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Father of Penn State cocaine case defendant faces charges amid trial proceedings

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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

Paul Robinson, a 59-year-old Pittsburgh attorney, has been charged with felony tampering and hindering apprehension in connection with an alleged cocaine trafficking ring run out of the Delta Upsilon fraternity house at Penn State, which his son Thomas Robinson, 23, is accused of helping lead. A witness testified that he buried a safe containing cash after Thomas Robinson’s 2024 arrest, then later helped Paul Robinson dig it up and remove it; a judge ruled there was enough evidence to send Paul Robinson to trial. Robinson has denied the allegations, saying in a statement that he has “not lived a perfect life” but that claims against him are untrue. Separately, five defendants in the broader case, including both Robinsons, have filed paperwork indicating plans to plead not guilty, with some requesting jury trials.

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. Paul Robinson, a Pittsburgh attorney, is charged with felony tampering with evidence and hindering apprehension related to his son's alleged cocaine ring.

    Reported byRight

  2. A fraternity brother testified that he buried a safe with cash in the woods after Thomas Robinson's arrest, then later returned with Paul Robinson to dig it up, after which Robinson took it away.

    Reported byRight

  3. A judge ruled there was sufficient evidence to send Paul Robinson to trial.

    Reported byRight

  4. Paul Robinson released a statement denying wrongdoing, saying he has not lived a perfect life but that claims against him are untrue.

    Reported byRight

  5. Five defendants, including Thomas Robinson and Paul Robinson, have indicated plans to plead not guilty, with several requesting jury trials.

    Reported byRight

  6. The alleged drug ring operated out of the Delta Upsilon fraternity house at Penn State and reportedly used pledges to package cocaine.

    Reported byRight

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • How Paul Robinson came to possess the safe containing cash.

    A witness testified Robinson helped dig up a safe buried in the woods and then took it away, contradicting an earlier claim from Robinson's attorney that he was simply given the safe while cleaning his son's frat room.

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

    Right-leaning outlets emphasize dramatic courtroom testimony and the father's personal statements, with one outlet focusing on procedural developments like not-guilty pleas.

    Penn State cocaine ring suspect’s attorney warns of ‘foolish’ move in alleged frat drug operation
    Fox NewsFar 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.

  • Right4

    drug kingpinbroken his silencecocaine kingpindrug empire

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded modifier

    drug kingpinMore neutral: accused drug trafficker

    Labels the accused as a criminal leader before conviction, going beyond the neutral term 'suspect' or 'defendant'.

    Dad of accused Penn State drug kingpin dug up safe buried with cash: witness

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Sensational language

    broken his silenceMore neutral: responded to the allegations

    Dramatizes the act of issuing a statement, implying prior suppression rather than simply reporting a comment.

    Prominent Pittsburgh attorney Paul Robinson, 59, has broken his silence after being charged with allegedly helping conceal evidence tied to his son's…

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    cocaine kingpinMore neutral: accused drug trafficker

    Presents the son as a confirmed leader of a criminal enterprise before trial, rather than an accused participant.

    Penn State cocaine kingpin's father admits 'I've not lived a perfect life' as he's indicted for helping boys…

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

  • Sensational language

    drug empireMore neutral: drug operation

    Exaggerates the scale of the alleged operation with dramatic language rather than neutral description.

    …admits 'I've not lived a perfect life' as he's indicted for helping boys run drug empire

    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

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

  • witness testimony about the buried safe
  • the father's public statement and personal admissions
  • scale and sophistication of the alleged drug operation
  • court procedural developments
See the 3 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • Fox NewsFar Right

    Penn State cocaine ring suspect’s attorney warns of ‘foolish’ move in alleged frat drug operation

    Five men accused in a cocaine distribution ring at Penn State indicated plan to plead not guilty, with three requesting jury trials as the Centre County case advances.

    Read at Fox News (opens in a new tab)
  • Daily MailRight

    Penn State Loaded modifier“cocaine kingpin”Presents the son as a confirmed leader of a criminal enterprise before trial, rather than an accused participant.More neutral: accused drug traffickerDisagree with this highlight?'s father admits 'I've not lived a perfect life' as he's indicted for helping boys run Sensational language“drug empire”Exaggerates the scale of the alleged operation with dramatic language rather than neutral description.More neutral: drug operationDisagree with this highlight?

    Prominent Pittsburgh attorney Paul Robinson, 59, has Sensational language“broken his silence”Dramatizes the act of issuing a statement, implying prior suppression rather than simply reporting a comment.More neutral: responded to the allegationsDisagree with this highlight? after being charged with allegedly helping conceal evidence tied to his son's Penn State cocaine operation.

    Read at Daily Mail (opens in a new tab)
  • New York PostRight

    Dad of accused Penn State Loaded modifier“drug kingpin”Labels the accused as a criminal leader before conviction, going beyond the neutral term 'suspect' or 'defendant'.More neutral: accused drug traffickerDisagree with this highlight? dug up safe buried with cash: witness

    The father's lawyer previously told The Post that his client was given the safe while he was cleaning out his son’s frat room after his arrest.

    Read at New York Post (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

    New York Post, Sep 28, 6:15 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. New York PostRightSep 28, 6:15 PM EDT
  2. Daily MailRightSep 29, 12:08 AM EDT
  3. Fox NewsFar RightSep 30, 1:10 PM EDT

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

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