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Hepatitis B vaccine trial in Guinea-Bissau will not go ahead, lead researcher says

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, mostly left-leaning (67%).

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

Gloved hand holding a Havrix Hepatitis A vaccine vial with lot label JR737.
Image via The Epoch TimesHow images are chosenReport this image

A hepatitis B vaccine trial in newborns in Guinea-Bissau will not go ahead, according to Frederik Schaltz-Buchholzer, a Danish researcher on the study, who said on LinkedIn that the necessary government approval was not given. Guinea-Bissau’s health minister, Quinhin Nantote, had earlier denied that the project would move forward. Police searched the offices of the Bandim Health Project on Monday and seized hepatitis B vaccine doses, officials said on Facebook. Reports say the study was to be funded with $1.6 million from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, matched by private foundations. Critics, including World Health Organization officials, had raised ethical concerns about the trial.

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 lead researcher said on LinkedIn that the trial will not move forward in Guinea-Bissau because the necessary governmental approval was not given.

    Reported byFar Left1Left1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    Rolling Stone
    Left
    The Guardian
    Far Right
    The Epoch Times

  2. Police searched the offices of the Bandim Health Project on Monday and seized hepatitis B vaccine doses, officials said on Facebook.

    One outletThe Guardian· Left

  3. Officials said the seizure did not point to irregularities in the quality, safety or effectiveness of the vaccines.

    One outletThe Guardian· Left

  4. The study was to be funded with $1.6 million from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, matched by private foundations.

    One side only: the leftReported byFar Left1Left1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    Rolling Stone
    Left
    The Guardian

  5. Health minister Quinhin Nantote had earlier denied that the project would move forward.

    One outletThe Guardian· Left

  6. Critics, including World Health Organization officials, raised ethical concerns about the trial.

    Reported byFar Left1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    Rolling Stone
    Far Right
    The Epoch Times

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • Whether the hepatitis B vaccine trial will move forward in Guinea-Bissau.

    Health minister Quinhin Nantote previously denied that the project would move forward. The lead researcher wrote that the trial ‘will not move forward’ because the necessary governmental approval was not given.

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side present reports the Guinea-Bissau hepatitis B vaccine trial will not go ahead after its lead researcher said it lacked government approval. Left coverage stresses backlash and ethics concerns, while the right-side report centers the researcher’s view that the trial would have challenged medical assumptions.

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Left headlines center the controversy and the backlash, with the Guardian naming Robert F Kennedy Jr. and Rolling Stone, the Far Left outlet, saying the study is axed.

    Controversial US-backed vaccine trial in African newborns halted
    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

    1 outlet

    The one right-side report, from a Far Right outlet, puts the researcher’s own account in the headline and describes the trial as one that would have challenged medical assumptions.

    US-Backed Hepatitis B Vaccine Trial Won’t Be Happening, Researcher Says
    The Epoch TimesFar 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.

  • Left1

    Is Axed

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    Is AxedMore neutral: will not proceed

    Axed is informal and implies the trial was cut off by a decision, where the source only says it will not proceed.

    Is Axed After Widespread Backlash

    Used byRolling Stone (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

  • backlash and ethical objections
  • police raid and seizure of vaccine doses
  • links to Robert F Kennedy Jr.
See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

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

1 outlet

Leads with

  • the researcher’s account of the halt
  • the trial’s aim to challenge medical assumptions
  • the number of infants and mothers involved

Leaves out

  • police seizure of vaccine doses

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

See the headline 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

    First to report

    The Guardian, Oct 20, 3:18 PM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    1 day 1 hr later

    Its first report, Oct 21, 4:48 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The GuardianLeftOct 20, 3:18 PM EDT
  2. The Epoch TimesFar RightOct 21, 4:48 PM EDT
  3. Rolling StoneFar LeftOct 22, 10:38 AM EDT

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

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