Danny Masterson loses his appeal against his rape convictions
An appeals court has rejected actor Danny Masterson's appeal against his 2023 rape convictions, upholding his 30-year sentence.
Left 0 · Centre-left 5 · Centre 0 · Centre-right 1 · Right 0
ContextSources by leanVideoDeep diveFollow the moneyMore coverage
How each side framed it
Left-leaning outlets
Left-rated outlets headline it: “Danny Masterson loses appeal against rape conviction after arguing judge was biased against Scientology” (The Guardian); “Danny Masterson's rape conviction and prison sentence upheld as court rejects his appeal” (The Independent).
Centre outlets
No least-biased (centre) outlet in our sample covered it.
Right-leaning outlets
Right-rated outlets headline it: “Danny Masterson’s 30-year sentence upheld after judges deny appeal of his rape conviction” (Washington Times).
Context
We write the background for the day's biggest stories; for this one, start with these searches. How it works.
Search for more (live results, not checked by us): Wikipedia search · Explainers (Google News search) · Background and history (Google News search)
Sources by lean
Balanced: the same number of articles from the left, the centre and the right (up to 3 each). The bar above still counts every rated outlet we found. Bias and factual ratings come from Media Bias/Fact Check. How we balance · All ratings.
Centre 0
No centre coverage found — blindspot
Right 1
- Washington Times
Danny Masterson’s 30-year sentence upheld after judges deny appeal of his rape conviction (paywalled or blocks bots)
Showing 1 from left and right of 6 rated outlets (L 5 / C 0 / R 1). Capped at 1 because that is all we found on the thinnest side. More coverage
Video
News reports, explainers and podcasts on YouTube. We pick and balance videos for the day's biggest stories; for this one, use these searches. Links open YouTube, which has its own privacy policy; nothing from YouTube loads on this page.
YouTube searches (live results, not checked or balanced by us): News videos · Explainers · Podcasts
Deep dive
A short prompt for thinking it through. We write a fuller side-by-side deep dive for the day's biggest stories.
A question to hold: What would each side need to see to change its mind?
Try it: open one left and one right article in Sources by lean and note what each takes for granted.
Follow the money
Not yet researched. We haven't yet looked at who gains or loses financially from this story, or who funds the main voices on each side. When we do, we check company filings, the Electoral Commission donations register, lobbying registers, annual reports, InfluenceMap and OpenSecrets, and we apply the same checks to every side. How we follow the money.
Who owns or funds the outlets covering this story (6 outlets)
| Outlet | Lean | Ownership & funding (MBFC) |
|---|---|---|
| NBC News | Centre-left | No ownership data found |
| The Guardian | Centre-left | The Guardian and its companion publication, the Sunday newspaper The Observer, are owned by Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). Scott Trust Limited was created in 1936 to ensure the editorial independence of the publications and owns Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). source |
| The Independent | Centre-left | The Independent is owned by Independent Print Limited, a company owned by the Lebedev family (Alexander Lebedev and his son Evgeny Lebedev). In 2017, Saudi Businessman Sultan Muhammad Abuljadayel bought a 30% stake in the Independent online newspaper. Advertising and subscription generate revenue for the paper..push({}); source |
| USA Today | Centre-left | USA Today is owned by the Gannett Company, headquartered in McLean, Virginia. It is one of the largest newspaper publishers in the United States, with interests in newspapers, digital marketing services companies, and television broadcasting. Subscriptions and advertising generate revenue. source |
| Washington Post | Centre-left | In 2013, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos bought The Washington Post for $250 million. Bezos is a frequent target of Trump, who has accused the businessman of using the Postal System as its “ Delivery Boy. ” The newspaper’s executive editor, Martin Baron, said Jeff Bezos, who founded Amazon, is not involved in its news coverage. source |
| Washington Times | Centre-right | Operations Holdings Inc is the Washington Times owner, owned by the Unification Church of South Korea, through their holding company HSA-UWC (Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity). In 1954, Reverend Sun Myung Moon founded this religious movement in South Korea, known for its mass weddings, and its members are referred to as “Moonies.” source |