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Guardian calls it "the removal of Macklemore", Irish Times calls it "Sheeran ditching"

Four reports, four words for one act: cancelled, removal, ditching, pulled out. Only one of them names a person who did it. RTÉ counts four acts leaving the tour; TheJournal.ie says all of them did.

Piers Morgan criticises Ed Sheeran’s tearful concert apology: ‘He needs better advisors’
Piers Morgan criticises Ed Sheeran’s tearful concert apology: ‘He needs better advisors’ as published by The Independent · seen at The Independent
Anglosphere United Kingdom Ireland United States Palestine

The act. Macklemore was dropped as a support act on Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour after pro-Palestine remarks from the stage. The Guardian, RTÉ News and TheJournal.ie all carry it, and RTÉ dates the "Free Palestine" remarks to a show in New Jersey. No report we hold names who took the decision.

Four words for one thing.

Outlet What it calls the exit Who is named as acting
The Guardian "the removal of Macklemore" nobody
TheJournal.ie "was cancelled as a support act" nobody
RTÉ News "his removal from the Loop Tour" nobody
The Irish Times "Sheeran ditching" Sheeran

How many walked. RTÉ counts "the subsequent withdrawal of four acts". TheJournal.ie writes that "all of Sheeran's supporting acts pulled out of the tour". No report we hold says how many support acts the tour had, so the two cannot be put together.

What Sheeran said. The Guardian is the only report we hold that quotes the Philadelphia speech: the Hamas-led attack on the Nova festival "horrific", the situation in Gaza and the West Bank "catastrophic and unjustified and disproportionate". TheJournal.ie's headline has "I am making mistakes". The Independent reports Piers Morgan on a "tearful concert apology" — "I wish he hadn't bowed to the mob."

Not settled. Who removed Macklemore. How many acts left. Whether Sheeran apologised at all: the only report calling it an apology reports it through a critic, and the one report carrying the speech quotes none.

What this is about. An American rapper said "Free Palestine" on stage, lost his slot on a stadium tour, four more acts walked off it — and none of the reports say who made the decision.

How it got here. Ed Sheeran is an English singer-songwriter; his current stadium run is the Loop Tour. The American rapper Macklemore was booked on it as a support act. RTÉ dates the trigger to "Free Palestine" remarks he made at a show in New Jersey. He was off the tour shortly afterwards. Other acts then withdrew — four of them, by RTÉ's count. Sheeran walked back out in Philadelphia on Saturday night and spoke for over three minutes before playing.

Behind it is the war. The Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023 included the Nova music festival in southern Israel; Israel's war in Gaza followed and is still running. Sheeran, who says he has tried not to be a political commentator, addressed both from the stage.

Why Ireland. Sheeran has traded on Irish family and Irish material for years: "Galway Girl", as TheJournal.ie reads it, is sung in an English narrator's voice and discloses his claim on the country. Ireland recognised the State of Palestine in May 2024. So the row lands in the Dáil, Ireland's lower house: the Irish Times has a TD, one of its members, backing Macklemore as "half Irish".

What is at stake. Whether a performer's words about Gaza cost them work, and who carries that decision — the headliner, the promoter, or the venue. The reports do not say, and the gap between "was cancelled" and "Sheeran ditching" is exactly that question.

Where it stands. The tour is running again. The support bill is not.

The story so far

Earlier stories The AI Times filed on this thread.

What is being argued about

  • Whether anyone is named as removing Macklemore from the tour
  • How many support acts left — four, or all of them
  • Whether Sheeran apologised in Philadelphia, or said something else
  • Ireland's claim on Sheeran, and a TD's claim on Macklemore
Four reports, four words for one actSide by side
OutletWhat it calls the exitWho is named as acting
The Guardian"the removal of Macklemore"nobody
TheJournal.ie"was cancelled as a support act"nobody
RTÉ News"his removal from the Loop Tour"nobody
The Irish Times"Sheeran ditching"Sheeran
The right-hand column is who each sentence names as doing it, not who we think did it. Three of the four sentences have no actor in them at all.
Sources The Guardian
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Guardian 🇬🇧UK · newspaper · independent ‘I feel betrayed’: inside Ed Sheeran’s controversial return to the stage Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Guardian → What we have measured Actor named Denial in the passive voice, with no one named as the person who dismissed it ×1Actor named names Israel as acting and states the death toll flat, with no source ×1Actor named Ireland named as the side that ended the conference ×1Allegation omitted the police statement is cut with an ellipsis where the other two reports carry the controlling or coercive behaviour allegation ×1 from 10552 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → T TheJournal.ie
Centre estimate · not a score
TheJournal.ie 🇮🇪IE · digital · 'I am making mistakes': Ed Sheeran addresses controversy as he returns to the stage Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at TheJournal.ie → What we have measured Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1 from 2218 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → R RTÉ News
Centre estimate · not a score
RTÉ News 🇮🇪IE · digital · PUBLIC Timeline: How the Ed Sheeran-Macklemore tour row unfolded Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RTÉ News → What we have measured Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1 from 2361 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → T The Irish Times
Centre estimate · not a score
The Irish Times 🇮🇪IE · digital · ‘We have skin in the game’: TD backs ‘half Irish’ Macklemore after Sheeran ditching Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Irish Times → What we have measured Actor framing The release is framed as a joint agreement, with no pressure mentioned ×1Actor named Names the residents as the ones who blocked the road ×1Actor named killers named as 'loyalist gunmen'; verb 'shot dead' ×1With no actor named construction no actor named for the theft or the driving in the standfirst ×1 from 1358 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →
One Sunday, seven reportsTimeline
  1. Sat 19 Sep— no time published Ed Sheeran returns to the stage in Philadelphia and speaks before playing three-plus minutesThe Guardian is the only report that quotes the speech.
  2. Sun 20 Sep05:00 published time on the report The Irish Times leads on a TD backing Macklemore after the "ditching"The only report naming who did it.
  3. Sun 20 Sep06:37 published time on the report TheJournal.ie leads on "I am making mistakes" and says every support act pulled out all acts
  4. Sun 20 Sep07:00 published time on the report RTÉ News runs a sequence from the New Jersey remarks to the withdrawals 4 acts
  5. Sun 20 Sep09:00 published time on the report TheJournal.ie turns to Sheeran's entitlement to Ireland, via "Galway Girl"
  6. Sun 20 Sep11:30 published time on the report The Independent reports a Sky sketch show mocking the tour controversy
  7. Sun 20 Sep12:40 published time on the report The Independent carries Piers Morgan on a "tearful concert apology""I wish he hadn't bowed to the mob."
  8. Sun 20 Sep15:12 published time on the report The Guardian quotes the speech on the Nova attack and on Gaza"catastrophic and unjustified and disproportionate"
Times are the publication times printed on the reports. The concert itself carries no time in any report we hold.
Sources T The Irish Times
Centre estimate · not a score
The Irish Times 🇮🇪IE · digital · ‘We have skin in the game’: TD backs ‘half Irish’ Macklemore after Sheeran ditching Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Irish Times → What we have measured Actor framing The release is framed as a joint agreement, with no pressure mentioned ×1Actor named Names the residents as the ones who blocked the road ×1Actor named killers named as 'loyalist gunmen'; verb 'shot dead' ×1With no actor named construction no actor named for the theft or the driving in the standfirst ×1 from 1358 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → T TheJournal.ie
Centre estimate · not a score
TheJournal.ie 🇮🇪IE · digital · 'I am making mistakes': Ed Sheeran addresses controversy as he returns to the stage Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at TheJournal.ie → What we have measured Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1 from 2218 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → R RTÉ News
Centre estimate · not a score
RTÉ News 🇮🇪IE · digital · PUBLIC Timeline: How the Ed Sheeran-Macklemore tour row unfolded Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RTÉ News → What we have measured Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1 from 2361 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → T TheJournal.ie
Centre estimate · not a score
TheJournal.ie 🇮🇪IE · digital · Ed Sheeran has given the Irish a chance to air gripes with Galway Girl Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at TheJournal.ie → What we have measured Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1 from 2218 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → The Independent
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Independent 🇬🇧UK · digital · independent Ed Sheeran and King Charles brutally mocked in SNL UK Diana sketch Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Independent → What we have measured Accused party response Russia's side is reported as no comment. ×1A company statement about itself, taken as a "reveals" rather than "says", for a company's account of its own product ×1A count stated flat four crimes is given as a settled number in the headline, with no court, charge or jurisdiction attached ×1Actor named No actor named for the cut-short or for the clashes ×1 from 20313 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → The Independent
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Independent 🇬🇧UK · digital · independent Piers Morgan criticises Ed Sheeran’s tearful concert apology: ‘He needs better advisors’ Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Independent → What we have measured Accused party response Russia's side is reported as no comment. ×1A company statement about itself, taken as a "reveals" rather than "says", for a company's account of its own product ×1A count stated flat four crimes is given as a settled number in the headline, with no court, charge or jurisdiction attached ×1Actor named No actor named for the cut-short or for the clashes ×1 from 20313 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → The Guardian
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Guardian 🇬🇧UK · newspaper · independent ‘I feel betrayed’: inside Ed Sheeran’s controversial return to the stage Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Guardian → What we have measured Actor named Denial in the passive voice, with no one named as the person who dismissed it ×1Actor named names Israel as acting and states the death toll flat, with no source ×1Actor named Ireland named as the side that ended the conference ×1Allegation omitted the police statement is cut with an ellipsis where the other two reports carry the controlling or coercive behaviour allegation ×1 from 10552 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →
The bias in this coverageBias

Removed, cancelled, ditched

Three reports write the exit with no one named as doing it: he was cancelled, there was a removal, there was his removal. One names the headline act as the one who ditched him. The reason given is the same across all four — remarks in support of Palestine made on stage.

3 reports with no one named as removing him 1 reports naming who removed him 4 reports giving the reason as his Palestine remarks

Whose words made the page

Two reports carry the singer's own words, one of them at length and covering both the festival attack and the deaths in Gaza. One carries a broadcaster's criticism of the apology, including his word for the people who objected. One report carries two words of the rapper's own: Free Palestine.

2 reports carrying the singer's words 1 reports carrying the rapper's words 1 reports carrying a critic of the apology
Scored without the mastheads. Where the two passes differ, both are kept.
Sources The Guardian
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Guardian 🇬🇧UK · newspaper · independent ‘I feel betrayed’: inside Ed Sheeran’s controversial return to the stage Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Guardian → What we have measured Actor named Denial in the passive voice, with no one named as the person who dismissed it ×1Actor named names Israel as acting and states the death toll flat, with no source ×1Actor named Ireland named as the side that ended the conference ×1Allegation omitted the police statement is cut with an ellipsis where the other two reports carry the controlling or coercive behaviour allegation ×1 from 10552 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → The Independent
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Independent 🇬🇧UK · digital · independent Piers Morgan criticises Ed Sheeran’s tearful concert apology: ‘He needs better advisors’ Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Independent → What we have measured Accused party response Russia's side is reported as no comment. ×1A company statement about itself, taken as a "reveals" rather than "says", for a company's account of its own product ×1A count stated flat four crimes is given as a settled number in the headline, with no court, charge or jurisdiction attached ×1Actor named No actor named for the cut-short or for the clashes ×1 from 20313 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → T TheJournal.ie
Centre estimate · not a score
TheJournal.ie 🇮🇪IE · digital · 'I am making mistakes': Ed Sheeran addresses controversy as he returns to the stage Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at TheJournal.ie → What we have measured Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1 from 2218 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → R RTÉ News
Centre estimate · not a score
RTÉ News 🇮🇪IE · digital · PUBLIC Timeline: How the Ed Sheeran-Macklemore tour row unfolded Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RTÉ News → What we have measured Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1 from 2361 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → T The Irish Times
Centre estimate · not a score
The Irish Times 🇮🇪IE · digital · ‘We have skin in the game’: TD backs ‘half Irish’ Macklemore after Sheeran ditching Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Irish Times → What we have measured Actor framing The release is framed as a joint agreement, with no pressure mentioned ×1Actor named Names the residents as the ones who blocked the road ×1Actor named killers named as 'loyalist gunmen'; verb 'shot dead' ×1With no actor named construction no actor named for the theft or the driving in the standfirst ×1 from 1358 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → T TheJournal.ie
Centre estimate · not a score
TheJournal.ie 🇮🇪IE · digital · Ed Sheeran has given the Irish a chance to air gripes with Galway Girl Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at TheJournal.ie → What we have measured Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1 from 2218 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → The Independent
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Independent 🇬🇧UK · digital · independent Ed Sheeran and King Charles brutally mocked in SNL UK Diana sketch Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Independent → What we have measured Accused party response Russia's side is reported as no comment. ×1A company statement about itself, taken as a "reveals" rather than "says", for a company's account of its own product ×1A count stated flat four crimes is given as a settled number in the headline, with no court, charge or jurisdiction attached ×1Actor named No actor named for the cut-short or for the clashes ×1 from 20313 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →

Claims and verdicts

true Macklemore was removed as a support act after making pro-Palestine remarks on stage.
The Guardian, RTÉ and TheJournal all state it, with RTÉ dating the "Free Palestine" remarks to a New Jersey show before the removal from the Loop Tour. No report we hold contradicts the sequence, though none names who took the decision.
Checked against 3 sources:
The Guardian
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Guardian 🇬🇧UK · newspaper · independent ‘I feel betrayed’: inside Ed Sheeran’s controversial return to the stage Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Guardian → What we have measured Actor named Denial in the passive voice, with no one named as the person who dismissed it ×1Actor named names Israel as acting and states the death toll flat, with no source ×1Actor named Ireland named as the side that ended the conference ×1Allegation omitted the police statement is cut with an ellipsis where the other two reports carry the controlling or coercive behaviour allegation ×1 from 10552 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → R RTÉ News
Centre estimate · not a score
RTÉ News 🇮🇪IE · digital · PUBLIC Timeline: How the Ed Sheeran-Macklemore tour row unfolded Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RTÉ News → What we have measured Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1 from 2361 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → T TheJournal.ie
Centre estimate · not a score
TheJournal.ie 🇮🇪IE · digital · 'I am making mistakes': Ed Sheeran addresses controversy as he returns to the stage Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at TheJournal.ie → What we have measured Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1 from 2218 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →
disputed Every one of Sheeran's support acts withdrew from the tour after Macklemore's removal.
TheJournal writes that all of the supporting acts pulled out, while RTÉ's timeline counts the withdrawal of four acts. No report we hold says how many support acts the tour had, so the two cannot be reconciled.
Checked against 2 sources:
T TheJournal.ie
Centre estimate · not a score
TheJournal.ie 🇮🇪IE · digital · 'I am making mistakes': Ed Sheeran addresses controversy as he returns to the stage Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at TheJournal.ie → What we have measured Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1 from 2218 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → R RTÉ News
Centre estimate · not a score
RTÉ News 🇮🇪IE · digital · PUBLIC Timeline: How the Ed Sheeran-Macklemore tour row unfolded Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RTÉ News → What we have measured Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1 from 2361 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →
unverified Sheeran apologised on stage in Philadelphia.
The Independent's report on Piers Morgan calls it a tearful apology and says Sheeran "bowed to the mob". The Guardian, which is the only report we hold that quotes the three-minute speech, records him calling the Nova festival attack horrific and Gaza deaths "catastrophic and unjustified and disproportionate", and quotes no apology; TheJournal's headline has him saying "I am making mistakes".
Checked against 3 sources:
The Independent
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Independent 🇬🇧UK · digital · independent Piers Morgan criticises Ed Sheeran’s tearful concert apology: ‘He needs better advisors’ Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Independent → What we have measured Accused party response Russia's side is reported as no comment. ×1A company statement about itself, taken as a "reveals" rather than "says", for a company's account of its own product ×1A count stated flat four crimes is given as a settled number in the headline, with no court, charge or jurisdiction attached ×1Actor named No actor named for the cut-short or for the clashes ×1 from 20313 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → The Guardian
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Guardian 🇬🇧UK · newspaper · independent ‘I feel betrayed’: inside Ed Sheeran’s controversial return to the stage Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Guardian → What we have measured Actor named Denial in the passive voice, with no one named as the person who dismissed it ×1Actor named names Israel as acting and states the death toll flat, with no source ×1Actor named Ireland named as the side that ended the conference ×1Allegation omitted the police statement is cut with an ellipsis where the other two reports carry the controlling or coercive behaviour allegation ×1 from 10552 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → T TheJournal.ie
Centre estimate · not a score
TheJournal.ie 🇮🇪IE · digital · 'I am making mistakes': Ed Sheeran addresses controversy as he returns to the stage Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at TheJournal.ie → What we have measured Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1 from 2218 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →

Who wrote it

L Lauren Morris The Independent · 2 reports on this story
What the bias passes found in their reporting
Characterisation carried a critic's word for the people who objected is repeated unchallenged in the standfirst×1
Whose voice is quoted the only voice quoted is one criticising the apology; nobody who welcomed it is quoted×1
Claims we checked that rest on their reporting
1 unverified
From 150 reports we hold under this byline, at The Independent. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →
D Darach Ó Séaghdha TheJournal.ie
No independent reading has coded a report under this byline yet. We do not infer a journalist's views from the outlet that employs them.
From 7 reports we hold under this byline, at TheJournal.ie. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →
R RTÉ Entertainment RTÉ News
What the bias passes found in their reporting
Measure chosen four acts withdrew, against another report's "all"×1
What is counted the only report that gives a number for the acts who left×1
Claims we checked that rest on their reporting
1 disputed1 true
From 102 reports we hold under this byline, at RTÉ News. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →
S Sophie Finn TheJournal.ie
What the bias passes found in their reporting
Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister×1
Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive×1
Asserted or attributed the next step is attributed to a named police force×1
Assertion vs attribution threat to Stormont tied to the DUP's accusation×1
Claims we checked that rest on their reporting
1 misleading4 disputed6 unverified8 true
From 125 reports we hold under this byline, at TheJournal.ie. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →
S Steven Carroll The Irish Times
What the bias passes found in their reporting
Who is named as acting the only report that names the person who did it, and the only one calling it ditching×1
Who is named as acting the only report that names the headline act as the one who did it×1
From 4 reports we hold under this byline, at The Irish Times, The Sydney Morning Herald. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →
The bylines on the reports this story is built from. Hover one for what our passes have measured on their reporting. · 1 report we hold carries no byline — we do not invent one.

Coverage, outlet by outlet

The Guardian
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Guardian 🇬🇧UK · newspaper · independent ‘I feel betrayed’: inside Ed Sheeran’s controversial return to the stage Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Guardian → What we have measured Actor named Denial in the passive voice, with no one named as the person who dismissed it ×1Actor named names Israel as acting and states the death toll flat, with no source ×1Actor named Ireland named as the side that ended the conference ×1Allegation omitted the police statement is cut with an ellipsis where the other two reports carry the controlling or coercive behaviour allegation ×1 from 10552 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → — independent
The only report we hold that quotes the Philadelphia speech, on both the Nova festival attack and the deaths in Gaza and the West Bank.
“This is not usually how I would open the show,” Ed Sheeran told the crowd at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday night, a humble preamble to a three-plus-minute speech addressing the greatest controversy of his career. Shaky-voiced and stealing glances at the monitor at his feet, he looked every bit the chastened superstar. “I have tried in my career not to be a political commentator of any kind, because I want my music and shows to be about unity, not division, about humanity, not politics, but this is a humanitarian issue and I cannot hide how I feel about it any more,” Sheer
Who is named as acting: "the removal" as an event without a remover — “Some fans were hesitant to turn the page after Sheeran’s tour resumed after the removal of Macklemore, who spoke out in support of Palestine”
Voice quoted at length: the only report that carries what the singer said about both the festival attack and Gaza — “He described the Hamas-led attack at the Nova music festival in Israel on 7 October 2023, as “horrific” and expressed heartbreak over civilian deaths in Gaza and the West Bank, describing the situation as “catastrophic and unjustified and disproportionate”.”
Who is named as acting: "the removal" as a noun, again with nobody named as removing him — “after the removal of Macklemore, who spoke out in support of Palestine”
What is dated and what is vague: one attack given a date, a place and a name; the deaths on the other side neither counted nor dated — “He described the Hamas-led attack at the Nova music festival in Israel on 7 October 2023, as “horrific” and expressed heartbreak over civilian deaths in Gaza and the West Bank”
Read it at The Guardian → https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/sep/20/ed-sheeran-return-to-stag…
The Independent
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Independent 🇬🇧UK · digital · independent Piers Morgan criticises Ed Sheeran’s tearful concert apology: ‘He needs better advisors’ Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Independent → What we have measured Accused party response Russia's side is reported as no comment. ×1A company statement about itself, taken as a "reveals" rather than "says", for a company's account of its own product ×1A count stated flat four crimes is given as a settled number in the headline, with no court, charge or jurisdiction attached ×1Actor named No actor named for the cut-short or for the clashes ×1 from 20313 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → — independent
The only report that calls the speech a tearful apology, and it does so while quoting Piers Morgan attacking it.
Culture Music News Piers Morgan criticises Ed Sheeran’s tearful concert apology: ‘He needs better advisors’ ‘I wish he hadn’t bowed to the mob,’ presenter wrote on X Lauren Morris Sunday 20 September 2026 08:40 EDT Bookmark Comments Go to comments Bookmark popover Removed from bookmarks Close popover Ed Sheeran's statement in full as he admits 'mistakes' at first concert since Macklemore tour row Your support helps us to tell the story Read more Support Now From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's invest
Characterisation carried: a critic's word for the people who objected is repeated unchallenged in the standfirst — “‘I wish he hadn’t bowed to the mob,’ presenter wrote on X”
Whose voice is quoted: the only voice quoted is one criticising the apology; nobody who welcomed it is quoted — “‘I wish he hadn’t bowed to the mob,’ presenter wrote on X”
Read it at The Independent → https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/ed-sheeran-…
The Independent
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Independent 🇬🇧UK · digital · independent Ed Sheeran and King Charles brutally mocked in SNL UK Diana sketch Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Independent → What we have measured Accused party response Russia's side is reported as no comment. ×1A company statement about itself, taken as a "reveals" rather than "says", for a company's account of its own product ×1A count stated flat four crimes is given as a settled number in the headline, with no court, charge or jurisdiction attached ×1Actor named No actor named for the cut-short or for the clashes ×1 from 20313 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → — independent
The only report on a Sky sketch show making a joke of the tour controversy.
Culture TV & Radio News Ed Sheeran and King Charles brutally mocked in SNL UK Diana sketch Sky sketch show poked fun at Ed Sheeran’s tour controversy and Earl Spencer’s Diana claims about King Charles in sketch Lauren Morris Sunday 20 September 2026 07:30 EDT Bookmark Comments Go to comments Bookmark popover Removed from bookmarks Close popover SNL UK skewers Harry and Meghan's UK return in series 2 cold open Your support helps us to tell the story Read more Support Now From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whethe
Read it at The Independent → https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/ed-sheeran-kin…
T TheJournal.ie
Centre estimate · not a score
TheJournal.ie 🇮🇪IE · digital · Ed Sheeran has given the Irish a chance to air gripes with Galway Girl Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at TheJournal.ie → What we have measured Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1 from 2218 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → —
Turns the row into an argument about Sheeran's entitlement to Ireland, read off the lyrics of "Galway Girl".
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more. IT HASN’T BEEN a great week for global megastar Ed Sheeran, whose attempts to smooth over the controversial, politically-motivated dropping of Macklemore from his US tour have backfired spectacularly. It is entirely possible that public relations courses will use his statement as an example of what not to do in a PR crisis. As is the way of things in the social media landscape, the controversy has given people with unrelated grievances towards the singer a chance to air them to a preheated audience. The lyrics of Galway Gi
Read it at TheJournal.ie → https://www.thejournal.ie/ed-sheeran-galway-girl-irish-identity-7166379…
R RTÉ News
Centre estimate · not a score
RTÉ News 🇮🇪IE · digital · PUBLIC Timeline: How the Ed Sheeran-Macklemore tour row unfolded Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RTÉ News → What we have measured Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1 from 2361 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → — PUBLIC
The only report that puts a number on the acts who left — four — and the only one that places Macklemore's "Free Palestine" remarks in New Jersey.
Measure chosen: four acts withdrew, against another report's "all" — “From Macklemore's "Free Palestine" remarks in New Jersey to his removal from the Loop Tour and the subsequent withdrawal of four acts, here is how the controversy developed.”
What is counted: the only report that gives a number for the acts who left — “From Macklemore's "Free Palestine" remarks in New Jersey to his removal from the Loop Tour and the subsequent withdrawal of four acts, here is how the controversy developed.”
Read it at RTÉ News → https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2026/0920/1592218-timeline-how-the-ed-…
T TheJournal.ie
Centre estimate · not a score
TheJournal.ie 🇮🇪IE · digital · 'I am making mistakes': Ed Sheeran addresses controversy as he returns to the stage Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at TheJournal.ie → What we have measured Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1 from 2218 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → —
Says every one of the support acts pulled out, and leads on Sheeran saying "I am making mistakes".
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more. All of Sheeran’s supporting acts, including Irish acts Aaron Rowe and Beoga, pulled out of the Loop tour after Macklemore was removed from the line-up. Ahead of Saturday’s concert, pro-Palestinian protesters rallied peacefully outside Lincoln Financial Field, waving Palestinian flags and chanting “Free, free Palestine.” Sheeran appeared on stage at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field alone, and opened the show by admitting he had made ‘mistakes’. “I’ve had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes,
Who is named as acting: passive removal: no one is named as cancelling him — “All of Sheeran’s supporting acts pulled out of the tour after Macklemore was cancelled as a support act for making pro-Palestine comments on stage.”
Who is named as acting: the removal has no actor — a passive with nobody doing it — “after Macklemore was cancelled as a support act for making pro-Palestine comments on stage”
Read it at TheJournal.ie → https://www.thejournal.ie/ed-sheeran-gaza-comments-7167617-Sep2026/
T The Irish Times
Centre estimate · not a score
The Irish Times 🇮🇪IE · digital · ‘We have skin in the game’: TD backs ‘half Irish’ Macklemore after Sheeran ditching Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Irish Times → What we have measured Actor framing The release is framed as a joint agreement, with no pressure mentioned ×1Actor named Names the residents as the ones who blocked the road ×1Actor named killers named as 'loyalist gunmen'; verb 'shot dead' ×1With no actor named construction no actor named for the theft or the driving in the standfirst ×1 from 1358 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → —
The only report that names a person as doing it, in the word "ditching", and the only one carrying a TD's support for Macklemore as "half Irish".
Energy, housing, neutrality and Macklemore were on the agenda when Sinn Féin TDs spoke to reporters on Wednesday as the Dáil returned from its summer recess. Support has rolled in from many corners for the American rapper after his unceremonious ditching from a support slot on the US leg of Ed Sheeran’s Loop tour for saying “free Palestine” during a gig in New Jersey. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, a prominent Israel supporter, said he forced the issue in advance of Sheeran’s stop at the NFL team’s stadium as he did not want to “provide a platform for hate speech”. Sinn Féin TD Pa Da
Who is named as acting: the only report that names the headline act as the one who did it — “‘We have skin in the game’: TD backs ‘half Irish’ Macklemore after Sheeran ditching”
Who is named as acting: the only report that names the person who did it, and the only one calling it ditching — “‘We have skin in the game’: TD backs ‘half Irish’ Macklemore after Sheeran ditching”
Read it at The Irish Times → https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026/09/20/we-have-skin-in-the-game-…
Checked, didn’t cover
R RNZ
Centre estimate · not a score
RNZ 🇳🇿NZ · digital · PUBLIC No report held from this outlet on this story. What we have measured Headline against body headline claims a 20-year decline reversed; the first line of the body reports a new low in reading ×1Headline against body headline claims a turnaround; the text carries a record low and puts it on boys ×1 from 2328 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → ABC News (Australia)
Centre estimate · not a score
ABC News (Australia) 🇦🇺AU · public broadcaster · public-service No report held from this outlet on this story. What we have measured Actor label and hedge The same man is called 'far-right' and named by his legal name. The act is hedged with 'allegedly', where the longer report states it flat. ×1A different count, stated flat one dead and 140 missing, unattributed, earliest of the four ×1Affected counted The only report to count the local people affected ×1Are the dead named one of the dead named, through a relative at the hospital ×1 from 4667 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → C CBC News
Centre-left estimate · not a score
CBC News 🇨🇦CA · public broadcaster · public-service No report held from this outlet on this story. What we have measured Asserted vs attributed the measure is attributed to the three governments; the territory is called occupied in the outlet's own voice ×1Attribution kept in the headline the sourcing travels with the claim into the headline ×1Figure rounded in the headline more than 600 in the headline; the body sources it to a flight-tracking site ×1How the sourcing is hedged the claim is hedged to an unnamed newspaper in both headline and body; the reporting is not held by this report ×1 from 2730 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Silence is recorded, not inferred — each of these was read when we built this story and carried nothing on this event.
We could not read these
BBC News
Centre estimate · not a score
BBC News 🇬🇧UK · public broadcaster · public-service No report held from this outlet on this story. What we have measured Dating and attribution 'It was not until Tuesday' is a judgement about delay, not a date. No other report we hold comments on how long the German finding took. ×1How hard the claim is stated Headline says the UN voted to adopt and replace; the last sentence of the report says the vote is non-binding ×1How hard the claim is stated The qualification arrives in the last sentence and is immediately overridden by an effect the report gives no source for. ×1Which figure is used States the replacement as done — the Assembly voted to replace the map — where the resolution urges states to use a different projection. ×1 from 473 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → The Daily Telegraph
Right estimate · not a score
The Daily Telegraph 🇬🇧UK · newspaper · independent No report held from this outlet on this story. What we have measured Nothing scored yet. We do not carry a rating for any outlet — only what we have measured from published text. Outlet profile in The AI Times → The Times
Centre-right estimate · not a score
The Times 🇬🇧UK · newspaper · independent No report held from this outlet on this story. What we have measured Nothing scored yet. We do not carry a rating for any outlet — only what we have measured from published text. Outlet profile in The AI Times →
These are must-cite outlets for this desk that we did not manage to read when we built this story. That is a gap in our reach, not a silence on their part, and it is not evidence of anything about this story.

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