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Arkansas court official faces 65 felony counts over alleged bar exam score changes

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets across the spectrum.

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

Blurred older man in dark robe behind a wooden gavel striking a sound block in a courtroom.
Image via Raw StoryHow images are chosenReport this image

NewsNation and Raw Story report that former Arkansas court administrator Nancie Givens faces 65 felony counts of tampering with public records. Reason reports that the Arkansas Supreme Court, citing an internal review led by Robert Brech of its Office of Professional Conduct and Programs, found evidence that Givens moved points from some bar examinees’ scores to others within the same test administration. The court said the matter was turned over to state and federal authorities. Raw Story reports that investigators found discrepancies in at least eight bar exams from 2020 to 2025 and about 11,400 deleted or inaccessible files. The review also said score changes may have lowered at least one examinee’s score to a failing mark. These are allegations.

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

What happened

Key points

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

  1. Former court administrator Nancie Givens faces 65 felony counts of tampering with public records.

    Reported byFar Left1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    Raw Story
    Center
    NewsNation

  2. The Arkansas Supreme Court says an internal review found evidence that Givens moved points from some examinees’ scores to others in the same test.

    One outletReason· Right

  3. The court’s review found irregularities and turned the matter over to state and federal authorities.

    One outletReason· Right

  4. Investigators found discrepancies in at least eight bar exams from 2020 to 2025 and about 11,400 deleted or inaccessible files.

    One outletRaw Story· Far Left

  5. Score changes may have lowered at least one examinee’s score to a failing mark, the court’s review said.

    One outletReason· Right

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three outlets report that former Arkansas court official Nancie Givens is accused of altering bar exam scores. The right-rated outlet quotes the court’s review at length, the left-rated one leads with lawyers’ alarm, and the center headline states the 65 felony counts.

  • the left

    1 outlet

    Headline leads with lawyers’ alarm and calls the case a massive scandal in a red state, framing it as a state-level crisis with partisan labeling.

    Sensational language“Mass legal freakout”The word freakout dramatizes the reaction of lawyers beyond what the reporting in the excerpt describes.More neutral: Lawyers react to bar exam score allegationsDisagree with this highlight? as Sensational language“massive scandal”The adjective massive adds dramatic weight to a case the coverage describes through specific counts and allegations.More neutral: bar exam score caseDisagree with this highlight? rocks Loaded modifier“red state”Attaching a partisan label to Arkansas in the headline adds a political frame that the event itself does not require.More neutral: ArkansasDisagree with this highlight?: 'It's frightening'
    Raw StoryFar LeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    Headline states the charge plainly, 65 felony counts after allegedly altering bar exam scores, with the allegation attributed and no description of harm to examinees.

    Arkansas court official faces 65 felony counts after allegedly altering bar exam scores
    NewsNationCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    1 outlet

    Headline attributes the alleged score transfers to the bar official, and the article leads with the Arkansas Supreme Court’s internal findings and the harm to examinees who were failed.

    Arkansas Bar Official Allegedly Transferred Points from Some Bar Examinees to Others
    ReasonRightAll 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.

  • Left3

    massive scandalMass legal freakoutred state

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    massive scandalMore neutral: bar exam score case

    The adjective massive adds dramatic weight to a case the coverage describes through specific counts and allegations.

    Attorneys and legal scholars are sounding the alarm after a massive scandal rocked Arkansas, where a former court official allegedly manipulated bar exam…

    Used byRaw Story (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    Mass legal freakoutMore neutral: Lawyers react to bar exam score allegations

    The word freakout dramatizes the reaction of lawyers beyond what the reporting in the excerpt describes.

    Mass legal freakout as massive scandal rocks red state: 'It's frightening'

    Used byRaw Story (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    red stateMore neutral: Arkansas

    Attaching a partisan label to Arkansas in the headline adds a political frame that the event itself does not require.

    Mass legal freakout as massive scandal rocks red state: 'It's frightening'

    Used byRaw Story (Far Left)

Words quoted from someone else (2)Hide the quoted words

Loaded words that outlets reported someone else saying. They show what was said, not how the outlet chose to say it.

  • Dehumanizing label

    Quoted

    takersMore neutral: benefit recipients

    Assumes fraud or laziness.

    …in Arkansas allegedly tampered with bar exam scores, pulling points from some test takers and giving them to others,” Nunn wrote, pointing to at least one case in which someone…

    Quoted byRaw Story (Far Left)

    Inside a quotation: the outlets are reporting someone else’s words.

  • Loaded verb

    Quoted

    harvested pointsMore neutral: moved points

    The verb harvested suggests taking points with a sense of extraction, while the same alleged act can be described neutrally as moving points.

    Evidence exists that Givens harvested points from a number of examinees' scores and then added them to other examinees' scores…

    Quoted byReason (Right)

    These are Arkansas Supreme Court’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

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

1 outlet

Leads with

  • lawyers’ alarm
  • scale of the scandal
  • risk of unqualified lawyers practicing

Leaves out

  • Robert Brech’s internal review and the referral to federal authorities

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

See the headline from the leftHide the headlines
  • Raw StoryFar Left

    Sensational language“Mass legal freakout”The word freakout dramatizes the reaction of lawyers beyond what the reporting in the excerpt describes.More neutral: Lawyers react to bar exam score allegationsDisagree with this highlight? as Sensational language“massive scandal”The adjective massive adds dramatic weight to a case the coverage describes through specific counts and allegations.More neutral: bar exam score caseDisagree with this highlight? rocks Loaded modifier“red state”Attaching a partisan label to Arkansas in the headline adds a political frame that the event itself does not require.More neutral: ArkansasDisagree with this highlight?: 'It's frightening'

    Attorneys and legal scholars are sounding the alarm after a Sensational language“massive scandal”The adjective massive adds dramatic weight to a case the coverage describes through specific counts and allegations.More neutral: bar exam score caseDisagree with this highlight? rocked Arkansas, where a former court official allegedly manipulated bar exam scores for years, allowing some applicants to pass while causing others to fail. …

    Read at Raw Story (opens in a new tab)

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • the 65 felony charges
  • the alleged altering of scores
See the headline from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

  • the court’s internal review
  • harm to examinees who were failed
  • points moved between examinees
See the headline from the rightHide the headlines
  • ReasonRight

    Arkansas Bar Official Allegedly Transferred Points from Some Bar Examinees to Others

    From the Arkansas Supreme Court Thursday: Evidence exists that Givens harvested points from a number of examinees' scores and then…

    Read at Reason (opens in a new tab)

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, 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

    Raw Story, Nov 6, 1:01 PM EST

  • Center

    2 hr 44 min later

    Its first report, Nov 6, 3:45 PM EST

  • Right

    22 hr 32 min later

    Its first report, Nov 7, 11:33 AM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Raw StoryFar LeftNov 6, 1:01 PM EST
  2. NewsNationCenterNov 6, 3:45 PM EST
  3. ReasonRightNov 7, 11:33 AM EST

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

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