News in Review: Saturday, February 25, 2023
What does the news landscape look like?
The war in Ukraine was once again the top story yesterday, followed by the Ohio train derailment. Inflation is now in third place.
This is how the top stories were covered on each side of the media yesterday:
Ukraine / Russia / China (22% more on the left)
Train derailment (57% more on the right)
Fed / Inflation (114% more on the right)
Media bias ratings are from AllSides.
This is how articles from liberal and conservative outlets were distributed over the past five days amongst the top stories.
Liberal outlets used these words more than conservative outlets:
snow (2.6x)
europe (2.4x)
left (0.9x)
Conservative outlets used these words more than liberal outlets:
buttigieg (2.4x)
inflation (1.7x)
secretary (1.5x)
What is happening in the top stories?
Now for a deep dive into our top three stories, starting with…
Ukraine / Russia / China
On Friday, Ukraine marked the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion, with some Ukrainians in Zaporizhzhia hearing explosions attributed to Russian attacks.
The war in Ukraine has been the deadliest in Europe since World War II and has heightened U.S.-Russia tensions to a level not seen since the Cold War.
Russia invaded Ukraine in the early morning hours on Feb. 24, 2022, with Moscow having been massing troops at the borders for weeks prior.
The West reacted with skepticism to China’s proposal on Friday for a ceasefire, with NATO saying Beijing did not have much credibility as a mediator.
Train derailment
House Republicans are launching a probe of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s response to the derailment of a train carrying hazardous materials in East Palestine, Ohio.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is ordering Norfolk Southern to clean up and pay for the cleanup costs after one of its trains derailed and spilled chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio.
The train derailment spilled a number of chemicals into the area, including a carcinogen called vinyl chloride that is used to make plastic.
An engineer slowed and stopped the train after getting a “critical audible alarm message”, according to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Fed / Inflation
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen believes the U.S. economy can still achieve a “soft landing” and lower inflation without a recession.
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland leader Loretta Mester said the latest round of strong U.S. inflation data is an indication that the Fed needs to raise rates further to reduce the pressures that are pushing prices higher.