Skip to content

Crime & JusticeBreaking

Florida police rescue children after “HELP US” note spotted by drone

By

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

Police in Kissimmee, Florida, said a drone spotted children holding a handwritten “HELP US” note at a window, leading to their rescue, according to the New York Post and Daily Mail. Police said Andre Janard Smithson, 33, was arrested on October 26 and charged with false imprisonment after relatives raised concerns for the children’s safety. Officers called in a SWAT team and crisis negotiators, and the children escaped while Smithson was distracted, police said. Smithson later surrendered peacefully, police said. Police released drone footage on November 10, the Daily Mail reported.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. Editors read every story. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Children were rescued after a handwritten “HELP US” note was seen at a window by a police drone in Kissimmee, Florida.

    Reported byCenter1Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    NewsNation
    Right
    New York Post, Daily Mail

  2. Andre Janard Smithson, 33, was reportedly arrested on October 26 and charged with false imprisonment.

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

  3. Police said Smithson surrendered peacefully after a SWAT team and crisis negotiators were called to the residence.

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

  4. Police said the children escaped the residence while Smithson was distracted.

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

  5. Family members reported concerns for the children’s safety after a child sent a concerning text to a grandmother, prompting a 911 call.

    One outletDaily Mail· Right

How each side tells it

Compare views

All sides present report that police rescued children in Florida after a handwritten “HELP US” note was seen by a drone. The main difference is emphasis: right-side headlines stress fear and the note’s drama, while the center headline reports only the rescue.

  • 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

    1 outlet

    NewsNation’s headline reports only that the children were rescued after holding up a note, without naming the suspect or any charge.

    Children rescued after holding up handwritten note: ‘Help us’
    NewsNationCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    2 outlets

    Both right-side headlines lead with the note; the New York Post uses “Chilling” and “terrified” while the Daily Mail frames the children as hiding from violence.

    Sensational language“Chilling”The adjective adds dread to the headline beyond the facts reported.More neutral: HandwrittenDisagree with this highlight? handwritten ‘HELP US’ note spotted at window of Florida home – leads to rescue of 4 Sensational language“terrified”The emotional state of the children is presented as fact in the headline rather than as reported by police or family.More neutral: childrenDisagree with this highlight? kids
    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.

  • Left

    Has not covered this story.

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right2

    terrifiedChilling

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    terrifiedMore neutral: children

    The emotional state of the children is presented as fact in the headline rather than as reported by police or family.

    Handwritten 'Help us' note taped to window led to terrified children hiding from violence

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)New York Post (Right)

  • Sensational language

    ChillingMore neutral: Handwritten

    The adjective adds dread to the headline beyond the facts reported.

    Chilling handwritten ‘HELP US’ note spotted at window of Florida home – leads to rescue of 4…

    Used byNew York Post (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

1 outlet

Leads with

  • the children’s rescue
  • the handwritten note
See the headline from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

2 outlets

Leads with

  • the handwritten note
  • the children’s fear and hiding
  • the arrest of the suspect
See the 2 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • New York PostRight

    Sensational language“Chilling”The adjective adds dread to the headline beyond the facts reported.More neutral: HandwrittenDisagree with this highlight? handwritten ‘HELP US’ note spotted at window of Florida home – leads to rescue of 4 Sensational language“terrified”The emotional state of the children is presented as fact in the headline rather than as reported by police or family.More neutral: childrenDisagree with this highlight? kids

    A police drone discovered three children hiding inside a guest bedroom, while a 5-month-old infant was in the master bedroom, the newspaper reported.

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

    Handwritten 'Help us' note taped to window led to Sensational language“terrified”The emotional state of the children is presented as fact in the headline rather than as reported by police or family.More neutral: childrenDisagree with this highlight? children hiding from violence

    A police drone spotted children holding a handwritten note which read 'Help us' against a window of a house in Florida, leading to the arrest of Andre Janard Smithson.

    Read at Daily Mail (opens in a new tab)

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, 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

    19 hr 22 min later

    Its first report, Nov 12, 7:03 AM EST

  • Right

    First to report

    Daily Mail, Nov 11, 11:42 AM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Daily MailRightNov 11, 11:42 AM EST
  2. NewsNationCenterNov 12, 7:03 AM EST
  3. New York PostRightNov 12, 6:24 PM EST

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
Embed

Show this story’s coverage card on your own site, blog or class page. It has the headline, who is covering it and a link back here, and it tracks nobody. See the card

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