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White House memo tells conservative groups it is monitoring their statements, WSJ reports

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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

According to The Wall Street Journal, the White House Office of Public Liaison sent a memo to more than 3,000 conservative organizations after the midterm elections. The memo listed President Donald Trump’s accomplishments and said the groups’ statements, press releases and media engagements are being monitored. Two conservative group leaders told the Journal they received it. A White House spokesperson denied the memo was a threat and said the office has used similar language before. A White House official told the Daily Caller the wording is routine and appears in weekly emails.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. Editors read every story. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. The White House Office of Public Liaison sent a memo to more than 3,000 conservative organizations after the midterm elections.

    Reported byFar Left2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast, Raw Story
    Far Right
    The Daily Caller

  2. The memo said the statements, press releases and media engagements of recipient groups are being monitored.

    Reported byFar Left2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast, Raw Story
    Far Right
    The Daily Caller

  3. The memo listed President Donald Trump’s accomplishments.

    Reported byFar Left2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast, Raw Story
    Far Right
    The Daily Caller

  4. A White House spokesperson denied the memo was a threat.

    Reported byFar Left1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    Raw Story
    Far Right
    The Daily Caller

  5. The White House says similar wording has appeared in earlier memos to groups.

    Reported byFar Left1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    Raw Story
    Far Right
    The Daily Caller

  6. Two leaders of conservative groups confirmed to the Journal that they received the memo.

    One outletRaw Story· Far Left

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Questions the coverage answers differently, and who says what.

  • Was the memo intended as a threat?

    Raw Story reports a White House spokesperson denied the memo was a threat, and the Daily Caller reports an official said it was not intended as one. The Daily Beast and Raw Story describe it as an ominous warning.

  • Did earlier White House emails to groups include monitoring language?

    The Daily Caller says an Oct. 31 memo asked groups to flag statements of support, press releases, op-eds and media engagements. Raw Story says earlier emails it reviewed asked groups to share statements supporting Trump but made no mention of monitoring.

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side present reports that the White House sent a memo to more than 3,000 conservative groups saying their statements are monitored, citing the Wall Street Journal. Left coverage presents it as intimidation of allies, the right’s sole outlet as mob-style pressure after midterm losses.

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Both Far Left outlets frame the memo as a warning to allies, with Raw Story’s headline quoting monitoring and the Daily Beast calling the White House paranoid.

    White House warns conservative allies it's 'monitoring' them after GOP wipeout: report
    Raw StoryFar 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

    1 outlet

    The single Far Right outlet here frames the memo as a mob boss message after a midterm blowout, building on Wall Street Journal reporting.

    White House Sends Sensational language“Mob Boss Message”Compares the White House to a criminal boss, a dramatic characterization that the memo’s reported wording does not establish.More neutral: Memo to conservative groupsDisagree with this highlight? To Conservative Groups After Midterm Blowout
    The Daily CallerFar 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.

  • Left4

    ominous warningParanoidFreaking OutMAGA Enemies Within

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right2

    devolved into civil warMob Boss Message

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded modifier

    ominous warningMore neutral: warning highlighted in yellow

    Describes the memo’s wording as menacing, a judgement the quoted text itself does not make.

    …the Trump White House sent more than 3,000 conservative groups a memo with an ominous warning highlighted in yellow, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday in an exclusive…

    Used byRaw Story (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    devolved into civil warMore neutral: faced internal divisions

    Describes internal party disagreement with a dramatic term that goes beyond the reported facts.

    As the Republican Party devolved into civil war over Tuesday’s midterm blowout, the White House Office of Public Liaison sent…

    Used byThe Daily Caller (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    Mob Boss MessageMore neutral: Memo to conservative groups

    Compares the White House to a criminal boss, a dramatic characterization that the memo’s reported wording does not establish.

    White House Sends Mob Boss Message To Conservative Groups After Midterm Blowout

    Used byThe Daily Caller (Far Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    ParanoidMore neutral: White House

    Calling the White House paranoid is a judgement about its state of mind that the reporting does not establish.

    Paranoid White House Busted Freaking Out at MAGA Enemies Within

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

Show 2 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded verb

    Freaking OutMore neutral: reacting to

    Colloquial phrasing that dramatizes the White House reaction without describing what it did.

    Paranoid White House Busted Freaking Out at MAGA Enemies Within

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Delegitimizing label

    MAGA Enemies WithinMore neutral: conservative groups

    Labels conservative groups as enemies, a judgement that the coverage does not support.

    Paranoid White House Busted Freaking Out at MAGA Enemies Within

    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

2 outlets

Leads with

  • the memo as a warning to allies
  • the White House reaction to the midterm losses
  • splits within the conservative coalition

Leaves out

  • the October 31 memo with similar wording

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

See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • The Daily BeastFar Left

    Loaded modifier“Paranoid”Calling the White House paranoid is a judgement about its state of mind that the reporting does not establish.More neutral: White HouseDisagree with this highlight? White House Busted Loaded verb“Freaking Out”Colloquial phrasing that dramatizes the White House reaction without describing what it did.More neutral: reacting toDisagree with this highlight? at Delegitimizing label“MAGA Enemies Within”Labels conservative groups as enemies, a judgement that the coverage does not support.More neutral: conservative groupsDisagree with this highlight?

    The Trump administration has warned thousands of conservative organizations that it’s keeping an eye on their every move. The White House Office of Public Liaison, which coordinates outreach with outside groups, sent a memo to more than 3,000 conservative organizations detailing …

    Read at The Daily Beast (opens in a new tab)
  • Raw StoryFar Left

    White House warns conservative allies it's 'monitoring' them after GOP wipeout: report

    Two days after Republicans lost both chambers of Congress, the Trump White House sent more than 3,000 conservative groups a memo with an Loaded modifier“ominous warning”Describes the memo’s wording as menacing, a judgement the quoted text itself does not make.More neutral: warning highlighted in yellowDisagree with this highlight? highlighted in yellow, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday in an exclusive . …

    Read at Raw Story (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

1 outlet

Leads with

  • mob-style pressure on conservative groups
  • the midterm losses and GOP infighting
  • the official’s routine-email explanation

Leaves out

  • earlier emails that made no mention of monitoring
  • confirmation by two conservative group leaders

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

See the headline from the rightHide the headlines

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, 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

    Raw Story, Nov 5, 6:23 PM EST

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    1 hr 6 min later

    Its first report, Nov 5, 7:29 PM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Raw StoryFar LeftNov 5, 6:23 PM EST
  2. The Daily CallerFar RightNov 5, 7:29 PM EST
  3. The Daily BeastFar LeftNov 5, 9:40 PM EST

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

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