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Former government contractor arrested on charges of leaking national defense information

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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

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Image via The Washington TimesHow images are chosenReport this image

The FBI has arrested James Thomas Ashbacher, 37, a former government contractor from Spring Lake, North Carolina, according to the Justice Department. Prosecutors allege he transmitted classified national defense information to social media, kept defense records at his home and stole night-vision goggles from the US Army Special Operations Command. He faces federal charges of unauthorized transmission of national defense information, unlawful retention of defense records and theft of government property. These are allegations that have not been tested in court.

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. The FBI arrested a former government contractor, according to the Justice Department.

    Reported byLeft1Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Right
    The Washington Times
    Far Right
    RedState

  2. James Thomas Ashbacher, 37, of Spring Lake, North Carolina, was arrested.

    Reported byLeft1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Far Right
    RedState

  3. Prosecutors allege he leaked national defense information on social media.

    Reported byLeft1Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Right
    The Washington Times
    Far Right
    RedState

  4. He faces federal charges of unlawful retention of defense records and theft of government property.

    Reported byLeft1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Far Right
    RedState

  5. The charges include stealing night-vision goggles from the US Army Special Operations Command.

    Reported byLeft1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Far Right
    RedState

  6. Prosecutors say the material included classified videos of military operations.

    Reported byLeft1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Far Right
    RedState

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three outlets report that a former government contractor, James Thomas Ashbacher, was arrested on federal charges over leaked defense information and stolen night-vision goggles. The right-side headlines center on the leak and the arrest, with RedState’s headline mocking the suspect, while the Guardian’s report adds the Justice Department’s quoted allegations.

  • the left

    1 outlet

    The only left-side report, from the Guardian, leads with the FBI arrest and the alleged posting of classified information, and names the suspect and the theft allegation in its headline.

    FBI arrests North Carolina man for allegedly posting classified information on social media
    The GuardianLeftAll 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 stress the leak and the arrest; RedState’s far-right headline “Top Secret Bragging Ends Badly” mocks the suspect as boasting, while The Washington Times reports the arrest plainly.

    Ex-government contractor arrested for allegedly posting defense info
    The Washington TimesRightAll 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.

  • Left0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right2

    Top Secret Bragging Ends BadlyContractor Leaked Secret Videos

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    Top Secret Bragging Ends BadlyMore neutral: Former contractor charged over leaked Top Secret videos

    Mocks the accused man as boasting, a motive the charges do not establish.

    Top Secret Bragging Ends Badly: Fort Bragg Contractor Leaked Secret Videos on Social Media

    Used byRedState (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    Contractor Leaked Secret VideosMore neutral: Contractor accused of leaking secret videos

    Presents a charged allegation as established fact in the outlet’s own voice.

    Top Secret Bragging Ends Badly: Fort Bragg Contractor Leaked Secret Videos on Social Media

    Used byRedState (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

1 outlet

Leads with

  • the classified information posted online
  • the North Carolina arrest
  • the stolen night-vision goggles
  • the Justice Department’s quoted allegations

Leaves out

  • the suspect’s Top Secret clearance, reported by RedState

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

See the headline from the leftHide the headlines
  • The GuardianLeft

    FBI arrests North Carolina man for allegedly posting classified information on social media

    Authorities say army contractor James Thomas Ashbacher shared top-secret data online and stole night-vision goggles The FBI has arrested a former North Carolina government contractor for allegedly leaking classified national defense information on social media.

    Read at The Guardian (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

  • the alleged leak on social media
  • the arrest and federal charges
  • the theft of night-vision goggles
  • the contractor’s Army special operations role
See the 2 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • RedStateFar Right

    Sensational language“Top Secret Bragging Ends Badly”Mocks the accused man as boasting, a motive the charges do not establish.More neutral: Former contractor charged over leaked Top Secret videosDisagree with this highlight?: Fort Bragg Loaded verb“Contractor Leaked Secret Videos”Presents a charged allegation as established fact in the outlet’s own voice.More neutral: Contractor accused of leaking secret videosDisagree with this highlight? on Social Media

    The Department of Justice announced the arrest Friday of a former U.S. government contractor supporting the U.S. Army’s Special Operations Command on charges of leaking national defense information, unlawfully retaining still more national security information in his residence, …

    Read at RedState (opens in a new tab)
  • The Washington TimesRight

    Ex-government contractor arrested for allegedly posting defense info

    A former government contractor has been arrested by the FBI for allegedly leaking national defense information on social media, according to the Justice Department.

    Read at The Washington Times (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

    3 hr 38 min later

    Its first report, Oct 30, 3:56 PM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    First to report

    The Washington Times, Oct 30, 12:19 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The Washington TimesRightOct 30, 12:19 PM EDT
  2. The GuardianLeftOct 30, 3:56 PM EDT
  3. RedStateFar RightOct 30, 6:08 PM EDT

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

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