You know your favorite outlets underreport on certain topics and amplify others. You know that your outlets cater to your worldview and there are other perspectives out there to fill in the gaps. You know that reading from multiple outlets is good for you, but you don't have enough time in the day. Top Down News efficiently solves this for you by analyzing a week’s worth of news across the mainstream spectrum and distilling the coverage and perspectives in one place.

Trump 2024

“Cover him… but not too much,” said the press.

A friend asked me what Top Down’s analysis said about Trump 2024 - he wasn’t seeing much press on it and he was surprised. Where did it stack up in the past week?

Ranked by aggregated front page real estate across mainstream media

Pretty far down - it was the 12th biggest topic of the week - Ron DeSantis made it to 4th place.

How was it covered?

Front page coverage is even across the spectrum, indicating no side specifically is minimizing or magnifying coverage. Instead, they’re all kind of meh on it.

The headlines, however, are littered with slant and spin:

Top Recent Headlines from Left

(nbcnews) Trump, whose lies about the 2020 election inspired an insurrection, announces third White House bid
(nytimes) Trump Announces 2024 Run, Repeating Lies and Exaggerating Record

Top Recent Headlines from Right

(foxnews) Former President Donald Trump announces he will run for White House again in 2024
(washingtontimes) It’s official: Trump files paperwork for a 2024 presidential run
(washingtonexaminer) Former Trump staffers jeer 'low energy' 2024 campaign announcement

It doesn’t feel like even the right mainstream media is very excited for him (“files paperwork”, “low energy”), except potentially for Fox News, which is by far the most popular outlet among the Right-leaning outlets.

FTX Crypto Collapse

First off, the collapse of one of the biggest exchanges in Crypto, FTX, and the demise of its founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, surpassed, in net, the front-page attention of Trump’s 2024 Announcement. I wouldn’t have guessed that ahead of time.

How was it covered?

So CNN and Fox pretty much do not consider this topic an important issue. From a 2020 Pew Report, 60% of Republicans turn to Fox News for political news and 53% of Democrats turn to CNN. So many adults in America likely don’t know about this collapse, unless they directly are losing money from holding assets in FTX.

In terms of the articles themselves, there is a wide set of perspectives and incentives at play.

Trung Phan @TrungTPhan

Word count NYT's puff piece on SBF: "Fraud": 0 "Enron": 0 "Crime": 0 "Illiquid": 0 "Stolen": 0 "Hidden": 0 "Criminal": 0 "Back door": 0 "He's getting sleep": 1

The NYT’s headline that showed up highest on their front page (#8) focused, interestingly, on SBF’s negative effect on the Effective Altruism movement - notably very little focus on fraud/criminality or being the second largest Democratic donor, after George Soros.

Top Recent Headlines from Left

(cnn) NO HEADLINE
(nbcnews) Crypto giant FTX to file for bankruptcy, CEO Sam Bankman-Fried steps down
(nytimes) FTX’s Collapse Casts a Pall on a Philanthropy Movement
(washingtonpost) Why the crypto world exploded as FTX collapsed

Top Recent Headlines from Right

(foxnews) ‘LOOKING TO MAKE A SPLASH’:FTX founder's family boasts deep ties to Dem power players
(washingtontimes) Funds vanish at bankrupt crypto exchange FTX; probe underway
(washingtonexaminer) The background on FTX's spectacular collapse into bankruptcy

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How Media Divides Us

These stories and topics exhibited the largest difference in front-page coverage on the Left and Right

Any topics here that you didn’t know about? Read on.

The following report is a quick way to read all of the mainstream news (left, center, & right, domestic & international) efficiently with a bias map - here’s the legend. We scrape all front-page stories and use AI to triangulate every outlet’s perspectives.

United Topics 🫰

Missile Exploded In Poland, Killing Two People, And NATO Believes Missile Was Likely Fired By Ukraine Accidentally

🟦🟦🟦🟦⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️🟥🟥🟥🟥

Topic Maturity: 🥚 (In the news for 1.0 of the last 15 weeks)

Top Headlines

Note: Headlines across the spectrum are similar. Here's one:

🟥🇺🇸 Washington Times: NATO chief: Missile that hit Poland was most likely an accident

Georgia Senate Runoff Will Determine Which Party Has Control Of Senate

🟦🟦🟦⬜️🟥🟥

Topic Maturity: 🥚 (In the news for 2.0 of the last 15 weeks)

Top Headlines

Note: Headlines across the spectrum are similar. Here's one:

🟦🇺🇸 The New York Times: Georgia Senate Race Heads to a Runoff

GOP Is Facing Internal Strife And Criticism After Their Disappointing Performance In Midterm Elections

🟦🟦⬜️🟥🟥🟥

Topic Maturity: 🥚 (In the news for 1.0 of the last 15 weeks)

Top Headlines

Note: Headlines across the spectrum are similar. Here's one:

🟦🇺🇸 Washington Post: GOP hopes stymied by infighting, Trump, flawed candidates

Kari Lake Is Losing Arizona Governor Race

🟦🟦⬜️🟥🟥

Topic Maturity: 🐣 (In the news for 6.0 of the last 15 weeks)

Top Headlines

Note: Headlines across the spectrum are similar. Here's one:

⬜🌍 BBC: Trump ally Kari Lake loses in Arizona governor race

Left Minimized 🟦🙈

Biden Administration's Student Debt Relief Program Has Been Blocked By Federal Appeals Court

⬜️🟥🟥

Topic Maturity: 🐔 (In the news for 13.0 of the last 15 weeks)

Top Headlines

Note: Headlines across the spectrum are similar. Here's one:

🟥🇺🇸 Washington Times: Federal appeals court blocks Biden's student debt program

Right Minimized 🟥🙈

War In Ukraine Is Not Over Yet, Despite Recent Advances By Ukrainian Troops. Officials Are Warning Russia Is Still Threat, And Fighting Could Resume At Any

🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️🟥🟥

Topic Maturity: 🥚 (In the news for 2.0 of the last 15 weeks)

Top Headlines

⬜🌍 BBC: War not over, officials warn as Ukraine celebrates

⬜🌍 Reuters: Russia's war on Ukraine latest news: Fighting rages in the east

🟦🇺🇸 The New York Times: Ukraine Is Advancing, Russia Is Retreating, but President Zelensky Has a Big Problem

Investors Are Trying To Figure Out What Federal Reserve's Policy Path Will Be, And Prices Have Been Rising Quickly Despite Fed's Efforts To Fight Inflation

🟦⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️

Topic Maturity: 🐔 (In the news for 10.0 of the last 15 weeks)

Top Headlines

⬜🇺🇸 The Wall Street Journal: Some Investors Bet Fed Could Lift Rates to Two-Decade High

🟦🇺🇸 Washington Post: Prices probably kept rising quickly in October despite Fed’s inflation fight

⬜🌍 Reuters: Goldman Sachs expects "significant" decline in U.S. inflation in 2023

Domestic Minimized 🇺🇸🙈

World Cup, Braille, Qatar, Soccer, And Cristiano Ronaldo

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️

Topic Maturity: 🐣 (In the news for 6.0 of the last 15 weeks)

Top Headlines

⬜🌍 BBC: Ronaldo latest and World Cup news

⬜🇺🇸 The Wall Street Journal: World Cup Brings Two Million Visitors and an Epic Culture Clash to Qatar

🟥🇺🇸 The Blaze: 'Hats off to them. What a virtue signal': Jason Whitlock is unimpressed when the US soccer team alters its crest to promote inclusiveness

UK Is Introducing Large Tax Increases And Spending Cuts

⬜️⬜️⬜️

Topic Maturity: 🥚 (In the news for 1.0 of the last 15 weeks)

Top Headlines

⬜🇺🇸 The Wall Street Journal: U.K. Unveils Largest Tax Increases and Spending Cuts in a Decade

🟦🇺🇸 The New York Times: Facing Recession, U.K. Outlines Billions in Tax Increases and Spending Cuts

⬜🌍 Reuters: UK must raise taxes and cut spending, Hunt says ahead of budget

Left Magnified 🟦🔎

2022 Midterm Elections Are Shaping Up To Be Very Close, With Democrats And Republicans Both Vying For Control Of The House And Senate

🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦⬜️🟥

Topic Maturity: 🐣 (In the news for 3.0 of the last 15 weeks)

Top Headlines

🟦🇺🇸 CNN: Meet the history-makers of the 2022 midterm elections

🟦🇺🇸 Washington Post: Tracking the 2020 election deniers in the midterms

Right Magnified 🟥🔎

Ron DeSantis Is Leader In Culture War, And He Is Being Attacked By Trump After His Victory In Florida

🟦🟦⬜️🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥

Topic Maturity: 🐣 (In the news for 9.0 of the last 15 weeks)

Top Headlines

🟥🇺🇸 The Blaze: Ron DeSantis fires back at Trump, who attacked the Florida gov. after election: 'Go check out the scoreboard'

🟥🇺🇸 Fox News: 'LIVING UNDER A ROCK?'Professor blasted for claiming DeSantis hasn’t yet faced national media

🟥🇺🇸 Washington Times: Seething Trump slams DeSantis as ‘average’ governor unworthy of media praise

Left and Right Magnified 🟦🟥🔎

Kevin McCarthy's Bid To Become Next House Speaker Is In Jeopardy, As He Faces Challenges From Within Republican Party

🟦🟦🟥🟥🟥

Topic Maturity: 🥚 (In the news for 2.0 of the last 15 weeks)

Top Headlines

Note: Headlines across the spectrum are similar. Here's one:

🟦🇺🇸 NBC News: Kevin McCarthy's bid to be House speaker is in jeopardy

Some Republicans Are Starting To Distance Themselves From Donald Trump, Fearing He Will Damage Party's Chances In 2024 Election

🟦🟦🟥🟥

Topic Maturity: 🥚 (In the news for 1.0 of the last 15 weeks)

🟦🤜🏼 🤛🏼🟥 Left vs Right Analysis

The left headlines tend to focus on the idea of Republicans moving on from Trump, while the right headlines tend to focus on the idea of Trump being a key part of the Republican Party.

Top Headlines

🟦🇺🇸 The New York Times: Republicans pushing to move past Donald Trump face one big obstacle: his voters.

🟦🇺🇸 Washington Post: Republican rivals start considering a post-Trump future

🟥🇺🇸 Fox News: Trump ignores GOP rivals in White House run announcement

Abortion Rights Advocates Are Having Success In United States, Despite Conservative Opposition

🟦🟦🟥🟥

Topic Maturity: 🐣 (In the news for 4.0 of the last 15 weeks)

🟦🤜🏼 🤛🏼🟥 Left vs Right Analysis

The left headlines tend to focus on the issue of abortion rights, while the right headlines tend to focus on the issue of abortion itself.

Top Headlines

🟦🇺🇸 Washington Post: Abortion rights advocates score major midterm victories across the country

🟦🇺🇸 NBC News: Abortion rights advocates see a flurry of post-Roe victories in midterms

🟥🇺🇸 Washington Times: Abortion rights wins in Kentucky, elsewhere stoke supporters

Raphael Warnock And Herschel Walker Will Face Off In Runoff Election For Georgia Senate Seat, With Balance Of Power In Senate At Stake

🟦🟥🟥

Topic Maturity: 🐣 (In the news for 7.0 of the last 15 weeks)

Top Headlines

🟦🇺🇸 The New York Times: Georgia is set for a runoff between Senator Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker.

🟦🇺🇸 NBC News: Georgia Senate race heads to Dec. 6 runoff between Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker

🟥🇺🇸 Fox News: Warnock kicks off Georgia Senate runoff with broadsides against Walker

These Recent Loss Of Mehmet Oz In Senate Bid, And His Adviser's Response To Reporters

🟦🟥🟥

Topic Maturity: 🐔 (In the news for 10.0 of the last 15 weeks)

🟦🤜🏼 🤛🏼🟥 Left vs Right Analysis

The left headlines tend to focus on Oz's recent political defeat, while the right headlines focus on his personal life and career. The right headlines also take a more negative tone, while the left headlines are more neutral.

Top Headlines

🟦🇺🇸 Washington Post: He lost his Senate bid. Where does Mehmet Oz go from here?

🟦🇺🇸 CNN: Analysis: Mehmet Oz did something pretty remarkable today

🟥🇺🇸 Washington Exampler: Oz missed the mark on message and branding, strategists say

In Top Down News, we unify and compare a multitude of mainstream perspectives that capture the majority of America’s political readership to approximate the truth. This entire newsletter is composed using a transparent and ever-improving methodology. Read how this works here. Dive deeper into the analysis for this post here, powered by AI-based Natural Language Understanding and D3-based Dynamic visualizations.

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