At a glance
Here’s what everyone’s talking about
Russian Invasion of Ukraine
Outside of the states, the war and sanctions continue to have massive consequences both for the people of Ukraine and Europe. In Mariupol, which is currently occupied by Russian forces, there are hundreds of civilians trapped in the rubble of a steel plant; the UN is helping Ukraine with evaluating these people, and a prolonged truce is needed for these evacuations to take place safely. Germany, the European powerhouse, is turning a corner to support the Russian oil embargo but weaker countries, such as Hungary and Slovakia, are concerned that their economies would be damaged from not being able to adapt quickly enough to the proposed timeline. Most outlets are covering this issue with united perspectives against Russia.
Supreme Court draft opinion would overturn Roe v. Wade
Domestically, the politicization of the potential overturning Roe v. Wade was inevitable and is on full broil. In general, the banner article from all sources are standardized and to the point. Which headline is from Fox vs CNN?
Supreme Court draft opinion would overturn Roe v. Wade
SCOTUS reportedly set to overturn Roe v. Wade decision, according to alleged draft opinion
Further down the front page of these sources is where it gets more interesting:
NYTimes: Draft Opinion Overturning Roe Raises a Question: Are More Precedents Next?
Fox News: Liberals ridiculed for concern over what overturning Roe will mean for marriages
These articles are not from the opinion section. They’re legitimate articles that are incentivized by the whole business model to instill fear on the left, and disdain from the right. This is what gets the clicks. The truth is - we don’t fully know if the slippery slope argument holds - only time will tell. NYTimes cites legal experts maintain that this draft opens the door for further over-turnings. The Fox News article quotes legal experts as well, but focuses on the ridiculousness of overturning interracial marriage, but not gay marriage.
In case you were wondering about who reported each banner headline - it was CNN first and then Fox News.
Ohio Primary
It’s similar with the Ohio Primary, which is important because it was once seen as a swing state, that flipped hard for Trump. Here’s a few top-of-front-page NYTimes headlines (emphasis mine):
In Trump’s Shadow, Ohio Republicans Campaign Ahead of Tuesday’s Primary
Once Soft-Spoken, Ohio Conservatives Embrace the Bombast
The looming threat of Trump’s return is a never-ending source of sustenance for the NYTimes, and thus its readers. Meanwhile, Fox is taking a different angle. They don’t need to rely on spin or slant as much as sensationalism - having a Trump-backed candidate, J.D. Vance, winning the Senate primary is exciting enough for all its’ readers. Here’s some of Fox News headlines (emphasis mine), akin to commentary on a championship sporting event:
Ohio awaiting results of hotly contested GOP Senate primary after winner projected in Democratic contest
Trump-backed JD Vance wins tumultuous Senate GOP primary showdown in Ohio
After the election result, the coverage cooled off immediately.
Here are the most skewed coverage topics
WSJ is focusing on the markets, as expected. NYTimes launched an attack on Tucker Carlson while Fox is stoking fear on Biden’s new Disinformation Government Board. Reuters highlighted a protest in Georgia, that everyone else seemed to miss, where a hundred activists protested the return of an annual celebration of the Confederacy, at the site of a monument dedicated to the “heroes of the South's pro-slavery past”. Luckily, both the celebration and protest took place peacefully, which is probably why no other large outlet covered it.
Here’s what you may have missed
If you mostly read CNN
From Reuters: President Joe Biden sharply criticized former President Donald Trump's "MAGA" movement as extreme on Wednesday while touting his Democratic administration's efforts to reduce the U.S. deficit, which rose under his Republican predecessor.
If you mostly read Fox
Eastern European countries are very reliant on Russian oil, and are concerned about meeting the proposed sanction timelines of 2023, as the slaughter in Ukranian towns continues.
As always, all the data and visualizations are available on Observable - dive deeper, and please call out the issues you’ll see so we can improve our algorithms to present you with the best data possible.
For more on why this is focused on Mainstream media and why we need to improve our institutions: