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Trump defends Ramaswamy ad featuring Amy Acton's estranged mother

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, all left-leaning.

6 articles in total, 2 of them opinion. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

ABC News, Salon, The Daily Beast and the Los Angeles Times report that President Donald Trump has defended a Ramaswamy campaign ad featuring Amy Acton's estranged mother, Donna Arthur. Trump said, “It's a mother speaking badly against Amy Acton,” and attacked Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine for criticizing the ad. The reports say Arthur calls her daughter a liar in the ad, which omits alleged abuse that led to Acton being removed from her mother's custody at age 12. The Plain Dealer's editorial board endorsed Acton and called the ad completely disqualifying, according to The Daily Beast.

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. Trump defended the ad, saying “It's a mother speaking badly against Amy Acton.”

    One side only: the leftReported byFar Left1Left1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Left
    ABC News

  2. The ad features Amy Acton's estranged mother, Donna Arthur.

    One side only: the leftReported byFar Left2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    Salon, The Daily Beast

  3. Reporting says Arthur calls her daughter a liar in the ad.

    One outletThe Daily Beast· Far Left

  4. Trump attacked Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine for criticizing the ad.

    One outletSalon· Far Left

  5. The Plain Dealer's editorial board endorsed Acton and called the ad completely disqualifying.

    One outletThe Daily Beast· Far Left

  6. Reporting says the ad omits alleged abuse that led to Acton's removal from her mother's custody at age 12.

    One outletThe Daily Beast· Far Left

How each side tells it

Compare views

The left-side outlets report that Trump defended the Ramaswamy ad featuring Amy Acton's estranged mother, and the Far Left outlets add words like vile and disgusting to describe it.

  • the left

    3 outlets · 1 opinion

    Headlines center Trump's remarks and call the ad controversial or attack-driven; the Far Left outlets add loaded words such as vile and disgusting.

    Dem Hopeful Loaded verb“Schools Trump”Frames Acton as having won an argument with the president rather than stating that she responded to his defense.More neutral: Responds to TrumpDisagree with this highlight? Over Loaded modifier“Twisted”Judges the defense as distorted in the outlet’s own voice.More neutral: Defense of adDisagree with this highlight? MAGA Ad Defense
    The Daily BeastFar 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

    No coverage yet

    No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

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.

  • Left16

    attackedlashed out atvile advile

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right

    Has not covered this story.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    attackedMore neutral: criticized

    The verb adds hostility; the reported act is a public criticism of a governor.

    The president attacked Ohio Gov.

    Used bySalon (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    lashed out atMore neutral: criticized

    The phrase adds emotional heat to what was a public criticism of party members.

    …decision to air the ad, which accuses Acton of lying about her childhood, and lashed out at members of his own party who have called for its removal.

    Used bySalon (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    vile adMore neutral: controversial ad

    The adjective states a moral verdict on the ad rather than describing its content.

    Donald Trump’s doubling down on Vivek Ramaswamy’s vile ad is a political gamble that will blow up in his face, his longtime biographer says.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    vileMore neutral: (omit) and quote or describe

    Moral verdict in the reporter's voice.

    Donald Trump’s doubling down on Vivek Ramaswamy’s vile ad is a political gamble that will blow up in his face, his longtime biographer says.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

Show 12 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Sensational language

    VilestMore neutral: controversial

    The word states a moral verdict on the ad as fact in the headline.

    Why Trump Will Pay the Price for MAGA’s Vilest Ad: Author

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    clearly troubled motherMore neutral: estranged mother

    The modifier pre-judges the mother’s character before the dispute is weighed.

    …candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s attack on opponent Amy Acton using her clearly troubled mother, who failed to protect Acton as a child from her rapist stepfather and…

    Used byLos Angeles Times (Left)

  • Dehumanizing label

    rapist stepfatherMore neutral: stepfather accused of sexual assault

    The label states a criminal conclusion in the writer’s own voice, while the coverage reports allegations.

    …her clearly troubled mother, who failed to protect Acton as a child from her rapist stepfather and instead abandoned her kids to stay with the now-deceased pedophile.

    Used byLos Angeles Times (Left)

  • Dehumanizing label

    now-deceased pedophileMore neutral: stepfather, now deceased, whom Acton accused of abuse

    The label states an accusation as settled fact in the writer’s own voice.

    …from her rapist stepfather and instead abandoned her kids to stay with the now-deceased pedophile.

    Used byLos Angeles Times (Left)

  • Sensational language

    brutal blowMore neutral: setback

    The word brutal adds drama to a report of a newspaper endorsement.

    In a brutal blow for the billionaire president and his billionaire choice for Ohio’s next governor,…

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    brutal rebukeMore neutral: criticism

    The word brutal adds drama to a report of a newspaper's criticism.

    It was a brutal rebuke from a newspaper that announced only months ago that it would no longer endorse…

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    Hit With New BlowMore neutral: Trump's MAGA Pick Faces New Criticism After Attack Ad Twist

    The phrase presents a news development as a dramatic hit, which goes beyond reporting that criticism arrived.

    Trump’s MAGA Pick Hit With New Blow After Attack Ad Twist

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    disgustingMore neutral: harmful

    Gives an opinion of the ad in the outlet’s own voice instead of describing its content.

    Amy Acton, the Ohio gubernatorial hopeful and victim of a disgusting attack ad from her opponent, has schooled President Donald Trump for defending it.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    omittedMore neutral: did not mention

    States as fact that the ad left something out, a claim the excerpt does not verify, in the outlet’s own voice.

    But it omitted the history of alleged abuse that led to Acton being removed from her mother’s…

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    schooledMore neutral: responded to

    Describes Acton’s response as a lesson for Trump, adding a judgement of who won.

    …gubernatorial hopeful and victim of a disgusting attack ad from her opponent, has schooled President Donald Trump for defending it.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    Schools TrumpMore neutral: Responds to Trump

    Frames Acton as having won an argument with the president rather than stating that she responded to his defense.

    Dem Hopeful Schools Trump Over Twisted MAGA Ad Defense

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    TwistedMore neutral: Defense of ad

    Judges the defense as distorted in the outlet’s own voice.

    Dem Hopeful Schools Trump Over Twisted MAGA Ad Defense

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

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

3 outlets · 1 opinion

Leads with

  • Trump's defense of the ad
  • Acton's estranged mother in the ad
  • Plain Dealer endorsement of Acton
  • Alleged childhood abuse omitted from the ad
See the 4 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

0 outlets

No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

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

    ABC News, Oct 23, 5:08 PM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. ABC NewsLeftOct 23, 5:08 PM EDT
  2. SalonFar LeftOct 24, 1:00 PM EDT
  3. The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 25, 9:13 PM EDT

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

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