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Collins and Jackson Exchange Corruption Accusations in Second Maine Senate Debate

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 7 outlets across the spectrum.

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

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Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson met Thursday in the second debate of the week in the Maine Senate race, hosted by WMTW. The hourlong debate turned testy at times, according to The Hill, with the two sparring over the Iran war and high prices. The candidates accused each other of corruption, and according to the Washington Examiner both denied that special interests received insider access or that campaign contributions influenced policy. Collins said allegations that she was under FBI scrutiny over pay-to-play claims are absolutely false, and she dismissed a September report that suggested the scrutiny. Jackson said he would cut funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and move its duties to Customs and Border Protection, calling the agency unreformable. Jackson also said the country must get off fossil fuels, and one commentary argued that such a shift would cost jobs. The race is one of the most closely watched Senate contests in the midterms.

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. Susan Collins and Troy Jackson met in a televised debate on Thursday, the second debate of the week in the Maine Senate race.

    Reported byLeft1Center2Right2Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The New York Times
    Center
    The Hill, Newsweek
    Right
    The Washington Times, Washington Examiner
    Far Right
    Breitbart News, Townhall

  2. The candidates accused each other of corruption, and both denied that campaign contributions influenced policy.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    The Washington Times, Washington Examiner

  3. Collins said allegations that she was under FBI scrutiny over pay-to-play claims are false and dismissed a September report that suggested the scrutiny.

    One outletWashington Examiner· Right

  4. The candidates sparred over the Iran war and high prices and defended their records.

    One outletThe Hill· Center

  5. Jackson said he would cut funding for ICE and move its duties to Customs and Border Protection, and that the agency cannot be reformed.

    One outletBreitbart News· Far Right

  6. Jackson said the country has to get off fossil fuels.

    One outletTownhall· Far Right

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • Collins was under FBI scrutiny over pay-to-play allegations in the final months of the Biden administration.

    Collins calls the allegations absolutely false and says they have been proven false; a September report suggested the scrutiny, and Collins dismissed that report.

  • Ending fossil fuel use would be an economic disaster for Maine and America.

    Townhall argues it would cost jobs and raise utility rates; Jackson says the country has to get off fossil fuels and that there is a way to do it.

  • ICE can be reformed.

    Jackson says the agency cannot be reformed and should lose funding; the supplied coverage includes no Collins response on this point.

How each side tells it

Compare views

  • the left

    1 outlet

    The New York Times headline presents the debate as a list of key moments and calls it testy, describing Collins as a vulnerable Republican; only one left-side article is in the input.

    5 Key Moments From a Testy Maine Senate Debate
    The New York TimesLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    2 outlets

    The Hill and Newsweek package the debate as takeaways, with The Hill calling it testy and Newsweek framing it as key moments from the second face-off, while the right’s vivid wording such as ripped to shreds is not confined to one side since the NYT also uses testy.

    Collins vs. Jackson Debate Takeaways: Key Moments From Second Face-Off
    NewsweekCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    4 outlets · 1 opinion

    Right-side headlines lead with the corruption accusations or Jackson’s ICE position, with Breitbart framing his ICE stance as a vow to defund the agency and Townhall using the most combative language, declaring Jackson was ripped to shreds.

    Boom: Susan Collins Crushed Troy Jackson in Second Debate
    RedStateFar 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.

  • Right5

    barbsdid not go well for Jacksoneconomic disasterRipped

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    barbsMore neutral: accusations

    Calling the accusations barbs adds a tone of attack beyond the fact that each candidate accused the other.

    Collins, Jackson trade corruption barbs during Maine Senate debate

    Used byThe Washington Times (Right)

  • Sensational language

    did not go well for JacksonMore neutral: was less favorable to Jackson in this account

    States an evaluation of the debate as fact rather than attributing it to a viewer or reporter.

    …faced off against Democrat Troy Jackson in the Maine Senate debate and it did not go well for Jackson.

    Used byTownhall (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    economic disasterMore neutral: significant economic costs

    Presents a contested economic projection as settled fact without attribution.

    …we'll start with Jackson saying we have to end fossil fuels — that would be an economic disaster for Maine and America.

    Used byTownhall (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    RippedMore neutral: Criticized

    Describes a debate exchange as a physical attack, which presents the outcome as settled rather than reporting what was said.

    Susan Collins Ripped Troy Jackson to Shreds in Last Night's Senate Debate

    Used byTownhall (Far Right)

Show 1 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Sensational language

    to ShredsMore neutral: in the debate

    Adds dramatic language to a judgement about who performed better in the debate.

    Susan Collins Ripped Troy Jackson to Shreds in Last Night's Senate Debate

    Used byTownhall (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

  • testy tone of the debate
  • Collins as a vulnerable Republican
See the headline from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

2 outlets

Leads with

  • the Iran war and high prices
  • debate takeaways and key moments
  • testy exchanges

Leaves out

  • the corruption accusations between the candidates
  • Collins’s denial of the FBI scrutiny report

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

See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines
  • NewsweekCenter

    Collins vs. Jackson Debate Takeaways: Key Moments From Second Face-Off

    Susan Collins and Troy Jackson square off again in a debate for the Maine Senate seat.

    Read at Newsweek (opens in a new tab)
  • The HillCenter

    Second Maine Senate debate takes testy turn: 3 takeaways

    Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democrat Troy Jackson squared off Thursday in the second Maine Senate debate of the week, sparring over the Iran war and high prices as their battleground race barrels toward Election Day. …

    Read at The Hill (opens in a new tab)

From the right

4 outlets · 1 opinion

Leads with

  • corruption accusations between the candidates
  • Jackson’s plan to cut ICE funding
  • Collins’s denial of FBI scrutiny
  • Jackson’s fossil fuel remarks

Leaves out

  • the Iran war and high prices that the center coverage highlights

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

See the 5 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • RedStateFar Right

    Boom: Susan Collins Crushed Troy Jackson in Second Debate

    Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Democrat candidate Troy Jackson squared off on Thursday in their second debate, which went for about an hour.

    Read at RedState (opens in a new tab)
  • Breitbart NewsFar Right

    Maine Debate: Susan Collins Demands Troy Jackson Apologize for Claim She Is Profiting from Iran War

    Maine Democrat Senate candidate Troy Jackson claimed at Thursday’s WMTW debate that Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and her husband are profiting from the war in Iran, prompting the five-term incumbent to demand an apology on camera.

    Read at Breitbart News (opens in a new tab)
    1 more from Breitbart News
  • Washington ExaminerRight

    Susan Collins and Troy Jackson spar over public corruption allegations in second debate

    Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Democratic opponent Troy Jackson found at least one area of agreement during their second televised debate Thursday night: they both vehemently denied offering special interests insider access or that campaign contributions influenced public policy. …

    Read at Washington Examiner (opens in a new tab)
  • The Washington TimesRight

    Collins, Jackson trade corruption Loaded verb“barbs”Calling the accusations barbs adds a tone of attack beyond the fact that each candidate accused the other.More neutral: accusationsDisagree with this highlight? during Maine Senate debate

    Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson accused each other of corruption during a heated debate Thursday in the Maine Senate race, one of the most closely watched midterm contests and one that could determine control of the upper chamber next year.

    Read at The Washington Times (opens in a new tab)
  • TownhallFar RightOpinion

    Susan Collins Loaded verb“Ripped”Describes a debate exchange as a physical attack, which presents the outcome as settled rather than reporting what was said.More neutral: CriticizedDisagree with this highlight? Troy Jackson Sensational language“to Shreds”Adds dramatic language to a judgement about who performed better in the debate.More neutral: in the debateDisagree with this highlight? in Last Night's Senate Debate

    There were several high-profile debates last night including between Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, which you can read about here. Sen. Susan Collins also faced off against Democrat Troy Jackson in the Maine Senate debate and it Sensational language“did not go well for Jackson”States an evaluation of the debate as fact rather than attributing it to a viewer or reporter.More neutral: was less favorable to Jackson in this accountDisagree with this highlight?.

    Read at Townhall (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

    46 min later

    Its first report, Oct 8, 10:38 PM EDT

  • Center

    25 min later

    Its first report, Oct 8, 10:17 PM EDT

  • Right

    First to report

    The Washington Times, Oct 8, 9:52 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The Washington TimesRightOct 8, 9:52 PM EDT
  2. The HillCenterOct 8, 10:17 PM EDT
  3. NewsweekCenterOct 8, 10:28 PM EDT
  4. The New York TimesLeftOct 8, 10:38 PM EDT
  5. Washington ExaminerRightOct 8, 11:03 PM EDT
  6. Breitbart NewsFar RightOct 8, 11:27 PM EDT
  7. RedStateFar RightOct 9, 9:18 AM EDT

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

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