GLOSSARY

Different Spin

Short answer: An Optics News label for stories where multiple outlets covered the same event but the wording creates a different first impression.

On Optics News, a story gets the "Different Spin" label when two or more outlets covered the same event and the headline language changes how the story feels — for example, one outlet calls a person an "unrepentant election denier" while another calls the same person a "whistleblower." Different Spin is reserved for matches with at least two sources spanning two political bias buckets; weaker matches stay in "Needs Review." The label is reader-facing; behind it sits a 0-99 Wording Gap score that ranks how much the headlines diverge.

See also

• Mostly Same
• Needs Review

See the full Optics News glossary, the methodology page, or browse live framing gaps.