Skip to content

Crime & JusticeBreaking

Former Dallas officer Amber Guyger released on parole after serving seven years

By

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 6 outlets. No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered it yet.

8 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Woman in blue jacket in profile, looking off to the side in a courtroom setting.
Image via NBC NewsHow images are chosenReport this image

Former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger was released on parole on Friday after serving seven years of a 10-year sentence for the 2018 killing of Botham Jean in his apartment. A jury convicted her of murder in October 2019. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice said she will serve the rest of her sentence in the community. Jean’s family opposed her early release, according to their attorney, Lee Merritt. Her attorney says she remains remorseful and has a place to live and a job lined up.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Amber Guyger was released on parole after serving seven years of a 10-year sentence for the 2018 killing of Botham Jean.

    Across the spectrumReported byLeft3Right1Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    CBS News, NBC News, The Guardian
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    Just the News, Townhall

  2. A jury convicted Guyger of murder in October 2019 and sentenced her to 10 years in prison.

    Across the spectrumReported byLeft2Right1Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    NBC News, The Guardian
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    Just the News, Townhall

  3. Jean’s family opposed her early release, according to their attorney.

    Reported byLeft1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Right
    New York Post

  4. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice said Guyger was released from the Christina Melton Crain Unit in Gatesville and will serve the rest of her sentence in the community.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    Townhall

  5. Guyger’s attorney said she remains remorseful and has a place to live and work when released.

    One side only: the rightReported byFar Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Right
    Just the News, Townhall

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side reports that Amber Guyger, convicted of murder in Botham Jean’s 2018 killing, was paroled after seven of ten years. Right headlines stress the wrong-apartment mistake and the release, while left headlines stress the murder conviction and, in the Guardian’s case, the victim’s race.

  • the left

    3 outlets

    Left headlines state the release and the murder conviction plainly, and the Guardian’s headline adds the victim’s race and calls the killing murder, the sharpest wording on the side.

    Amber Guyger, ex-Dallas police officer convicted of murder, is released on parole
    NBC NewsLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    No coverage yet

    No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

  • the right

    3 outlets

    Far Right headlines name the release and the wrong-apartment mistake without the murder label, while the New York Post’s “sprung” suggests the release was improper.

    Former police officer who entered wrong apartment and shot man living there released from prison
    Just the NewsFar RightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left1

    black neighbor

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right3

    claimedstrolled out ofsprung

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    claimedMore neutral: said

    The verb “claimed” suggests doubt about her account, where “said” reports it neutrally.

    She claimed she had parked on the wrong floor of the parking garage and entered Jean's apartment…

    Used byJust the News (Far Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    black neighborMore neutral: Amber Guyger, police officer convicted of murdering neighbor Botham Jean, released from prison

    Naming the victim’s race in a report on a parole decision adds a characterization that has no bearing on the release itself.

    Amber Guyger, police officer who murdered black neighbor in his home, released from prison

    Used byThe Guardian (Left)

  • Loaded verb

    strolled out ofMore neutral: walked out of

    “Strolled” implies a casual, carefree exit from prison, where “walked out of” describes it neutrally.

    Guyger, 38, strolled out of the Christina Melton Crain Unit in Gatesville after serving seven of her 10-year…

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    sprungMore neutral: released

    “Sprung” suggests an escape or an improper release, where “released” states the parole neutrally.

    Ex-Dallas cop Amber Guyger is sprung from prison after mistakenly shooting her neighbor

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

3 outlets

Leads with

  • the murder conviction
  • the seven-year sentence served
  • the victim’s race in the Guardian headline

Leaves out

  • that the Texas prison agency says Guyger will serve the rest of her sentence in the community

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 3 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • The GuardianLeft

    Amber Guyger, police officer who murdered Loaded modifier“black neighbor”Naming the victim’s race in a report on a parole decision adds a characterization that has no bearing on the release itself.More neutral: Amber Guyger, police officer convicted of murdering neighbor Botham Jean, released from prisonDisagree with this highlight? in his home, released from prison

    Guyger, convicted of murder of Botham Jean in Dallas in 2018, served seven years of 10-year sentence The former Dallas police officer who was convicted of murdering Botham Jean after entering his apartment and shooting him in 2018 was released from prison on Friday morning after …

    Read at The Guardian (opens in a new tab)
  • NBC NewsLeft

    Amber Guyger, ex-Dallas police officer convicted of murder, is released on parole

    Guyger served seven years of a 10-year sentence in the 2018 killing of Botham Jean, who lived in the same apartment complex.

    Read at NBC News (opens in a new tab)
  • CBS NewsLeft

    Amber Guyger released after 7 years in prison for neighbor's murder

    Former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger has been released on parole after serving seven years of a 10-year sentence for the 2018 murder of Botham Jean.

    Read at CBS News (opens in a new tab)

From the center

0 outlets

No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the right

3 outlets

Leads with

  • the mistaken entry into the wrong apartment
  • release on parole after seven years
  • family opposition to the early release
See the 3 headlines from the rightHide the headlines

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    First to report

    CBS News, Oct 16, 11:09 AM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    5 hr 36 min later

    Its first report, Oct 16, 4:45 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. CBS NewsLeftOct 16, 11:09 AM EDT
  2. NBC NewsLeftOct 16, 11:40 AM EDT
  3. The GuardianLeftOct 16, 1:45 PM EDT
  4. TownhallFar RightOct 16, 4:45 PM EDT
  5. New York PostRightOct 16, 10:03 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out. Just the News gave only a date, so it is not placed.

Read next

Help someone else find the truth beneath the surface

Most people see one side of a story. Share this one, so they can see how every side is telling it and decide for themselves.

Email it

Seen a mistake? Tell us what is wrong with this page