This paper builds on previous evidence that partisan media can significantly sway the opinion of people through leading pictures, despite using non-partisan news texts (Caprini, 2023). This work seeks to augment the existing evidence to encompass and explore the interplay between verbal and nonverbal language in news production. I assess the opportunity for a strategic media player to trade off efficacy and plausible deniability, using words and pictures as complements or substitutes in US press coverage.