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Politics

Trump and Obama campaign in battleground states before midterm elections

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Coverage spectrum

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

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

Large rally crowd filming a speaker at a podium under 'Make America Great Again' banners, with American flags.
Image via NBC NewsHow images are chosenReport this image

NBC News and CBS News report that President Trump and former President Barack Obama both held rallies in Michigan in the days before the midterm elections. NBC News reports that Obama's first fall campaign rally was in Ohio on Saturday, where he backed Democratic candidates, and that he later spoke in Michigan. NBC News also reports that Obama described the Trump administration in terms of chaos and cruelty, and that Trump campaigned in Georgia, where NBC says he dismissed his predecessor. CBN News reports that the two are sparring in key battleground states while control of Congress is in the balance. The midterm elections were nine days away when NBC published its October 25 report.

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. Former President Barack Obama and President Trump both held rallies in Michigan in the days before the midterm elections.

    One side only: the leftReported byLeft2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    NBC News, CBS News

  2. Obama held his first campaign rally for the fall midterms in Ohio, backing Democratic candidates.

    One outletNBC News· Left

  3. Obama said the Trump administration is marked by chaos and cruelty.

    One outletNBC News· Left

  4. Trump campaigned in Georgia, where NBC News says he dismissed Obama.

    One outletNBC News· Left

  5. The midterm elections were nine days away as of the October 25 NBC News report.

    One outletNBC News· Left

  6. CBN News describes Trump and Obama as sparring in key battleground states, with control of Congress in the balance.

    One outletCBN News· Far Right

How each side tells it

Compare views

NBC News and CBS News report that Trump and Obama campaigned in battleground states, including dueling rallies in Michigan, days before the midterms. CBN News frames the same contest as a sparring match with control of Congress in the balance.

  • the left

    2 outlets

    NBC News and CBS News headlines describe the closing campaign as a fight or dueling rallies, mostly by naming both presidents and the battleground states.

    Trump and Obama rally supporters in key battleground states ahead of midterms
    NBC NewsLeftAll 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

    Only one right-side outlet, CBN News, covers this story in the input, and its headline frames it as Trump and Obama sparring in battleground states with control of Congress in the balance.

    With Control of Congress in the Balance, Trump and Obama Spar in Key Battleground States
    CBN 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.

  • Left2

    blastingdismissing his predecessor with familiar insults

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    blastingMore neutral: criticizing

    Blasting is a strong attack verb; criticizing reports the same speech without adding force.

    …President Barack Obama was on the campaign trail for Democrats in Ohio and Michigan, blasting President Donald Trump, saying his administration is marked by “chaos” and “cruelty.”…

    Used byNBC News (Left)

  • Loaded verb

    dismissing his predecessor with familiar insultsMore neutral: criticized his predecessor

    Describes Trump's remarks as insults in the outlet's own voice, which is a judgement rather than a neutral description.

    …and “cruelty.” Meanwhile, President Trump campaigned in Georgia dismissing his predecessor with familiar insults.

    Used byNBC News (Left)

Words quoted from someone else (2)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

    chaosMore neutral: criticized the administration

    A quoted characterization of the administration rather than a description of a specific event.

    …Michigan, blasting President Donald Trump, saying his administration is marked by “chaos” and “cruelty.” Meanwhile, President Trump campaigned in Georgia dismissing his…

    Quoted byNBC News (Left)

    These are Barack Obama’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

  • Sensational language

    Quoted

    crueltyMore neutral: criticized the administration

    A quoted characterization of the administration rather than a description of a specific act.

    …blasting President Donald Trump, saying his administration is marked by “chaos” and “cruelty.” Meanwhile, President Trump campaigned in Georgia dismissing his predecessor with…

    Quoted byNBC News (Left)

    These are Barack Obama’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

  • Obama's campaign trail in Ohio and Michigan
  • Trump's rallies and Georgia campaign stop
  • Closing days before the midterms
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

  • Sparring between Trump and Obama
  • Control of Congress at stake

Leaves out

  • Michigan rallies reported by NBC News and CBS News

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

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

    With Control of Congress in the Balance, Trump and Obama Spar in Key Battleground States

    Dale Hurd utilizes his four decades of experience to provide cutting-edge analysis of the most important events affecting our world. Since joining CBN News, Dale has reported extensively from Europe, China, Russia, and South America. …

    Read at CBN 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

    NBC News, Oct 24, 6:52 PM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    1 day 16 hr later

    Its first report, Oct 26, 11:08 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. NBC NewsLeftOct 24, 6:52 PM EDT
  2. CBS NewsLeftOct 26, 9:41 AM EDT
  3. CBN NewsFar RightOct 26, 11:08 AM EDT

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

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