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Former Manson follower Patricia Krenwinkel preliminarily granted parole in California

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 5 outlets, mostly right-leaning (60%).

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

Older woman with gray hair and glasses in a hearing room, microphone nearby.
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California’s parole board has preliminarily granted parole to Patricia Krenwinkel, 78, a former follower of Charles Manson, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The decision was made at a hearing on October 6 and is preliminary: it must go through further review by the state parole board, and Governor Gavin Newsom can then decide whether to allow her release. Krenwinkel was convicted in 1971 of seven counts of first-degree murder for her role in the 1969 Tate-LaBianca killings and has been in prison since. According to The Guardian and the Daily Beast, Newsom reversed the board’s two earlier grants of parole. According to the Daily Beast, the review could take up to 120 days, after which the governor could intervene. Her attorneys are urging Newsom to let the latest ruling stand.

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. Patricia Krenwinkel, 78, has been preliminarily recommended for parole, a decision that still needs further review.

    Across the spectrumReported byFar Left1Left1Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Left
    The Guardian
    Right
    New York Post, The Washington Times

  2. Krenwinkel is serving a life sentence for her role in the 1969 Tate-LaBianca murders, after a 1971 conviction on seven counts of first-degree murder.

    Across the spectrumReported byFar Left1Left1Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Left
    The Guardian
    Right
    New York Post, The Washington Times

  3. The preliminary decision must be reviewed by the state parole board, and Governor Gavin Newsom can then decide whether to allow her release.

    Reported byFar Left1Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Right
    New York Post, The Washington Times

  4. Newsom reversed the parole board’s two previous grants of parole to Krenwinkel, and her lawyers are asking him to let the latest ruling stand.

    One side only: the leftReported byFar Left1Left1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Left
    The Guardian

  5. The parole board review could take 120 days, after which the governor could have 30 more days to block the release.

    One outletThe Daily Beast· Far Left

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • Krenwinkel has been granted parole.

    The Guardian, the New York Post and the Daily Beast describe her as granted parole, though the Daily Beast and the New York Post say the decision is preliminary. The Washington Times says she has been recommended for parole. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation says all grants are proposed decisions that become final only after review by the parole board and the governor.

How each side tells it

Compare views

  • the left

    2 outlets

    The Guardian’s headline leads with the parole grant and the ‘third time’ count, while the Daily Beast, rated Far Left, uses a headline that names the murder conviction and a description that is more loaded, calling her one of Manson’s most notorious lackeys.

    Charles Manson Follower Convicted of Murder Granted Parole
    The Daily BeastFar LeftAll 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

    3 outlets

    The New York Post leads with the ‘Manson killer’ label and the claim that she was granted parole again, while the Washington Times headline is procedural, stressing that a preliminary recommendation is pending and Newsom holds the final say.

    Charles Manson follower tied to Sharon Tate murders gets recommended for parole after 55 years in prison
    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.

  • Left3

    infamousmost notorious lackeysnotorious

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded modifier

    infamousMore neutral: known for (describe)

    Judgement of reputation as fact.

    …was granted parole on Tuesday after nearly six decades in prison for her role in the infamous Tate-LaBianca murders in Los Angeles.

    Used byThe Guardian (Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    most notorious lackeysMore neutral: former Manson follower

    Calls her a lackey and adds a notorious label before describing the parole decision, which pre-judges her standing.

    One of Charles Manson’s most notorious lackeys has been granted parole.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    notoriousMore neutral: known for (describe)

    Judgement of reputation as fact.

    One of Charles Manson’s most notorious lackeys has been granted parole.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

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

2 outlets

Leads with

  • the third parole approval
  • Newsom’s reversal of the two earlier grants
  • nearly six decades in prison
See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • The Daily BeastFar Left

    Charles Manson Follower Convicted of Murder Granted Parole

    One of Charles Manson’s Loaded modifier“most notorious lackeys”Calls her a lackey and adds a notorious label before describing the parole decision, which pre-judges her standing.More neutral: former Manson followerDisagree with this highlight? has been granted parole. At a hearing on Oct. 6, Patricia Krenwinkel, 78, was preliminarily approved for parole, according to California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation records obtained by People. …

    Read at The Daily Beast (opens in a new tab)
  • The GuardianLeft

    Patricia Krenwinkel, former Manson follower, granted parole for third time

    The 78-year-old has spent nearly six decades in prison and California governor has overturned last two parole grants Patricia Krenwinkel, a former Charles Manson follower, was granted parole on Tuesday after nearly six decades in prison for her role in the Loaded modifier“infamous”Judgement of reputation as fact.More neutral: known for (describe)Disagree with this highlight? Tate-LaBianca …

    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

3 outlets

Leads with

  • the Manson killer label
  • parole again after nearly six decades
  • the governor holds final say

Leaves out

  • Newsom’s reversal of the two earlier grants

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

See the 3 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • Fox NewsFar Right

    Charles Manson follower tied to Sharon Tate murders gets recommended for parole after 55 years in prison

    Patricia Krenwinkel's third parole recommendation in four years sets up another potential clash with Gavin Newsom over the Manson Family killer's release.

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

    Manson follower Patricia Krenwinkel recommended for parole a third time; Newsom holds final say

    Patricia Krenwinkel, the Charles Manson follower serving a life sentence for the 1969 Tate-LaBianca murders, has been recommended for parole for the third time. The preliminary decision must undergo a state parole board review before California Gov. …

    Read at The Washington Times (opens in a new tab)
  • New York PostRight

    Manson killer Patricia Krenwinkel granted parole again after nearly 6 decades behind bars

    Krenwinkel, 78, was preliminarily granted parole Tuesday at her 18th subsequent suitability hearing.

    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

    First to report

    The Guardian, Oct 7, 7:37 PM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    51 min later

    Its first report, Oct 7, 8:27 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The GuardianLeftOct 7, 7:37 PM EDT
  2. New York PostRightOct 7, 8:27 PM EDT
  3. The Washington TimesRightOct 8, 5:01 PM EDT
  4. The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 8, 9:16 PM EDT
  5. Fox NewsFar RightOct 9, 7:00 AM EDT

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

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