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Trump exchanges words with NBC reporter over Ohio campaign ad featuring Acton’s mother

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, all left-leaning.

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

The Daily Beast, The Independent and The New Republic report that President Donald Trump spoke to reporters as he left the White House on Friday and sharply rebuked an NBC News reporter who asked about a campaign ad by Ohio Republican Vivek Ramaswamy. The ad, aimed at Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton, features her estranged mother, Donna Arthur. Acton has said her stepfather sexually abused her as a child and that Arthur sided with him rather than believe her. The outlets say Trump defended the ad, said Arthur was calling her daughter a liar, told the reporter to be quiet and called her a horrible little reporter.

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 spoke to reporters as he left the White House on Friday, before travelling to a rally in Florida.

    One side only: the leftReported byFar Left1Left1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The New Republic
    Left
    The Independent

  2. Trump rebuked an NBC News reporter who asked him about Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign ad.

    One side only: the leftReported byFar Left2Left1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast, The New Republic
    Left
    The Independent

  3. The ad features Donna Arthur, the estranged mother of Democratic candidate Amy Acton.

    One side only: the leftReported byFar Left1Left1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The New Republic
    Left
    The Independent

  4. Acton has said her stepfather sexually abused her when she was a child.

    One side only: the leftReported byFar Left2Left1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast, The New Republic
    Left
    The Independent

  5. Trump defended the ad and said Arthur was accusing her daughter of being a liar.

    One side only: the leftReported byFar Left1Left1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The New Republic
    Left
    The Independent

  6. Trump told the reporter to be quiet and called her a horrible little reporter.

    One side only: the leftReported byFar Left1Left1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The New Republic
    Left
    The Independent

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • Amy Acton is a liar, as Trump said Arthur was claiming.

    Trump, defending the ad, said Arthur was calling Acton a liar and a terrible person; Acton has said she was sexually abused by her stepfather and that her mother took his side.

How each side tells it

Compare views

Only left-side outlets are in this set, and they tell the story as a hostile confrontation in which Trump berates a female NBC reporter who asked about an ad using Acton’s estranged mother and her childhood abuse.

  • the left

    3 outlets

    Headlines centre Trump’s anger toward a female NBC reporter, using words such as loses it, snaps and berates, and tie the ad to Acton’s childhood sexual abuse.

    Trump Loaded verb“shouts”The verb adds volume and drama to what was a spoken reply.More neutral: saysDisagree with this highlight? ‘quiet’ and Loaded verb“berates”The verb characterizes the exchange as an attack rather than describing the words used.More neutral: criticizesDisagree with this highlight? ‘Loaded modifier“horrible little”The words are Trump’s insult toward a reporter, quoted in the headline and attributed to him.More neutral: reporterThese are Donald Trump’s words. The outlet is reporting them.Disagree with this highlight?’ female reporter Sensational language“in fit over”A fit describes an outburst in dramatic terms not used in the body of the report.More neutral: angry aboutDisagree with this highlight? Vivek foe’s mom
    The IndependentLeftAll 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.

  • Left15

    vilelaunched into a rantdisgusting campaign adhabit of attacking female reporters

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right

    Has not covered this story.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    vileMore neutral: (omit) and quote or describe

    Moral verdict in the reporter's voice.

    President Donald Trump blew up at a reporter Friday who questioned his vile defense of Vivek Ramaswamy’s ugly attack ad featuring Ohio Democratic gubernatorial…

    Used byThe New Republic (Far Left)The Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    launched into a rantMore neutral: made remarks

    Calling the remarks a rant characterizes their tone with a judgement.

    President Donald Trump launched into a rant about a female reporter’s looks after she questioned him about a disgusting…

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    disgusting campaign adMore neutral: campaign ad

    The adjective states the outlet’s judgement of the ad rather than describing its content.

    …into a rant about a female reporter’s looks after she questioned him about a disgusting campaign ad by a Republican gubernatorial hopeful.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    habit of attacking female reportersMore neutral: has criticized reporters, including female reporters, on several occasions

    The claim of a habit is an unsourced characterization of the president’s conduct.

    The president, 80, has a habit of attacking female reporters.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

Show 11 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded verb

    rantMore neutral: said or spoke

    Dismisses the content by characterizing the delivery.

    President Donald Trump launched into a rant about a female reporter’s looks after she questioned him about a disgusting campaign ad…

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    disgustingMore neutral: (omit) and quote or describe

    Moral verdict in the reporter's voice.

    …into a rant about a female reporter’s looks after she questioned him about a disgusting campaign ad by a Republican gubernatorial hopeful.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    Loses ItMore neutral: responds angrily to

    The phrase describes Trump’s reaction with a dramatic idiom rather than stating what he did.

    Trump Loses It Over Female Reporter’s Embarrassing Question

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    Embarrassing QuestionMore neutral: question

    Calling the question embarrassing judges the reporter’s question before the facts are weighed.

    Trump Loses It Over Female Reporter’s Embarrassing Question

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    shoutsMore neutral: says

    The verb adds volume and drama to what was a spoken reply.

    Trump shouts ‘quiet’ and berates ‘horrible little’ female reporter in fit over Vivek foe’s mom

    Used byThe Independent (Left)

  • Loaded verb

    beratesMore neutral: criticizes

    The verb characterizes the exchange as an attack rather than describing the words used.

    Trump shouts ‘quiet’ and berates ‘horrible little’ female reporter in fit over Vivek foe’s mom

    Used byThe Independent (Left)

  • Sensational language

    in fit overMore neutral: angry about

    A fit describes an outburst in dramatic terms not used in the body of the report.

    Trump shouts ‘quiet’ and berates ‘horrible little’ female reporter in fit over Vivek foe’s mom

    Used byThe Independent (Left)

  • Loaded verb

    blew upMore neutral: became angry

    The idiom characterizes the reaction as an explosion of temper.

    President Donald Trump blew up at a reporter Friday who questioned his vile defense of Vivek Ramaswamy’s ugly attack…

    Used byThe New Republic (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    vile defenseMore neutral: defense

    Calling the defense vile states the outlet’s judgement of the president’s remarks.

    President Donald Trump blew up at a reporter Friday who questioned his vile defense of Vivek Ramaswamy’s ugly attack ad featuring Ohio Democratic gubernatorial…

    Used byThe New Republic (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    ugly attack adMore neutral: campaign ad

    The adjectives state the outlet’s judgement of the ad rather than describing its content.

    …blew up at a reporter Friday who questioned his vile defense of Vivek Ramaswamy’s ugly attack ad featuring Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton’s estranged mother.

    Used byThe New Republic (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    Snaps at ReporterMore neutral: Responds to reporter

    The verb presents Trump’s response as a sudden outburst instead of a reply.

    Trump Snaps at Reporter Asking If It’s OK to Ignore Sexual Abuse

    Used byThe New Republic (Far Left)

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.

  • Loaded modifier

    Quoted

    horrible littleMore neutral: reporter

    The words are Trump’s insult toward a reporter, quoted in the headline and attributed to him.

    Trump shouts ‘quiet’ and berates ‘horrible little’ female reporter in fit over Vivek foe’s mom

    Quoted byThe Independent (Left)

    These are Donald Trump’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

3 outlets

Leads with

  • Trump’s treatment of the female reporter
  • The ad’s use of Acton’s estranged mother
  • Acton’s history of sexual abuse
See the 3 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

    The Daily Beast, Oct 23, 7:32 AM 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. The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 23, 7:32 AM EDT
  2. The IndependentLeftOct 23, 11:40 AM EDT
  3. The New RepublicFar LeftOct 23, 11:55 AM EDT

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

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