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Colorado town approves gates at entrances to limit through traffic

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, mostly right-leaning (67%).

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

Red truck driving on road past Bow Mar town entrance sign among trees
Image via The New York TimesHow images are chosenReport this image

Bow Mar, a small town south of Denver, has voted unanimously to move ahead with gates at two entrances and the closure of a third entry point to limit through traffic. Town leaders say the restrictions are a safety necessity because drivers from neighboring cities speed through to avoid main roads where children play. The New York Post reports that a traffic study found about 1,200 vehicles a day passing through the town. The New York Times reports that critics see the plan as a miniature border wall. Officials in nearby cities have threatened retaliation, which the New York Post says they framed as a “nuclear option.” The first gate could be installed by Thanksgiving, according to CBS Colorado as cited by the Daily Mail.

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. Bow Mar’s board of trustees voted unanimously to move forward with gates at two entrances and the closure of a third entry point.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    Daily Mail, New York Post

  2. Town leaders say the restrictions are a safety necessity to protect children from speeding drivers.

    Reported byLeft1Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The New York Times
    Right
    Daily Mail, New York Post

  3. A traffic study reportedly counted about 1,200 vehicles a day passing through the area.

    One outletNew York Post· Right

  4. Critics describe the plan as a miniature border wall.

    One outletThe New York Times· Left

  5. Officials in nearby cities have threatened retaliation.

    One outletNew York Post· Right

  6. The first gate could be installed by Thanksgiving.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    Daily Mail, New York Post

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • The gates are a safety measure against speeding through-traffic.

    Bow Mar leaders and residents say the gates protect children; critics, as quoted by the New York Times, see a miniature border wall, and the Daily Mail reports neighbors saying the gates keep out outsiders.

  • Bow Mar has a population of about 830 residents.

    The Daily Mail gives a population of roughly 830; the New York Post gives 950.

How each side tells it

Compare views

All sides present report that Bow Mar voted to install gates to curb through traffic, and that the town cites safety. The main difference is emphasis: the New York Times frames the plan as a border battle with critics calling it a miniature border wall, while the Daily Mail and New York Post stress outrage, elitism and threatened retaliation.

  • the left

    1 outlet

    The New York Times headline presents the plan as a border battle that grew out of a traffic fix, and its description sets critics’ view of a miniature border wall against the town’s safety rationale.

    A Colorado Town Was Beset by Traffic. Its Fix Led to a Border Battle.
    The New York TimesLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • 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

    2 outlets

    Headlines frame the plan as a gated, exclusive town and a threatened border war, with the Daily Mail stressing outrage and elitism and the New York Post stressing the retaliation threat.

    Colorado town votes to install gates at its entrances, threatening border war
    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.

  • Left1

    Critics see a miniature border wall

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right2

    blasted as elitistOutrage

In the outlets’ own words

  • Vague attribution

    Critics see a miniature border wallMore neutral: Critics say the restrictions resemble a border barrier.

    Attributes a characterization of the plan to unnamed critics in the outlet’s own voice.

    Critics see a miniature border wall.

    Used byThe New York Times (Left)

  • Loaded verb

    blasted as elitistMore neutral: criticized the plan as exclusive

    Uses a strong verb and a judgement word to describe neighboring cities’ objections.

    …argue is necessary to keep out dangerous drivers but neighboring cities have blasted as elitist.

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

  • Sensational language

    OutrageMore neutral: Criticism

    Presents residents’ reaction as outrage, a stronger word than the reported disagreement supports.

    Outrage over plans to turn wealthy Denver suburb into gated town to try and curb bad driving,…

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

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

    peasantsMore neutral: residents of neighboring cities

    Uses a contemptuous class label for the people neighbors are said to be keeping out.

    …to try and curb bad driving, with neighbors saying they're just trying to keep out 'peasants'

    Quoted byDaily Mail (Right)

    These are unnamed neighbors’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

  • Sensational language

    Quoted

    nuclear optionMore neutral: retaliation

    Uses a dramatic term for a threatened response, which adds drama beyond the reported threat.

    …a border war, with officials in nearby cities threatening to retaliate with a “nuclear option.”

    Quoted byNew York Post (Right)

    These are officials in nearby cities’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

  • border battle
  • town’s safety rationale
  • critics’ border wall comparison
See the headline from the leftHide the headlines
  • The New York TimesLeft

    A Colorado Town Was Beset by Traffic. Its Fix Led to a Border Battle.

    Bow Mar says restricting access to its public streets is a safety necessity. Vague attribution“Critics see a miniature border wall”Attributes a characterization of the plan to unnamed critics in the outlet’s own voice.More neutral: Critics say the restrictions resemble a border barrier.Disagree with this highlight?.

    Read at The New York Times (opens in a new tab)

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

2 outlets

Leads with

  • outrage and elitism
  • threatened retaliation from nearby cities
  • 1,200 daily vehicles traffic study
  • children’s safety

Leaves out

  • critics’ comparison to a border wall

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

See the 2 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • New York PostRight

    Colorado town votes to install gates at its entrances, threatening border war

    A Colorado town this week voted to install gates at its entrances in a bid to crack down on traffic passing through – but the move appears to have sparked a border war, with officials in nearby cities threatening to retaliate with a “Sensational language“nuclear option”Uses a dramatic term for a threatened response, which adds drama beyond the reported threat.More neutral: retaliationThese are officials in nearby cities’s words. The outlet is reporting them.Disagree with this highlight?.”

    Read at New York Post (opens in a new tab)
  • Daily MailRight

    Sensational language“Outrage”Presents residents’ reaction as outrage, a stronger word than the reported disagreement supports.More neutral: CriticismDisagree with this highlight? over plans to turn wealthy Denver suburb into gated town to try and curb bad driving, with neighbors saying they're just trying to keep out 'Dehumanizing label“peasants”Uses a contemptuous class label for the people neighbors are said to be keeping out.More neutral: residents of neighboring citiesThese are unnamed neighbors’s words. The outlet is reporting them.Disagree with this highlight?'

    Local authorities previously proposed installing two gates at entrances, as well as closing off a third entry point.

    Read at Daily Mail (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

    First to report

    The New York Times, Oct 20, 5:00 AM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    6 hr 7 min later

    Its first report, Oct 20, 11:07 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The New York TimesLeftOct 20, 5:00 AM EDT
  2. Daily MailRightOct 20, 11:07 AM EDT
  3. New York PostRightOct 21, 6:23 AM EDT

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

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