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Politics689 outlets ran this3 min read

Ed Sheeran tour support quits after Macklemore removal

All remaining acts withdraw from Loop Tour following rapper's pro-Palestine stance

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published Updated
Climate activist Greta Thunberg with other activists from a human rights organization meets with journalists in Catania, Italy, Sunday, June 1, 2025, ahead of their departure for the Mideast.

What this story says

  • All supporting artists have withdrawn from Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour.
  • The withdrawal follows Ed Sheeran's decision to remove rapper Macklemore from the tour.
  • Macklemore's removal is linked to his pro-Palestine stance and on-stage speeches.
  • Greta Thunberg and Shane MacGowan's widow have commented on the events.

Who covered it

Left 33%(126)Centre 41%(160)Right 26%(101)

Percentages are shares of the 387 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 302 of the 689 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

30/100

Craft

45/100

Hype

65/100

689 sources · methodology

All artists providing support for Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour have withdrawn their participation. This action follows Ed Sheeran's decision to remove rapper Macklemore from the tour lineup. Reports indicate Macklemore's removal was a consequence of pressure related to his pro-Palestine stance and public speeches.

Divergent accounts of the situation

One report states that Greta Thunberg opposes Ed Sheeran's actions, suggesting that "there is only one victim here." Another report claims Thunberg's statement shows "global consciousness has shifted" and leads a pro-Palestinian backlash against Sheeran. A different report suggests Ed Sheeran will donate millions to the Palestinians after attempting to maintain a neutral stance.

What the coverage left out

None of the right-rated digests mention that Ed Sheeran will donate millions to the Palestinians. None of the centre-rated digests mention Greta Thunberg's comments or Shane MacGowan's widow's statement.

Tags:#EdSheeran#Macklemore#LoopTour#GretaThunberg#ProPalestine

Coverage settled. We checked this 222 times and stopped on 24 Sept 2026, 13:15, including once after it resurfaced. The figures above are what it finished at.

How other outlets pictured it

Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.

Credit: Getty
Just JaredCentre

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

126 rated outlets

  • Stuff led on Greta Thunberg joining a pro‑Palestinian backlash against Ed Sheeran after Macklemore was removed. Ynet News led on the activist’s claim that there is only one victim and noted other opening acts quitting while Sheeran denied responsibility. Both Independent editions led on the broader criticism of Sheeran’s decision.
  • The Independent and its US counterpart led on Bragg’s attack on billionaire stadium owner Robert Kraft, accusing him of trying to silence an artist. RollingStone led on Dropkick Murphys frontman Ken Casey’s comment that Sheeran’s removal of Macklemore ‘doesn’t sit right with me.’
  • None of the left‑rated digests mention any estimate of the tour’s financial impact, ticket‑sale figures, or a direct response from Macklemore himself. The digests also omit details about the specific venues or dates affected by the cancellations.

Centre

160 rated outlets

  • The centre-rated report led on Ellie Goulding being called 'iconic' by fans for a tweet posted amid the furore surrounding Ed Sheeran's tour. The digest stated that Goulding's fans had labelled her 'iconic' after she posted a tweet at a significant moment during the controversy.

Right

101 rated outlets

  • Right-rated reports focused on the backlash against Ed Sheeran and the involvement of public figures. GB News highlighted that Shane MacGowan's widow urged Sheeran to quit the tour, stating it is "never too late" to act. Welt and The Telegraph reported that Greta Thunberg opposes Sheeran's actions, with The Telegraph adding that Thunberg believes the cancellation shows a shift in "global consciousness" and leads a pro-Palestinian backlash. Observador framed the situation as "War vs Culture" and questioned who the villain would be, noting Sheeran ran out of opening bands.

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Ed Sheeran tour support quits after Macklemore removal?
Of the 387 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 33% are rated left, 41% are rated centre, 26% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 689. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is Ed Sheeran tour support quits after Macklemore removal left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 387 rated outlets on this story, 33% are rated left, 41% are rated centre, 26% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of Ed Sheeran tour support quits after Macklemore removal biased?
Ed Sheeran tour support quits after Macklemore removal is one event reported by 689 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which outlets covered Ed Sheeran tour support quits after Macklemore removal?
689 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
Why was Macklemore removed from Ed Sheeran's tour?
Macklemore was reportedly removed from Ed Sheeran's tour due to pressure concerning his pro-Palestine stance and on-stage political speeches. This decision led to a backlash against Ed Sheeran.
What happened after Macklemore was removed?
Following Macklemore's removal from the Loop Tour, all of Ed Sheeran's remaining supporting artists decided to pull out of their appearances. This left Ed Sheeran without any opening acts for the tour.
Who commented on Ed Sheeran's decision?
Greta Thunberg has opposed Ed Sheeran's actions, with reports suggesting her comments indicate a shift in global consciousness. Shane MacGowan's widow has also weighed in, urging Sheeran that it is not too late to take action.

Read it at the source

762 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

137
Show 129 more

Centre

181
Show 173 more

Right

121
Show 113 more

Not rated

323
Show 315 more

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

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