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Canadian man convicted of animal cruelty for taking flamingo from Las Vegas hotel

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 11 outlets across the spectrum.

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

Man in grey suit gestures while speaking in a courtroom, another man with back turned
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A Las Vegas jury convicted Mitchell Fairbarn, a 34-year-old Canadian tourist, of animal cruelty for taking Peachy, a flamingo, from its habitat at the Flamingo hotel and casino and carrying it to his room. Prosecutors called the act malicious, while his lawyer said it was drunken foolishness not meant to harm the bird. Fairbarn testified that he drank 30 to 40 beers before the early-morning incident, and trial footage showed him carrying the bird through an elevator. Reports say he could face prison; one outlet puts the possible term at nearly five years.

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 Las Vegas jury convicted Mitchell Fairbarn, a 34-year-old Canadian tourist, of animal cruelty over the flamingo Peachy, taken from the Flamingo hotel’s habitat.

    Reported byFar Left1Left4Center1Right2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Left
    NBC News, CBS News, The Guardian, The New York Times
    Center
    BBC News
    Right
    The Washington Times, New York Post
    Far Right
    Fox News

  2. Prosecutors called the act malicious, while Fairbarn’s lawyer said it was drunken foolishness not meant to harm the bird.

    Reported byLeft3Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    ABC News, NBC News, The Guardian
    Right
    The Washington Times

  3. Fairbarn testified that he drank 30 to 40 beers before taking the bird from its habitat around 5 a.m.

    Reported byCenter1Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    BBC News
    Right
    Daily Mail, New York Post

  4. Trial footage showed Fairbarn carrying the bird through an elevator, and the bird was found injured.

    Reported byFar Left1Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    Fox News

  5. Reports say Fairbarn could face prison; one report puts the possible term at nearly five years.

    Reported byFar Left1Left1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Left
    ABC News
    Right
    The Washington Times

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • Whether Fairbarn meant to harm Peachy.

    Prosecutors said the act was malicious. Fairbarn’s lawyer said it was drunken foolishness not meant to harm the bird.

How each side tells it

Compare views

All sides report that Mitchell Fairbarn, a Canadian tourist, was convicted of animal cruelty for taking the flamingo Peachy from a Las Vegas hotel. Headlines differ in tone: the New York Post and the Daily Beast mock him with labels such as bozo and bonkers, while the BBC and wire-based reports state the verdict plainly.

  • the left

    6 outlets

    Left-side headlines report the verdict plainly, though the Daily Beast adds drunkenness and mocking wording such as Bonkers in its headline.

    Man Who Took Flamingo From Las Vegas Hotel Is Found Guilty of Cruelty
    The New York TimesLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    The single center headline states the conviction and the theft in plain wording, and its description leads with the testimony about drinking.

    Canadian tourist found guilty of animal cruelty after stealing Las Vegas flamingo from enclosure
    BBC NewsCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    4 outlets

    Right-side headlines lead with drinking, video and mocking labels such as bozo in the New York Post, while the Washington Times headline is neutral and Fox leads with the video.

    Canadian Dehumanizing label“bozo”The insult calls the defendant a contemptible figure before the facts of the case are described in neutral terms.More neutral: Canadian manDisagree with this highlight? convicted of animal cruelty for stealing flamingo from Vegas hotel after downing ‘30 to 40’ beers
    New York PostRightAll 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

    snatchingbooze-fuelled bingeBonkers

  • Center1

    alcohol-fuelled bender

  • Right8

    guzzlingadmitssnatchedpulling off heist

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    guzzlingMore neutral: drinking

    Guzzling adds a tone of excess beyond the reported figure of 30 to 40 beers.

    …when he took the bird to his room, describing the incident as a drunken prank after guzzling 30-40 beers.

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    admitsMore neutral: says

    Admits implies a confession of wrongdoing, while the story reports the defendant’s own account of his drinking.

    Tourist admits to drinking 30-40 beers before taking flamingo from Las Vegas casino back to his hotel…

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    snatchedMore neutral: took

    Snatched implies a sudden grab with force, which goes beyond the reported facts.

    …tourist claimed he was sleep-deprived and hammered on dozens of beers when he snatched a beloved flamingo from a Las Vegas casino and took selfies with it, with his hands…

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Sensational language

    pulling off heistMore neutral: taking

    Heist frames the removal as a planned robbery, while the charges concern animal cruelty during a drunken episode.

    …of stealing flamingo from Las Vegas Strip says he drank up to 40 beers before pulling off heist

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

Show 8 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded verb

    snatchingMore neutral: taking

    The word snatching describes a sudden grab, while the coverage elsewhere describes the act as taking the bird to a room.

    …— A jury convicted a Canadian man of animal cruelty charges on Monday afternoon for snatching a flamingo named Peachy from its enclosure at an iconic Las Vegas hotel in what…

    Used byNBC News (Left)

  • Sensational language

    alcohol-fuelled benderMore neutral: after drinking heavily

    The phrase characterizes the whole episode as a binge, a judgement beyond the testimony about drinking.

    …its enclosure in Las Vegas and brought it back to his hotel room during an alcohol-fuelled bender.

    Used byBBC News (Center)

  • Sensational language

    booze-fuelled bingeMore neutral: after drinking heavily

    The phrase adds a judgement of excess, where the testimony reported gives only the amount of beer consumed.

    …faces prison after stealing a flamingo from a Las Vegas casino during a booze-fuelled binge.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    BonkersMore neutral: Drunk Vegas Tourist Convicted in Flamingo Case

    The adjective mocks the case and adds a judgement that the facts of the conviction do not carry.

    Drunk Vegas Tourist Convicted in Bonkers Flamingo Heist

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    bizarre encounterMore neutral: unusual encounter

    The word bizarre adds a judgement of strangeness that the reported facts do not require.

    …of animal cruelty after prosecutors argued the bird was injured during the bizarre encounter.

    Used byFox News (Far Right)

  • Dehumanizing label

    birdbrainMore neutral: This man

    The insult mocks the defendant as foolish in the description, a judgement the reported facts do not state.

    This birdbrain’s guilty.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Sensational language

    fowl negligenceMore neutral: animal cruelty

    The pun adds mockery to the account of an animal cruelty conviction.

    A jury convicted Mitchell Fairbarn, 34, for the fowl negligence after he stole “Peachy” from the Flamingo Hotel and Casino during...

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Dehumanizing label

    bozoMore neutral: Canadian man

    The insult calls the defendant a contemptible figure before the facts of the case are described in neutral terms.

    Canadian bozo convicted of animal cruelty for stealing flamingo from Vegas hotel after downing ‘30 to…

    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

6 outlets

Leads with

  • the conviction and the animal cruelty charge
  • the defendant’s regret and lawyer’s account
  • the bird’s injuries and video of the act

Leaves out

  • the 30 to 40 beer figure given at trial

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

See the 7 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • The New York TimesLeft

    Man Who Took Flamingo From Las Vegas Hotel Is Found Guilty of Cruelty

    The man, visiting from Canada, carried a flamingo named Peachy from its habitat to his hotel room. He was convicted of felony and misdemeanor charges.

    Read at The New York Times (opens in a new tab)
  • The GuardianLeftAssociated Press report

    ‘Bad decisions’: Man convicted for taking Peachy the flamingo from Las Vegas hotel

    Mitchell Fairbarn found guilty of animal cruelty after prosecutors say he hurt and frightened the 27-year-old bird A Canadian man was convicted of animal cruelty charges Monday for snatching a flamingo named Peachy from its enclosure at an iconic Las Vegas hotel. …

    Read at The Guardian (opens in a new tab)
  • The Daily BeastFar Left

    Drunk Vegas Tourist Convicted in Sensational language“Bonkers”The adjective mocks the case and adds a judgement that the facts of the conviction do not carry.More neutral: Drunk Vegas Tourist Convicted in Flamingo CaseDisagree with this highlight? Flamingo Heist

    A Canadian tourist who stole a flamingo from a Las Vegas hotel casino after a marathon drinking session has been convicted of animal abuse and faces nearly five years in prison. …

    Read at The Daily Beast (opens in a new tab)
  • CBS NewsLeft

    Man who stole flamingo from Vegas hotel convicted of animal cruelty

    Mitchell Fairbarn deeply regretted the "bad decisions" he made while intoxicated, his lawyer told the jury.

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

    Man convicted of animal cruelty for stealing flamingo from Las Vegas hotel

    A Las Vegas jury convicted a Canadian tourist of animal cruelty after he stole a flamingo named Peachy from an iconic hotel enclosure. NBC News' Andres Gutierrez has the details on the conviction.

    Read at NBC News (opens in a new tab)
  • NBC NewsLeftAssociated Press report

    Vegas tourist who took Peachy the flamingo from hotel exhibit is found guilty of animal cruelty

    LAS VEGAS — A jury convicted a Canadian man of animal cruelty charges on Monday afternoon for Loaded verb“snatching”The word snatching describes a sudden grab, while the coverage elsewhere describes the act as taking the bird to a room.More neutral: takingDisagree with this highlight? a flamingo named Peachy from its enclosure at an iconic Las Vegas hotel in what prosecutors called a drunken and malicious act.

    Read at NBC News (opens in a new tab)
  • ABC NewsLeftAssociated Press report

    Canadian man who took a bird from Las Vegas' Flamingo casino could face prison if convicted

    Prosecutors say a visitor from Canada maliciously harmed a flamingo at an iconic Las Vegas hotel when he removed the bird from its enclosure earlier this year and brought it to his room

    Read at ABC News (opens in a new tab)

    Also published by The Washington Times. It counts once.

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • the conviction
  • the 30 to 40 beers testimony
  • the defendant’s claim he did not mean harm

Leaves out

  • prosecutors’ description of the act as malicious

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

See the headline from the centerHide the headlines
  • BBC NewsCenter

    Canadian tourist found guilty of animal cruelty after stealing Las Vegas flamingo from enclosure

    The man testified that he snatched Peachy from its enclosure at the Flamingo hotel and casino after drinking 30 to 40 beers, but did not mean any harm.

    Read at BBC News (opens in a new tab)

From the right

4 outlets

Leads with

  • the drinking, including 30 to 40 beers
  • video of the bird being carried
  • mocking labels for the defendant

Leaves out

  • the possible prison term of nearly five years

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

See the 5 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

    21 hr 9 min later

    Its first report, Oct 19, 3:50 PM EDT

  • Center

    1 day 4 hr later

    Its first report, Oct 19, 11:10 PM EDT

  • Right

    First to report

    Daily Mail, Oct 18, 6:40 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Daily MailRightOct 18, 6:40 PM EDT
  2. New York PostRightOct 18, 7:16 PM EDT
  3. ABC NewsLeftOct 19, 3:50 PM EDT
  4. The Washington TimesRightOct 19, 3:58 PM EDT
  5. NBC NewsLeftOct 19, 8:57 PM EDT
  6. BBC NewsCenterOct 19, 11:10 PM EDT
  7. CBS NewsLeftOct 20, 6:30 AM EDT
  8. The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 20, 11:24 AM EDT
  9. The GuardianLeftOct 20, 12:11 PM EDT
  10. Fox NewsFar RightOct 20, 12:12 PM EDT
  11. The New York TimesLeftOct 20, 2:48 PM EDT

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

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