Skip to content

Crime & JusticeDeveloping

Doctor charged with manslaughter in drowning of 7-year-old boy at Orlando community pool

By

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, all right-leaning.

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

Sukanthini Subbiah, 48, a physician from Louisiana, was charged with aggravated manslaughter in the April 10 drowning of Khushil Bandi, 7, at a community pool in Orlando, Florida, according to court records and an arrest affidavit. Police and the affidavit allege that Subbiah watched the boy struggle in the water and did not act for several minutes. Reports differ on how long he was underwater before he was pulled out: one says five minutes and another says seven. The affidavit, as reported, says Subbiah sent other children to help him, asked another adult to rescue him, called 911 and performed CPR. Subbiah's own statements to police describe him going underwater for about 45 seconds before she asked for help. Khushil died.

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. Sukanthini Subbiah, 48, was charged with aggravated manslaughter, according to court records and an arrest affidavit.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    Daily Mail, New York Post
    Far Right
    The Western Journal

  2. Khushil Bandi, 7, drowned on April 10 at a community pool in Orlando, Florida, and later died.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    Daily Mail, New York Post
    Far Right
    The Western Journal

  3. Police and the arrest affidavit allege that Subbiah watched the boy struggle in the water and did not act for several minutes.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    Daily Mail, New York Post
    Far Right
    The Western Journal

  4. Reports give the time the boy was underwater before rescue as five minutes in some accounts and seven minutes in another.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    Daily Mail, New York Post
    Far Right
    The Western Journal

  5. According to the affidavit, Subbiah sent other children to get him, asked another adult to rescue him, called 911 and performed CPR.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    The Western Journal

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • How long the boy was underwater before he was pulled out

    The Daily Mail and the Western Journal describe five minutes, with the Western Journal saying at least five. The New York Post describes seven minutes. Subbiah's account to police describes about 45 seconds underwater before she asked other children for help.

  • Whether the doctor did nothing to help the boy

    The headlines and charging accounts say she watched and did not act. The affidavit as reported says she sent other children to help, asked another adult to rescue him, called 911 and performed CPR.

How each side tells it

Compare views

  • the left

    No coverage yet

    No left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

  • 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

    3 outlets

    All three headlines lead with the allegation that the doctor watched without intervening, with the Daily Mail and New York Post attributing it to police or court records, while the far-right outlet in this set uses the sharper wording Refusing to Help and an at-least-five-minutes framing.

    Louisiana Doc Arrested for Allegedly Watching, Loaded verb“Refusing to Help”The phrase presents a deliberate refusal as established, while the reported claim is that she did not act and the affidavit describes her efforts to help.More neutral: did not helpDisagree with this highlight? Drowning Child for at Least 5 Minutes Straight
    The Western JournalFar 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.

  • Left

    Has not covered this story.

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right3

    wasting five crucial minutesshockingRefusing to Help

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    wasting five crucial minutesMore neutral: did not act for five minutes

    The description states as a characterization that the time was wasted, which is a judgement the charge itself does not establish.

    A Louisiana doctor is accused of wasting five crucial minutes while a young child in her care was drowning right in front of her.

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

  • Sensational language

    shockingMore neutral: seven minutes

    The adjective adds drama to a duration that can be stated without it.

    Khushil Bandi was drowning in the pool for a shocking seven minutes before he was pulled from the water.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    Refusing to HelpMore neutral: did not help

    The phrase presents a deliberate refusal as established, while the reported claim is that she did not act and the affidavit describes her efforts to help.

    Louisiana Doc Arrested for Allegedly Watching, Refusing to Help Drowning Child for at Least 5 Minutes Straight

    Used byThe Western Journal (Far 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

0 outlets

No left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

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

3 outlets

Leads with

  • the doctor allegedly watching without intervening
  • the length of time before the boy was rescued
  • the aggravated manslaughter charge
See the 3 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • The Western JournalFar Right

    Louisiana Doc Arrested for Allegedly Watching, Loaded verb“Refusing to Help”The phrase presents a deliberate refusal as established, while the reported claim is that she did not act and the affidavit describes her efforts to help.More neutral: did not helpDisagree with this highlight? Drowning Child for at Least 5 Minutes Straight

    A Louisiana doctor has been charged with aggravated manslaughter after a child drowned while she allegedly watched and did nothing. Sukanthini Subbiah, 48, is charged in connection with the April

    Read at The Western Journal (opens in a new tab)
  • New York PostRight

    Doctor allegedly watched as boy, 7, drowned at community pool for several minutes— sent other kids to save him

    Khushil Bandi was drowning in the pool for a Sensational language“shocking”The adjective adds drama to a duration that can be stated without it.More neutral: seven minutesDisagree with this highlight? seven minutes before he was pulled from the water.

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

    Female doctor stood and watched as boy, 7, drowned in swimming pool, police claim

    A Louisiana doctor is accused of Loaded verb“wasting five crucial minutes”The description states as a characterization that the time was wasted, which is a judgement the charge itself does not establish.More neutral: did not act for five minutesDisagree with this highlight? while a young child in her care was drowning right in front of her.

    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

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    First to report

    Daily Mail, Oct 8, 12:13 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Daily MailRightOct 8, 12:13 PM EDT
  2. New York PostRightOct 8, 7:06 PM EDT
  3. The Western JournalFar RightOct 9, 7:51 PM EDT

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

Read next

Help someone else find the truth beneath the surface

Most people see one side of a story. Share this one, so they can see how every side is telling it and decide for themselves.

Email it

Seen a mistake? Tell us what is wrong with this page