeed Democrat Gavin Newsom
2 hr agoRead at Los Angeles Times (opens in a new tab)
Raw StoryFar Left
Struggling GOP gubernatorial candidate goes full Halloween to attack his Dem rival
California GOP gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton took to Fox News Saturday in a last-ditch effort to attack his political opponent’s policies — doing so dressed as his Democratic rival. Hilton, a former Fox News host and ex-senior adviser for former U.K. …
23 hr agoRead at Raw Story (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

1 outlet · 1 opinion

Leads with

Hilton mocking Becerra
Becerra's policies as frightening
Halloween costume stunt

See the 2 headlines from the rightHide the headlines

New York PostRight
Steve Hilton dresses as Xavier Becerra for Halloween while mocking Dem challenger
"Becerra's policies Sensational language“should FRIGHTEN you”A campaign slogan that stresses fear rather than the policy itself.More neutral: should concern youThese are Steve Hilton’s words. The outlet is reporting them.Disagree with this highlight?," Hilton wrote.
23 hr agoRead at New York Post (opens in a new tab)
RedStateFar RightOpinion
Spooky Scary: Steve Hilton Dresses Up As Becerra While Rep. Burchett's Son Dresses As… His Dad
Things are about to get real serious in the next three days as we barrel toward the crucial midterm election, which very well could decide the future of this country.
19 hr agoRead at RedState (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
9 min later
Its first report, Oct 31, 6:57 PM EDT
Center
No report yet
From the outlets Mantle follows
Right
First to report
New York Post, Oct 31, 6:48 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order

New York PostRightOct 31, 6:48 PM EDT
Raw StoryFar LeftOct 31, 6:57 PM EDT
Los Angeles TimesLeftNov 1, 2:35 PM EST

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

Hilton and Becerra campaign across California before governor race vote

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 an LGBTQ+ rally to Trunk or Treat, Becerra and Hilton barnstorm California hoping to be next governor

Struggling GOP gubernatorial candidate goes full Halloween to attack his Dem rival

From the center

From the right

Steve Hilton dresses as Xavier Becerra for Halloween while mocking Dem challenger

Spooky Scary: Steve Hilton Dresses Up As Becerra While Rep. Burchett's Son Dresses As… His Dad

How the coverage built up

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