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More than 100 migrants dead after boat capsizes off Djibouti

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 10 outlets across the spectrum.

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

Capsized blue migrant boat on beach with scattered clothing and sandals; man in IOM shirt looks on
Image via Al Jazeera EnglishHow images are chosenReport this image

A boat carrying migrants from Djibouti toward Yemen capsized off the Djibouti coast on Thursday night or early Friday, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The IOM first reported at least 109 dead and on Sunday reported at least 139, a count that includes only bodies buried by Djibouti authorities. More than 80 people survived, all of them Ethiopian nationals. The IOM said 84 people were still missing as of Sunday, and at least 15 children are among the dead. Reports give between 305 and 350 people aboard. The IOM's Djibouti chief said the boat sank mainly because it was overcrowded.

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. A boat carrying migrants capsized off Djibouti on Thursday night or early Friday.

    Reported byLeft2Center5Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Al Jazeera English, The New York Times
    Center
    France 24, Sky News, Deutsche Welle, BBC News, PBS NewsHour
    Far Right
    Fox News

  2. The IOM's death toll rose from at least 109 to at least 139 by Sunday; the 139 counts only bodies buried by Djibouti authorities.

    Reported byLeft2Center5Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Al Jazeera English, The New York Times
    Center
    France 24, Sky News, Deutsche Welle, BBC News, PBS NewsHour
    Far Right
    Fox News

  3. More than 80 people survived, all of them Ethiopian nationals.

    Reported byCenter3Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    Deutsche Welle, BBC News, PBS NewsHour
    Far Right
    Fox News

  4. The IOM said 84 people were still missing as of Sunday; earlier reports cited more than 100 missing.

    Reported byLeft1Center2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Al Jazeera English
    Center
    Sky News, Deutsche Welle
    Far Right
    Fox News

  5. At least 15 children are among the dead.

    Reported byLeft1Center2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The New York Times
    Center
    Deutsche Welle, BBC News
    Far Right
    Fox News

  6. The IOM's Djibouti chief said the boat sank mainly because it was overcrowded.

    Reported byCenter1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    PBS NewsHour
    Far Right
    Fox News

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

  • The number of people aboard the boat.

    BBC reports 350 people on board; Al Jazeera says more than 300; PBS and Fox, citing the IOM, give 305.

  • The number of people still missing.

    Sky News and Deutsche Welle cite more than 100 or 116 missing; BBC and PBS say dozens; Fox cites 84 as of Sunday, according to the IOM.

How each side tells it

Compare views

All sides report a boat capsizing off Djibouti, with more than 100 migrants dead and children among them. Left headlines stress the toll and the route's deadliness, center headlines credit the UN or IOM for the figures, and the right headline names overcrowding as the cause.

  • the left

    3 outlets

    Left headlines lead with the rising death toll and the shipwreck's scale, using the early over-100 figure, and give no cause for the sinking.

    Over 100 Migrants Are Dead After Boat Capsizes Near Djibouti
    The New York TimesLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    5 outlets

    Center headlines lead with the death toll and attribute the figures to the UN or IOM, with children among the dead often named in the headline.

    Children among 109 dead after boat capsizes off Djibouti, UN says
    BBC NewsCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    2 outlets

    The one right-side outlet leads with the highest death toll, 139, and puts overcrowding in the headline as the cause.

    At least 139 migrants dead, 84 missing after overcrowded boat capsizes off Djibouti
    Fox 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.

Mantle found no loaded language in this coverage. Every headline and opening was checked against Mantle’s published word list, and Mantle’s AI read 8 of the 12 articles in context when it wrote the analysis. Straight reporting often has none.

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

  • rising death toll
  • deadliness of the route
  • children among the dead

Leaves out

  • the 139 toll reported on Sunday
  • the overcrowding cause given by the IOM

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

See the 3 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

5 outlets

Leads with

  • UN or IOM as source of figures
  • children among the dead
  • the route from Djibouti to Yemen
See the 5 headlines from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

2 outlets

Leads with

  • overcrowding as cause
  • 139 dead toll
  • 84 still missing

Leaves out

  • the earlier 109-dead count
  • the 350-person passenger figure

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

See the 2 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • Breitbart NewsFar Right

    Over 130 Migrants Killed, Including Children, as Boat from Djibouti to Yemen Capsizes

    The U.N. International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Sunday that at least 139 migrants were killed when a boat sailing from Djibouti to Yemen capsized.

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

    At least 139 migrants dead, 84 missing after overcrowded boat capsizes off Djibouti

    More than 80 people survived the deadly crossing from Djibouti toward Yemen, while at least 84 remained missing as authorities worked to verify additional victims.

    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

    1 hr 52 min later

    Its first report, Oct 11, 7:34 AM EDT

  • Center

    First to report

    France 24, Oct 11, 5:43 AM EDT

  • Right

    16 hr 12 min later

    Its first report, Oct 11, 9:55 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. France 24CenterOct 11, 5:43 AM EDT
  2. Sky NewsCenterOct 11, 6:08 AM EDT
  3. Al Jazeera EnglishLeftOct 11, 7:34 AM EDT
  4. Deutsche WelleCenterOct 11, 7:35 AM EDT
  5. BBC NewsCenterOct 11, 8:08 AM EDT
  6. The New York TimesLeftOct 11, 10:38 AM EDT
  7. PBS NewsHourCenterOct 11, 2:05 PM EDT
  8. Fox NewsFar RightOct 11, 9:55 PM EDT
  9. CBS NewsLeftOct 12, 6:45 AM EDT
  10. Breitbart NewsFar RightOct 12, 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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