Crime & JusticeBreaking
Court rejects convicted murderer’s bid to overturn Vegemite ban in prison
By Mantle News
Coverage spectrum
Covered by 5 outlets, mostly left-leaning (80%).
5 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias
A Victorian court has rejected an appeal by Andre McKechnie, 55, who is serving a life sentence for murder, against the ban on Vegemite in the state’s prisons. McKechnie argued that refusing him the spread breached his right under the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act to enjoy his culture as an Australian. According to the New York Times and the Daily Beast, Justice Claire Harris accepted that the ban limited his cultural rights but ruled that security concerns, such as drug dogs and illicit home brew, outweighed them. Prison officials testified that the spread is banned across the state’s prisons. The BBC also reports the rejection of his bid.
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.
Andre McKechnie, a convicted murderer, is serving a life sentence.
Reported byFar Left1Left2Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
- Far Left
- The Daily Beast
- Left
- The Guardian, NPR
- Center
- BBC News
A Victorian court rejected McKechnie’s bid to overturn the ban on Vegemite in prisons.
Reported byFar Left1Left3Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
- Far Left
- The Daily Beast
- Left
- The Guardian, NPR, The New York Times
- Center
- BBC News
McKechnie argued that withholding Vegemite denied him his right under the Charter to enjoy his culture as an Australian.
Reported byFar Left1Left2Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
- Far Left
- The Daily Beast
- Left
- The Guardian, NPR
- Center
- BBC News
The judge accepted that the ban limited McKechnie’s cultural rights but ruled that security concerns outweighed them.
One side only: the leftReported byFar Left1Left1See the outletsHide the outlets
- Far Left
- The Daily Beast
- Left
- The New York Times
Prison officials testified that Vegemite is banned across Victoria’s prisons.
One outletThe Daily Beast· Far Left
How each side tells it
Compare views
Every side present reports that a Victorian court rejected a convicted murderer’s bid to overturn the prison Vegemite ban. Left outlets lead with the conviction and food request, the Daily Beast calling it bonkers, while the BBC states the outcome plainly and names the victim’s profession.
the left
4 outlets
Left headlines open on the ruling and the prisoner’s conviction, with the Daily Beast mocking the request as bonkers while NPR and the Guardian use more descriptive headlines.
Convicted Australian Murderer Loses Bid to Eat Vegemite in Prison
The New York TimesLeftAll left-leaning headlines the center
1 outlet
The BBC headline states the outcome plainly and names the prisoner’s murder conviction, with the description citing his argument about Australian culture.
Australian murderer loses bid to eat Vegemite in prison
BBC NewsCenterAll center headlines the right
No coverage yet
No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
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
bizarre legal battleBonkers
Center0
No loaded words in its own voice.
Right
Has not covered this story.
In the outlets’ own words
Sensational language
bizarre legal battleMore neutral: legal challenge
The word calls the legal case absurd rather than describing its subject matter.
A court knocked down a convict’s bizarre legal battle to force prison authorities to serve him an iconic food item.
Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)
Sensational language
BonkersMore neutral: unusual
The word judges the request as absurd before the court’s reasoning is described.
Murderer’s Bonkers Prison Food Request Rejected by Court
Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)
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
4 outletsLeads with
- murder conviction
- the Charter rights argument
- the food request
See the 4 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
Convicted Australian Murderer Loses Bid to Eat Vegemite in Prison
A judge agreed that denying the staple restricted the prisoner’s cultural rights but ruled that keeping drug dogs focused and cells free of illicit home brew was more important.
- The Daily BeastFar Left
Murderer’s Sensational language“Bonkers”The word judges the request as absurd before the court’s reasoning is described.More neutral: unusualDisagree with this highlight? Prison Food Request Rejected by Court
A court knocked down a convict’s Sensational language“bizarre legal battle”The word calls the legal case absurd rather than describing its subject matter.More neutral: legal challengeDisagree with this highlight? to force prison authorities to serve him an iconic food item. The legal showdown concluded on Monday after a judge rejected an appeal brought by 55-year-old Andre McKechnie, who is serving a life sentence for murder.
Australian judge rejects prisoner's human rights challenge to Vegemite ban
Andre McKechnie, 55, is serving a life sentence for murder. He took his battle for the salty, sticky, black-brown byproduct of brewing beer to the court last year. He argued being refused Vegemite breached the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act.
There’s no human right to Vegemite, court tells Australian prisoner who wanted ban overturned
Prohibition of salty, yeast-based condiment in Victoria’s prisons remains after convicted murderer claimed it denied him right to ‘enjoy his culture’ Follow our Australia politics live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A …
From the center
1 outletLeads with
- the rejected appeal
- the prisoner’s murder conviction
- his claim to Australian culture
Leaves out
- the security reasons for the ban, such as drug dogs and illicit home brew
Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.
See the headline from the centerHide the headlines
- BBC NewsCenter
Australian murderer loses bid to eat Vegemite in prison
Andre McKechnie, who murdered a property developer, argued it was his right to enjoy Australian culture.
From the right
0 outletsNo right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
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 Guardian, Oct 25, 10:34 PM EDT
Center
1 hr 31 min later
Its first report, Oct 26, 12:05 AM EDT
Right
No report yet
From the outlets Mantle follows
See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
- The GuardianLeftOct 25, 10:34 PM EDT
- BBC NewsCenterOct 26, 12:05 AM EDT
- NPRLeftOct 26, 9:25 AM EDT
- The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 26, 12:34 PM EDT
- The New York TimesLeftOct 26, 12:45 PM EDT
Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.
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