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Coast Guard searches for medical plane that vanished en route from Bermuda to Boston, then finds debris

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 23 outlets across the spectrum.

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

A Gulfstream G100 air ambulance carrying six people lost contact with air traffic controllers early Saturday while flying from Bermuda to Boston, the U.S. Coast Guard said. Flight-tracking data showed the plane dropping roughly 9,000 to 10,000 feet before it disappeared off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts. Radio recordings captured a controller asking the pilot, “You’re coming in blind. Is that what you said?” before the pilot reported an emergency. The aircraft, operated by Canadian company Latitude Air Ambulance, carried four Canadian nationals and two Bermudian nationals. On Saturday evening the Coast Guard located a debris field confirmed to belong to the missing jet, and by Sunday the operator said all six aboard were presumed dead.

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. Six people were aboard the Gulfstream G100 aircraft when it lost contact, including four Canadian nationals and two Bermudian nationals

    Reported byLeftCenterRight

  2. The plane was flying from Bermuda to Boston and was operated by Latitude Air Ambulance, a Canadian medical evacuation company

    Reported byLeftCenterRight

  3. Flight data showed the plane dropping thousands of feet in altitude before it disappeared off Nantucket

    Reported byLeftCenterRight

  4. Radio transmissions captured a controller asking the pilot if they were declaring an emergency, including the phrase ‘you’re coming in blind’

    Reported byLeftCenterRight

  5. The Coast Guard located a debris field confirmed to be from the missing aircraft

    Reported byCenterRight

  6. Latitude Air Ambulance later said all six people aboard are presumed dead after the Coast Guard ended its search for survivors

    Reported byCenter

How each side tells it

Compare views

  • the left

    8 outlets

    Most left headlines describe the plane as missing or searched for, though one outlet frames it with more dramatic language around a ‘mysterious’ emergency and an ‘urgent race’ to find it.

    US coastguard suspends search for six on board crashed medical jet
    Al Jazeera EnglishLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    4 outlets

    Center headlines track the story’s progression plainly, from the initial search to the discovery of debris to the presumption that all six died.

    All six passengers presumed dead after plane went missing off US coast
    BBC NewsCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    11 outlets

    Right-leaning headlines range from a neutral wire report to more dramatic framing emphasizing ‘chilling’ audio and a ‘desperate’ search.

    Coast Guard suspends search for Boston-bound plane that vanished off coast of Nantucket
    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.

  • Left2

    Mysterious Mid-Air EmergencyUrgent race

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right6

    desperate air and surface searchurgent searchtragic loss of lifepanicked exchange

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    desperate air and surface searchMore neutral: extensive air and surface search

    ‘Desperate’ adds a dramatic emotional judgment to what is a standard search-and-rescue operation.

    …off the coast of Nantucket, leading the Coast Guard to launch a desperate air and surface search.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Sensational language

    urgent searchMore neutral: search

    ‘Urgent’ heightens the drama of the search beyond the neutral fact that a search was launched.

    US Coast Guard launches urgent search for plane carrying 6 people as it goes missing en route to Boston from Bermuda

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

  • Sensational language

    tragic loss of lifeMore neutral: possible fatalities

    Speculates about a dramatic outcome before any facts confirm deaths, adding emotional weight beyond what is known.

    At this hour, we have a breaking story about what might end up being a tragic loss of life, based on what little has already been reported.

    Used byRedState (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    Mysterious Mid-Air EmergencyMore neutral: Mid-Air Emergency

    ‘Mysterious’ adds dramatic uncertainty beyond the confirmed facts of the emergency.

    Medical Plane Vanishes After Mysterious Mid-Air Emergency

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

Show 4 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded modifier

    panicked exchangeMore neutral: tense exchange

    Characterizes the pilot and controller’s tone as panicked without clear evidence of panic in the transcript provided.

    …medical plane vanished off the coast of Nantucket Saturday reveals a panicked exchange between the pilot and air traffic controllers.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Sensational language

    Chilling audioMore neutral: Audio

    ‘Chilling’ editorializes the emotional impact of the recording rather than describing its content.

    Chilling audio captures moments before Boston-bound plane vanished: ‘You’re coming in blind’

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Sensational language

    Urgent raceMore neutral: Search

    ‘Urgent race’ dramatizes the search operation beyond a neutral description.

    Urgent race to find missing medical evacuation jet

    Used byNBC News (Left)

  • Sensational language

    desperate searchMore neutral: ongoing search

    ‘Desperate’ adds emotional coloring to the search operation not established as fact.

    …that suddenly disappeared has been located off the coast of Massachusetts, as a desperate search continues for the six passengers on board.

    Used byDaily Mail (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

8 outlets

Leads with

  • flight data and altitude drop
  • search-and-rescue operations
  • details of the medical evacuation company

Leaves out

  • nationalities of the passengers and crew

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

See the 9 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

4 outlets

Leads with

  • official statements from the Coast Guard and airport authority
  • flight-tracking data
  • the operator’s and officials’ public statements
See the 4 headlines from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

11 outlets

Leads with

  • radio transmissions between pilot and controllers
  • nationalities of those aboard
  • discovery of debris
See the 12 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

    3 hr 23 min later

    Its first report, Oct 3, 7:51 AM EDT

  • Center

    7 hr 27 min later

    Its first report, Oct 3, 11:56 AM EDT

  • Right

    First to report

    The Daily Wire, Oct 3, 4:29 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The Daily WireFar RightOct 3, 4:29 AM EDT
  2. NBC NewsLeftOct 3, 7:51 AM EDT
  3. Fox NewsFar RightOct 3, 7:59 AM EDT
  4. New York PostRightOct 3, 8:35 AM EDT
  5. ABC NewsLeftOct 3, 9:09 AM EDT
  6. The New York TimesLeftOct 3, 9:30 AM EDT
  7. CBS NewsLeftOct 3, 9:54 AM EDT
  8. Daily MailRightOct 3, 10:14 AM EDT
  9. Breitbart NewsFar RightOct 3, 10:32 AM EDT
  10. One America NewsFar RightOct 3, 10:43 AM EDT
  11. The Epoch TimesFar RightOct 3, 11:28 AM EDT
  12. BBC NewsCenterOct 3, 11:56 AM EDT
  13. The GuardianLeftOct 3, 1:03 PM EDT
  14. RedStateFar RightOct 3, 1:06 PM EDT
  15. Sky NewsCenterOct 3, 2:09 PM EDT
  16. The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 3, 4:25 PM EDT
  17. The Washington TimesRightOct 3, 5:18 PM EDT
  18. NPRLeftOct 3, 6:31 PM EDT
  19. Al Jazeera EnglishLeftOct 3, 7:03 PM EDT
  20. Washington ExaminerRightOct 4, 9:40 AM EDT
  21. Straight Arrow NewsCenterOct 4, 11:15 AM EDT
  22. PBS NewsHourCenterOct 4, 1:53 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.

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