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Tehran displays installation with actor impersonating Trump in a cage above a square

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Coverage spectrum

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

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

Al Jazeera English, The New York Times and Breitbart report that an actor playing US President Donald Trump has been placed in a cage hanging above Tajrish Square in Tehran. Breitbart says local authorities erected the display this week, that the actor wears a large red tie and heavy makeup, and that he performs Trump’s signature dance while passersby jeer. The New York Times calls it performance propaganda and notes that the Islamic republic has long used billboards in Tehran to mock its opponents. Breitbart links the display to the ongoing conflict between America and Iran. Al Jazeera English describes the performer as impersonating Trump behind bars.

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. An actor playing Donald Trump has been placed in a cage above Tajrish Square in Tehran.

    Reported byLeft2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Al Jazeera English, The New York Times
    Far Right
    Breitbart News

  2. According to Breitbart, local authorities erected the display this week.

    One outletBreitbart News· Far Right

  3. According to Breitbart, the actor performs Trump’s signature dance while passersby jeer.

    One outletBreitbart News· Far Right

  4. A caption by the cage reportedly reads “it is a crime not to see this scene”, according to Breitbart.

    One outletBreitbart News· Far Right

  5. The New York Times says the Islamic republic has long used billboards in Tehran to mock its opponents.

    One outletThe New York Times· Left

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three outlets report an actor playing Trump placed in a cage above a Tehran square. The two left outlets describe it as eccentric performance propaganda, while Breitbart frames it as Iran imprisoning Trump and stresses the jeers and the ongoing conflict.

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Both left outlets lead with the spectacle: a Trump impersonator behind bars or dancing in a cell, framed as eccentric state performance propaganda.

    Above Iran’s Capital, a Trump Impersonator Dances in a Jail Cell
    The New York TimesLeftAll 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

    Breitbart, a Far Right outlet and the only right-side source, frames it as Iran imprisoning Trump, stressing the jeers of passersby and the ongoing conflict.

    Iran Imprisons 'Trump' in Cage Above Tehran
    Breitbart 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.

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right2

    outrageousincendiary rhetoric

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    outrageousMore neutral: street propaganda

    The word judges the display as beyond the bounds of decency before the reader has seen the facts.

    The art installation appears to be the latest outrageous street propaganda debuting in Iran’s capital to condemn the ongoing conflict between…

    Used byBreitbart News (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    incendiary rhetoricMore neutral: official messaging

    The phrase labels the officials’ messaging as inflammatory, which is a judgement rather than a description of the content.

    …streets of Tehran with images of Trump dead, calls for his demise, and other incendiary rhetoric.

    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

2 outlets

Leads with

  • the eccentric spectacle
  • state performance propaganda
  • a long tradition of Tehran billboards
See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

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

Leads with

  • Iran imprisoning Trump
  • jeers from passersby
  • the ongoing conflict with America

Leaves out

  • Iran’s long use of Tehran billboards to mock opponents, as the New York Times notes

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

See the headline from the rightHide the headlines
  • Breitbart NewsFar Right

    Iran Imprisons 'Trump' in Cage Above Tehran

    Local authorities in Tehran, Iran, erected an art display this week in which an actor depicting President Donald Trump is placed in a cage hanging above a public square, performing President Trump's signature dance and eliciting jeers from passersby.

    Read at Breitbart News (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

    First to report

    Al Jazeera English, Oct 21, 5:43 PM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    1 day 17 hr later

    Its first report, Oct 23, 11:12 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Al Jazeera EnglishLeftOct 21, 5:43 PM EDT
  2. The New York TimesLeftOct 22, 5:25 PM EDT
  3. Breitbart NewsFar RightOct 23, 11:12 AM EDT

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

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