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Andrew Luster, once sentenced to 124 years for rape, is released from California prison

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, all right-leaning.

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

Fox News, TheBlaze and The Washington Times report that Andrew Luster, a convicted serial rapist and heir to the Max Factor cosmetics fortune, was released from a California prison on parole after about 20 years. He was sentenced in 2003 to 124 years, but a March 2013 court action threw out that term and he was resentenced to 50 years. Fox News attributes the sentencing error to the original judge, citing his former attorney, J. David Nick, who said the judge stacked terms without the findings California law requires. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said the release was “not an early release” and that Luster served his full sentence as required by law. The Washington Times reports strong opposition from local leaders. Luster must register as a sex offender for life and will serve three years of supervised parole.

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. Andrew Luster, a convicted serial rapist and heir to the Max Factor cosmetics fortune, was released on parole after about 20 years in prison.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    The Washington Times
    Far Right
    Fox News, TheBlaze

  2. Luster was originally sentenced in February 2003 to 124 years, and a March 2013 court action threw out that sentence.

    One outletFox News· Far Right

  3. Luster was resentenced to 50 years, while his convictions remained intact, according to Fox News.

    One outletFox News· Far Right

  4. His former attorney, J. David Nick, said the original judge improperly stacked prison terms without the findings California law requires.

    One outletFox News· Far Right

  5. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said the release was not an early release and that Luster served his full sentence as required by law.

    One outletTheBlaze· Far Right

Show 2 more pointsShow fewer points

  1. Luster must register as a sex offender for life and will be on supervised parole for three years.

    One outletTheBlaze· Far Right

  2. Local leaders have strongly opposed the release.

    One outletThe Washington Times· Right

How each side tells it

Compare views

Right-side outlets present the release as a convicted serial rapist walking free despite a 124-year sentence, with Fox News focusing on a sentencing error and TheBlaze and The Washington Times stressing public outrage and local opposition.

  • the left

    No coverage yet

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

  • 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

    Headlines frame the release as a convicted rapist walking free despite a 124-year sentence, while Fox News centers on the judge’s sentencing error that cut the term.

    Serial rapist, cosmetics heir in California walks free despite 124-year prison sentence
    The Washington TimesRightAll 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.

  • Left

    Has not covered this story.

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right3

    wiped outMany are outragedigniting strong opposition

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    wiped outMore neutral: vacated

    The phrase adds drama to a court action that vacated a sentence; the neutral term is vacated or overturned.

    Max Factor heir's former lawyer details judge's error that wiped out 124-year rape sentence

    Used byFox News (Far Right)

  • Vague attribution

    Many are outragedMore neutral: Local leaders and others have criticized the release

    The phrase attributes outrage to an unnamed group without saying who holds it or how widely.

    Many are outraged that the serial rapist, who also is the great-grandson of legendary cosmetics…

    Used byTheBlaze (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    igniting strong oppositionMore neutral: after local leaders voiced opposition

    The phrase dramatizes the reaction; the neutral wording reports that local leaders opposed the release.

    …have released convicted rapist and cosmetics heir Andrew Luster, igniting strong opposition from local leaders after he served roughly 20 years of his original 124-year…

    Used byThe Washington Times (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

0 outlets

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

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

  • release despite 124-year sentence
  • judge’s sentencing error
  • public outrage and local opposition
  • lifetime sex offender registration
See the 3 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • The Washington TimesRight

    Serial rapist, cosmetics heir in California walks free despite 124-year prison sentence

    California prison authorities have released convicted rapist and cosmetics heir Andrew Luster, Sensational language“igniting strong opposition”The phrase dramatizes the reaction; the neutral wording reports that local leaders opposed the release.More neutral: after local leaders voiced oppositionDisagree with this highlight? from local leaders after he served roughly 20 years of his original 124-year sentence.

    Read at The Washington Times (opens in a new tab)
  • TheBlazeFar Right

    Serial rapist, heir to cosmetics empire, once sentenced to 124 years for 'sadistic sexual abuse,' walks free after 20 years

    A convicted serial rapist in California who was originally sentenced to 124 years in prison has been released after serving approximately 20 years behind bars. …

    Read at TheBlaze (opens in a new tab)
  • Fox NewsFar Right

    Max Factor heir's former lawyer details judge's error that Loaded verb“wiped out”The phrase adds drama to a court action that vacated a sentence; the neutral term is vacated or overturned.More neutral: vacatedDisagree with this highlight? 124-year rape sentence

    A sentencing error cut Andrew Luster's 124-year prison term to 50 years, and a victim's letter asking for leniency played a key role in the outcome.

    Read at Fox News (opens in a new tab)

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

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    First to report

    Fox News, Oct 21, 11:25 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Fox NewsFar RightOct 21, 11:25 AM EDT
  2. TheBlazeFar RightOct 21, 3:45 PM EDT
  3. The Washington TimesRightOct 21, 4:58 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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