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Report says Chinese-supplied parts were found in Houthi missile program in Yemen

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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

Armed men in civilian clothes raise assault rifles outdoors in front of a stone building.
Image via The Western JournalHow images are chosenReport this image

A Conflict Armament Research report, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, says Houthi rebels in Yemen have imported missile components from Chinese suppliers and are building ballistic missiles. The report says parts flagged in Houthi territory include items that would let the group copy Iran’s Kheibar Shekan precision-guided missile, and that the Houthis could soon have weapons able to reach Saudi Arabia and Israel. Conflict Armament Research is a group that studies weapons and supply chains in conflict zones. Yemeni authorities say they intercepted two ships concealing missile equipment last year. The supplied coverage does not include a response from the Chinese government.

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. A Conflict Armament Research report says Houthi rebels in Yemen have obtained missile components from Chinese suppliers.

    Reported byFar Left1Right1Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    The Daily Wire, The Western Journal

  2. The report says the Houthis could soon have missiles able to reach Saudi Arabia and Israel.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    The Western Journal

  3. Parts flagged in Houthi territory include items that would let the group mimic Iran’s Kheibar Shekan precision-guided missile.

    One outletNew York Post· Right

  4. Yemeni authorities say they intercepted two ships concealing missile equipment under a supply of goods last year.

    One outletNew York Post· Right

  5. A Houthi attack on a Saudi airport killed at least 14 people, including one American.

    One outletThe Daily Wire· Far Right

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side present reports that a Conflict Armament Research report links Chinese-supplied parts to Houthi missile development. The right stresses the terror threat and the missiles’ reach toward Israel and Saudi Arabia, while the left uses the finding to challenge Trump’s defense of Xi.

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Headline casts the report as a blow to Trump’s defense of Xi Jinping, calling it a bombshell and reality check on the president’s stance toward China.

    Trump’s Defense of Xi Hit by Sensational language“Embarrassing”Judges Trump’s position as embarrassing rather than reporting the facts.More neutral: disputedDisagree with this highlight? New Sensational language“Bombshell”Dramatizes a report with a word that adds drama rather than information.More neutral: reportDisagree with this highlight?
    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

    Headlines present the report as an alarming terror threat: Houthi terrorists, missiles that could reach Israel, and Chinese parts as the supply line; far-right outlets go further with terrifying and game-changing.

    Houthi terrorists are building advanced missiles that can reach Israel with Chinese parts: report
    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.

  • Left3

    devastatingEmbarrassingBombshell

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right3

    TerrifyingGame-Changingunnerving

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    TerrifyingMore neutral: advanced

    Calls the weapon terrifying, a judgement the reporting does not establish.

    America’s Terrorist Enemy Is Working On A Terrifying Weapon.

    Used byThe Daily Wire (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    Game-ChangingMore neutral: new

    Presents the weapon as decisive before its effect is shown.

    …Houthis Are Receiving Help Directly from China as They Attempt to Build Their Own Game-Changing Weapon: Report

    Used byThe Western Journal (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    devastatingMore neutral: significant

    Describes the report’s effect on Trump’s position in strong terms the facts do not establish.

    President Donald Trump’s public defense of Chinese leader Xi Jinping met a devastating reality check as new intelligence revealed Houthi militants are using…

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    EmbarrassingMore neutral: disputed

    Judges Trump’s position as embarrassing rather than reporting the facts.

    Trump’s Defense of Xi Hit by Embarrassing New Bombshell

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

Show 2 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Sensational language

    BombshellMore neutral: report

    Dramatizes a report with a word that adds drama rather than information.

    Trump’s Defense of Xi Hit by Embarrassing New Bombshell

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    unnervingMore neutral: new

    The word adds an emotional reaction that the report itself does not state.

    …reach Saudi Arabia and Israel -- using Chinese-delivered parts, according to an unnerving new report.

    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

2 outlets

Leads with

  • Trump’s defense of Xi Jinping
  • China’s role in supplying Houthi missile parts
  • Embarrassment for the president

Leaves out

  • Missile range reaching Saudi Arabia and Israel
  • Yemeni interception of two ships

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

See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • CBS NewsLeft

    Houthis building advanced missile system using Chinese parts, Wall Street Journal reports

    The Houthis are attempting to produce their own ballistic missiles using Chinese parts, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal. Aaron MacLean, host of "The School of War" podcast, joins CBS News to discuss.

    Read at CBS News (opens in a new tab)
  • The Daily BeastFar Left

    Trump’s Defense of Xi Hit by Sensational language“Embarrassing”Judges Trump’s position as embarrassing rather than reporting the facts.More neutral: disputedDisagree with this highlight? New Sensational language“Bombshell”Dramatizes a report with a word that adds drama rather than information.More neutral: reportDisagree with this highlight?

    President Donald Trump’s public defense of Chinese leader Xi Jinping met a Sensational language“devastating”Describes the report’s effect on Trump’s position in strong terms the facts do not establish.More neutral: significantDisagree with this highlight? reality check as new intelligence revealed Houthi militants are using Chinese-supplied components to build missiles. An investigative report by Conflict Armament Research published Oct. …

    Read at The Daily Beast (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

  • Houthis as terrorists
  • Chinese-made parts as the supply line
  • Missile reach to Israel and Saudi Arabia
  • Danger of a new weapon

Leaves out

  • Trump’s public defense of Xi Jinping

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

See the 3 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • New York PostRight

    Houthi terrorists are building advanced missiles that can reach Israel with Chinese parts: report

    The Houthi rebels are developing their own advanced ballistic missiles -- that could reach Saudi Arabia and Israel -- using Chinese-delivered parts, according to an Sensational language“unnerving”The word adds an emotional reaction that the report itself does not state.More neutral: newDisagree with this highlight? new report.

    Read at New York Post (opens in a new tab)
  • The Western JournalFar Right

    The Houthis Are Receiving Help Directly from China as They Attempt to Build Their Own Sensational language“Game-Changing”Presents the weapon as decisive before its effect is shown.More neutral: newDisagree with this highlight? Weapon: Report

    Houthi terrorists are using Chinese parts to build a medium-range ballistic missile that could reach Israel as well as any target in Saudi Arabia, according to a new report. The

    Read at The Western Journal (opens in a new tab)
  • The Daily WireFar Right

    America’s Terrorist Enemy Is Working On A Sensational language“Terrifying”Calls the weapon terrifying, a judgement the reporting does not establish.More neutral: advancedDisagree with this highlight? Weapon. China Is Supplying The Parts.

    Iran-backed Houthis terrorists are building advanced ballistic missiles with Chinese-made parts, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. The terrorist group, which recently attacked a Saudi airport and killed at least 14 people, including one American, appears to be …

    Read at The Daily Wire (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

    2 hr 42 min later

    Its first report, Oct 14, 12:08 PM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    First to report

    The Daily Wire, Oct 14, 9:27 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The Daily WireFar RightOct 14, 9:27 AM EDT
  2. The Western JournalFar RightOct 14, 9:53 AM EDT
  3. The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 14, 12:08 PM EDT
  4. New York PostRightOct 14, 5:01 PM EDT
  5. CBS NewsLeftOct 15, 3:57 PM EDT

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

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