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French cities calm under curfews after weekend riots, prime minister says

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 16 outlets across the spectrum.

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

Masked, hooded youths gesture in a street with burning bins and black smoke behind them.
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French authorities introduced curfews in parts of Paris and other major cities after a weekend of riots and looting, and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the cities were calm overnight. He said more curfews could follow where needed. Lecornu told the National Assembly that ultra-left groups had fomented an insurrection behind the unrest, which broke out on the sidelines of nationwide protests over the cost of living and education funding. Organisers have announced new protests for Saturday, and the government says it will deploy a massive security force with soldiers backing up police. Reuters reports that more than 2,500 people remain in custody.

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. Curfews were imposed in parts of Paris and other major cities after the weekend riots.

    Reported byLeft4Center2Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian, ABC News, The New York Times, Al Jazeera English
    Center
    BBC News, CNBC
    Right
    New York Post

  2. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the cities were calm overnight and that more curfews could be introduced where needed.

    Reported byLeft3Center2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian, The New York Times, Al Jazeera English
    Center
    BBC News, Financial Times

  3. The weekend unrest involved riots and looting that followed nationwide protests over the cost of living and education funding.

    Reported byLeft1Center1Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The New York Times
    Center
    France 24
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    Breitbart News

  4. Lecornu accused ultra-left groups of fomenting an insurrection behind the riots, a claim he made in parliament.

    Reported byCenter1Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    France 24
    Right
    Washington Examiner, The Washington Times

  5. Authorities plan a massive security deployment next weekend, with soldiers backing up police, the government said.

    Reported byCenter1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    France 24
    Far Right
    Breitbart News
Show 2 more pointsShow fewer points

  1. Organisers have announced new protests for Saturday.

    Reported byCenter1Right2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    France 24
    Right
    New York Post, The Washington Times
    Far Right
    Breitbart News

  2. More than 2,500 people remain in custody, according to Reuters.

    One outletNew York Post· Right

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three sides report curfews in parts of Paris and other major cities, a calmer night, and new protests planned for Saturday. Left coverage centres on curfews and their extension, while some center and right outlets also stress the prime minister’s blame of ultra-left groups.

  • the left

    6 outlets

    Left headlines centre on calm after targeted curfews and the prime minister’s promise of more curfews, with Al Jazeera stressing authorities seeking to regain control.

    France to Extend Curfews After a Night of Calm, Prime Minister Says
    The New York TimesLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    6 outlets

    Center headlines mostly lead with curfews and calm, with France 24 putting the prime minister’s blame of ultra-left groups and the security build-up first.

    French PM blames 'ultra-left' groups for weekend riots, promises 'massive' security deployment
    France 24CenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    4 outlets

    Right headlines stress far-left blame and the threat of more riots, while Far Right Breitbart frames the coming protests as a riot day that stretches police thin.

    French PM says far-left groups forged ‘insurrectionary plan’ against government
    Washington ExaminerRightAll 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.

  • Left2

    promisesrage on

  • Center2

    vowsradical left

  • Right3

    scenes of chaospandemoniumComing Riot Day

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    scenes of chaosMore neutral: scenes of disorder

    Chaos is a dramatic label that goes beyond describing the disorder reported in the weekend’s events.

    France’s cities were calm overnight under curfews imposed after last weekend’s scenes of chaos, as protest groups announced a new round of demonstrations next Saturday.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    promisesMore neutral: says

    The verb gives a positive spin to a measure that is reported as a possibility decided locally.

    France PM promises more curfews as authorities seek to regain control

    Used byAl Jazeera English (Left)

  • Sensational language

    rage onMore neutral: continue

    The phrase adds drama to protests whose intensity the headline does not need to dramatize.

    French authorities impose curfews as protests rage on

    Used byCBS News (Left)

  • Loaded verb

    vowsMore neutral: says he will

    Vows presents a statement of intent with added drama, where says would report the prime minister’s words neutrally.

    🔴 French PM vows 'massive' police operation for new protests on Saturday

    Used byFrance 24 (Center)

Show 3 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Sensational language

    pandemoniumMore neutral: widespread disorder

    The word describes the weekend’s disorder in dramatic terms beyond the reported facts.

    Monday night was comparatively calm compared to the pandemonium that engulfed Paris and other major cities over the weekend, when rioters battled…

    Used byWashington Examiner (Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    Coming Riot DayMore neutral: the planned Saturday protests

    It labels the planned Saturday protests as a riot before any violence has been reported for that day.

    France Backfills Front Line Police With Troops as Coming Riot Day Leaves Forces Spread Thin

    Used byBreitbart News (Far Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    radical leftMore neutral: name the group or the position

    Escalating label used to signal disapproval rather than describe positions.

    …party has promised legal action against the French government for claiming the radical left was responsible for the degeneration of protests.

    Used byFrance 24 (Center)

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

6 outlets

Leads with

  • Calm after targeted curfews
  • Possible extension of curfews
  • State effort to regain control
  • Expedited trials for those arrested

Leaves out

  • Ultra-left groups blamed for an insurrection
  • Planned massive security deployment

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

See the 6 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

6 outlets

Leads with

  • Curfews as a calming measure
  • Prime minister blames ultra-left groups
  • Massive security deployment next weekend
  • Criticism of Macron over Gulf trip

Leaves out

  • More than 2,500 people in custody
  • Expedited trials for those arrested

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

See the 6 headlines from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

4 outlets

Leads with

  • Far-left and ultra-left blame
  • Insurrectionary plan
  • Threat of renewed riots
  • Police stretched thin, troops backfilling

Leaves out

  • Plans to extend curfews
  • Expedited trials for those arrested

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

See the 4 headlines from the rightHide the headlines

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

    1 hr later

    Its first report, Oct 20, 3:37 AM EDT

  • Center

    First to report

    BBC News, Oct 20, 2:35 AM EDT

  • Right

    3 hr 41 min later

    Its first report, Oct 20, 6:16 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. BBC NewsCenterOct 20, 2:35 AM EDT
  2. The GuardianLeftOct 20, 3:37 AM EDT
  3. ABC NewsLeftOct 20, 4:25 AM EDT
  4. Financial TimesCenterOct 20, 4:40 AM EDT
  5. CNBCCenterOct 20, 4:48 AM EDT
  6. Deutsche WelleCenterOct 20, 4:49 AM EDT
  7. France 24CenterOct 20, 5:49 AM EDT
  8. The New York TimesLeftOct 20, 5:52 AM EDT
  9. New York PostRightOct 20, 6:16 AM EDT
  10. Al Jazeera EnglishLeftOct 20, 8:07 AM EDT
  11. CBS NewsLeftOct 20, 9:15 AM EDT
  12. PBS NewsHourCenterOct 20, 12:45 PM EDT
  13. Washington ExaminerRightOct 20, 12:54 PM EDT
  14. The Washington TimesRightOct 20, 5:07 PM EDT
  15. NPRLeftOct 21, 1:37 AM EDT
  16. Breitbart NewsFar RightOct 21, 4:44 AM EDT

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

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