Skip to content

PoliticsBreaking

Susan Collins’ Maine office vandalized with red paint before Election Day

By

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 4 outlets across the spectrum.

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

Red paint splashed on sidewalk at office entrance, with "BLOOD ON HANDS" graffiti written in front of glass doors.
Image via Fox NewsHow images are chosenReport this image

The Hill, Fox News, The Daily Wire and The Daily Beast report that the Biddeford, Maine, office of Republican Sen. Susan Collins was vandalized overnight Monday, the night before Election Day. Photos obtained by NewsNation show red paint splashed onto the sidewalk and the words “blood on her hands” written outside. Collins called the act “disgraceful” and said the office does constituent work. Her chief of staff, Katie Brown, said the vandalism was meant to “intimidate the Senator and her staff” but was not effective. Fox News and The Daily Wire say it is the second time the office has been targeted since September.

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. The Biddeford, Maine, office of Sen. Susan Collins was vandalized overnight Monday, the night before Election Day.

    Reported byFar Left1Center1Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Center
    The Hill
    Far Right
    Fox News, The Daily Wire
  2. Red paint was splashed on the sidewalk and the words “blood on her hands” were written outside the office.

    Reported byFar Left1Center1Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Center
    The Hill
    Far Right
    Fox News, The Daily Wire
  3. It is the second time the office has been vandalized in about two months, according to the reports.

    Reported byFar Left1Center1Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Center
    The Hill
    Far Right
    Fox News, The Daily Wire
  4. Collins’ chief of staff, Katie Brown, said in a statement the move was meant to “intimidate the Senator and her staff.”

    One outletThe Hill· Center

  5. Collins called the vandalism “disgraceful.”

    One outletThe Hill· Center

How each side tells it

Compare views

All sides report that the Biddeford office of Sen. Susan Collins was vandalized before Election Day with red paint and the words “blood on her hands.” The main difference is emphasis: center and left headlines report the attack as an event, while right-side headlines lead with the message and its disturbing tone.

  • the left

    1 outlet

    The only left-side coverage in this sample is one Far Left outlet, whose headline reports the vandalism as a plain event, naming the senator’s party and the eve of the election.

    Republican Senator’s Office Vandalized on Eve of Election
    The Daily BeastFar LeftAll left-leaning headlines
  • the center

    1 outlet

    The Hill’s headline reports the vandalism plainly as an event, placing it on the eve of the election without adjectives.

    Collins's Maine office vandalized on eve of election
    The HillCenterAll center headlines
  • the right

    2 outlets

    Right-side headlines lead with the message left at the office, with Fox News quoting the word disturbing, while the Daily Wire names Collins and the Election Day message.

    Susan Collins' Maine Senate office vandalized with 'Sensational language“disturbing”The headline repeats an adjective from the senator’s office to describe the graffiti, which adds emotional weight the reported facts do not need.More neutral: graffitiThese are Katie Brown’s words. The outlet is reporting them.Disagree with this highlight?' graffiti on night before Election Day
    Fox 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.

  • Right2

    vandalized AGAINsaboteurs

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    vandalized AGAINMore neutral: vandalized again

    Capitalizing the word adds drama to a repeat incident that the sentence already reports in plain terms.

    NEW: Susan Collins’ office was vandalized AGAIN overnight – the second time in a month.

    Used byThe Daily Wire (Far Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    saboteursMore neutral: people

    The word labels the unidentified people as saboteurs, implying an intent to sabotage before any motive has been established.

    After vandals previously spray-painted the building's door in September, saboteurs on Monday dumped a bucket of red paint in front of the location while writing in…

    Used byFox News (Far Right)

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

    disturbingMore neutral: graffiti

    The headline repeats an adjective from the senator’s office to describe the graffiti, which adds emotional weight the reported facts do not need.

    Susan Collins' Maine Senate office vandalized with 'disturbing' graffiti on night before Election Day

    Quoted byFox News (Far Right)

    These are Katie Brown’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

1 outlet

Leads with

  • the vandalism as an event
  • the eve of the election
  • the second attack in two months
See the headline from the leftHide the headlines
  • Republican Senator’s Office Vandalized on Eve of Election

    The office of Republican Sen. Susan Collins was vandalized ahead of Election Day, for the second time in two months. The words “blood on her hands” were scrawled outside her Biddeford office in Maine, along with a pool of red paint. The vandalism occurred around 11 p.m. …

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • the vandalism of the office
  • the tight Senate race
  • Collins calling it disgraceful
See the headline from the centerHide the headlines
  • The HillCenter

    Collins's Maine office vandalized on eve of election

    A federal constituent service office of Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) was vandalized overnight for the second time within the last two months as the incumbent winds down a tight race to hold onto her seat. …

From the right

2 outlets

Leads with

  • the disturbing graffiti
  • the message “BLOOD on her HANDS”
  • the second attack since September
See the 2 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • Fox NewsFar Right

    Susan Collins' Maine Senate office vandalized with 'Sensational language“disturbing”The headline repeats an adjective from the senator’s office to describe the graffiti, which adds emotional weight the reported facts do not need.More neutral: graffitiThese are Katie Brown’s words. The outlet is reporting them.Disagree with this highlight?' graffiti on night before Election Day

    Susan Collins' Biddeford, Maine, office was hit with red paint and the message "BLOOD on her HANDS," marking the second vandalism incident in a month.

  • Vandals Leave Election Day Message Targeting Susan Collins

    Vandals targeted the Biddeford, Maine, office belonging to Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) late Monday night ahead of Election Day. Red paint was spread on the sidewalk in front of her office door, along with the phrase, “Blood on her hands” — marking the second time that office …

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

    5 hr 46 min later

    Its first report, Nov 3, 1:38 PM EST

  • Center

    6 hr 27 min later

    Its first report, Nov 3, 2:18 PM EST

  • Right

    First to report

    The Daily Wire, Nov 3, 7:52 AM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The Daily WireFar RightNov 3, 7:52 AM EST
  2. Fox NewsFar RightNov 3, 11:44 AM EST
  3. The Daily BeastFar LeftNov 3, 1:38 PM EST
  4. The HillCenterNov 3, 2:18 PM EST

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

Help someone else find the truth beneath the surface

Most people see one side of a story. Share this one, so they can see how every side is telling it and decide for themselves.

Email it
Embed

Show this story’s coverage card on your own site, blog or class page. It has the headline, who is covering it and a link back here, and it tracks nobody. See the card

Seen a mistake? Tell us what is wrong with this page