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Tim Tebow Pauses Ties With Life Surge Amid Scrutiny of Its Financial Seminars

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 4 outlets. No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered it yet.

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

Former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow announced he is pausing his relationship with Life Surge, a Christian-branded wealth-building seminar company that has paid him millions of dollars to speak at its events. The announcement follows reporting, including from TMZ and other outlets, that some attendees were left heavily in debt after being encouraged to take out loans, home equity lines or 401(k) withdrawals to pay for additional programs costing up to $50,000. Life Surge's CEO, Jeremy Nosek, responded that the company disagrees with how it has been characterized and defended its beliefs and practices. Tebow spoke with reporters about his concerns regarding the allegations.

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. Tim Tebow announced he is pausing his relationship with Life Surge.

    Reported byLeftRight

  2. Life Surge reportedly pays Tebow between $2-4 million to speak at events.

    Reported byRight

  3. Attendees have reportedly been left heavily in debt after paying up to $50,000 for programs.

    Reported byRight

  4. Life Surge CEO Jeremy Nosek disputed the characterization of the company in recent reporting.

    Reported byLeft

  5. The reporting on Life Surge originated from investigative journalism, which some right-leaning coverage frames as coming from a 'liberal reporter'.

    Reported byRight

  6. Other celebrities besides Tebow have also lent their names to Life Surge, according to one report.

    Reported byLeft

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • Whether Life Surge's practices constitute a 'scam'.

    Right-leaning outlets report the company is under a 'scam investigation' and describe hard sales tactics leading to attendee debt, while Life Surge's CEO, cited in left-leaning coverage, disputes this characterization and says the company will not apologize for its practices.

  • The motivation and framing behind the original investigative reporting.

    One right-leaning outlet characterizes the reporter behind the investigation as 'liberal,' implying political motivation, while left-leaning outlets present the reporting as straightforward investigative journalism without addressing this characterization.

How each side tells it

Compare views

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Left-leaning outlets frame the story around accountability for Tebow and other celebrities who lent credibility to Life Surge, emphasizing the original investigation's role in prompting his response.

    Tim Tebow sold trust. Life Surge Loaded verb“borrowed”Implies Life Surge improperly used Tebow's credibility rather than a neutral description of association.More neutral: usedDisagree with this highlight? it
    SalonFar 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

    2 outlets

    Right-leaning outlets frame Tebow's move as a response to scam allegations, with one outlet emphasizing that the investigation came from a 'liberal reporter'.

    Tim Tebow Announces He's 'Pausing' Relationship with Christian Group Partisan shorthand“Targeted by Liberal Reporter”Labels the investigative reporter's political leaning as the defining characteristic of the report rather than describing the investigation neutrally.More neutral: Investigation by ReporterDisagree with this highlight?
    The Western JournalFar 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.

  • Left3

    questionable financial orgpredatory sales tacticsborrowed

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right2

    Scam InvestigationTargeted by Liberal Reporter

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    Scam InvestigationMore neutral: Amid Investigation Into Alleged Financial Practices

    Labels the situation a 'scam' as settled fact in the headline rather than attributing the characterization to investigators or reports.

    Tim Tebow Pauses Relationship with Christian Wealth-Building Seminar Amid Scam Investigation

    Used byBreitbart News (Far Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    questionable financial orgMore neutral: financial organization facing allegations

    Labels the organization as questionable before allegations are proven, presenting a contested characterization as settled.

    …is taking heat over Life Surge, but dozens of celebs lent credibility to questionable financial org

    Used bySalon (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    predatory sales tacticsMore neutral: allegedly aggressive sales tactics

    Presents contested allegations as an established characterization of the company's practices.

    …said he had been caught off guard by allegations that the organization used predatory sales tactics to push Christians into expensive financial education programs.

    Used bySalon (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    borrowedMore neutral: used

    Implies Life Surge improperly used Tebow's credibility rather than a neutral description of association.

    Life Surge borrowed it

    Used bySalon (Far Left)

Show 1 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Partisan shorthand

    Targeted by Liberal ReporterMore neutral: Investigation by Reporter

    Labels the investigative reporter's political leaning as the defining characteristic of the report rather than describing the investigation neutrally.

    Tim Tebow Announces He's 'Pausing' Relationship with Christian Group Targeted by Liberal Reporter

    Used byThe Western Journal (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 investigative reporting that prompted Tebow's decision
  • broader celebrity involvement with Life Surge
  • Life Surge's pushback against the reporting

Leaves out

  • specific dollar figures Tebow was reportedly paid
  • details of the debt-related allegations from attendees

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

See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • SalonFar Left

    Tim Tebow sold trust. Life Surge Loaded verb“borrowed”Implies Life Surge improperly used Tebow's credibility rather than a neutral description of association.More neutral: usedDisagree with this highlight? it

    Christian star is taking heat over Life Surge, but dozens of celebs lent credibility to Loaded modifier“questionable financial org”Labels the organization as questionable before allegations are proven, presenting a contested characterization as settled.More neutral: financial organization facing allegationsDisagree with this highlight?

    Read at Salon (opens in a new tab)
  • Mother JonesFar Left

    Tim Tebow “Pausing” Christian Seminar Promotion After Our Investigation

    Update, September 25: In an emailed response (PDF) to Tebow’s announcement that he planned to pause his relationship with Life Surge, the company’s CEO, Jeremy Nosek, wrote that Life Surge “strongly disagrees with the characterization of our company presented in recent …

    Read at Mother Jones (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

2 outlets

Leads with

  • financial details of Life Surge's fees and Tebow's reported pay
  • allegations that attendees went into debt
  • Tebow's own concerns as expressed to reporters

Leaves out

  • Life Surge CEO's detailed rebuttal to the reporting
  • involvement of other celebrities beyond Tebow

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

See the 2 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • The Western JournalFar Right

    Tim Tebow Announces He's 'Pausing' Relationship with Christian Group Partisan shorthand“Targeted by Liberal Reporter”Labels the investigative reporter's political leaning as the defining characteristic of the report rather than describing the investigation neutrally.More neutral: Investigation by ReporterDisagree with this highlight?

    Tim Tebow is putting his relationship with a faith-driven conference company on hold as they face scam allegations. The former NFL quarterback and prominent evangelical Christian responded to an investigation

    Read at The Western Journal (opens in a new tab)
  • Breitbart NewsFar Right

    Tim Tebow Pauses Relationship with Christian Wealth-Building Seminar Amid Sensational language“Scam Investigation”Labels the situation a 'scam' as settled fact in the headline rather than attributing the characterization to investigators or reports.More neutral: Amid Investigation Into Alleged Financial PracticesDisagree with this highlight?

    Former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow has announced that he is pausing his relationship with a Christian-based wealth seminar that reportedly left some attendees heavily in debt.

    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

    Mother Jones, Sep 25, 4:45 PM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    1 hr 18 min later

    Its first report, Sep 25, 6:02 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Mother JonesFar LeftSep 25, 4:45 PM EDT
  2. Breitbart NewsFar RightSep 25, 6:02 PM EDT
  3. SalonFar LeftSep 26, 4:00 PM EDT
  4. The Western JournalFar RightSep 27, 10:01 AM EDT

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

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