AllSides analyzed under-covered and omitted stories across the political spectrum this month to make sure you're getting the full picture.
What the Left Missed
Newsom Allegedly ‘Subsidized’ Unauthorized Immigration
What’s The Story? Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) reportedly granted “more than $100 million to nonprofits that fight deportation orders—sometimes even for clients with criminal convictions” since the beginning of his term, according to a City Journal (Right bias) investigation. The Washington Times Editorial Board (Lean Right) asserted, “Taxpayer money shouldn’t go toward aiding and abetting illegal activity, and our elected leaders shouldn’t be signing the check… Although Mr. Newsom’s term ends in January, California’s mess is now trickling down the stairs of the rest of the nation – so the administration should act.”
Why The Miss? Unauthorized immigration is the top issue for Republican voters, according to public opinion polls in May; meanwhile, it doesn’t even make the top five for Democrats.
What Everyone Missed
New Surveillance Tech May Monitor Your Driving and More
What’s The Story? Vehicles manufactured for 2027 now require surveillance to determine drivers’ sobriety, and may even include a “kill switch” to halt suspected drunk drivers, according to a statute in the Infrastructure Act passed by former President Joe Biden in 2021. Toyota, for example, is reportedly “working on a system that will prevent the car from starting if sweat sensors in the steering wheel detect high levels of alcohol.” President Donald Trump passed the statute through his budget in February.
Why The Miss? Due to the controversial nature of both presidents’ actions, many mainstream outlets across the political spectrum have dodged this story. New York Post’s (Lean Right) report choicely labeled the technology a “Biden policy” in its headline and buried Trump’s involvement later in its coverage. Associated Press (Left) emphasized the statute’s roots in the Halt Drunk Driving Act when reporting on Biden’s approval.
House Committee to Hold New MK Ultra Hearing
What’s The Story? The US Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets will hold a hearing about Project MK-Ultra on May 13, according to Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), the task force chair. The CIA spearheaded MK-Ultra in 1953, in a widely controversial and classified effort to study the execution of behavioral modification and mind control. The hearing follows the declassification of similar CIA studies in February, according to Daily Mail (Lean Right).
Why The Miss? Mainstream media outlets often avoid covering stories with conspiratorial and dystopian natures like MK Ultra and Area 51. Such narratives can appear sensational or untrustworthy due to a lack of clear sourcing, conflicting reports, and social media mayhem.
What the Right Missed
Republicans Redraw Majority-Black TN House District
What’s The Story? Republican lawmakers redrew the US House district that covers Memphis, Tennessee, last week. Gov. Bill Lee (R) began a special legislative session earlier this month to, according to The Guardian (Left), “consider a plan that could break up the state’s lone Democratic-held US House district, centred on the majority-black city of Memphis.” The outlet asserted, ahead of November’s midterm elections, that the lawmakers’ move is “about whether the voices of black people in this state will be heard or hidden.”
Why The Miss? While outlets on the right generally covered the redistricting efforts, they avoided the racial implications that many outlets on the left emphasized. Whether or not lawmakers’ intentions behind the move are rooted in racism is impossible to prove; but, depending on which source an individual is consuming, such implications may seem more or less veracious.
RELATED: SCOTUS Rules Against Louisiana Redistricting Effort: 'Racial Gerrymander' | AllSides
Malayna J. Bizier is a News Analyst and Social Media Editor for AllSides. She has a Right bias.
This piece was reviewed and edited by AllSides Editor-in-chief Henry A. Brechter (Center), News Analyst and Social Media Editor Emily Allen (Left), Director of Communications and Bias Services Julie Mastrine (Lean Right), and Managing Editor Andy Gorel (Center).
.png.webp)
