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Paris prosecutors open attempted murder probe over attack on police at protests

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 4 outlets across the spectrum.

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

Riot police in helmets and shields run past burning fire on a street, amid smoke.
Image via Deutsche WelleHow images are chosenReport this image

Paris prosecutors opened an attempted murder investigation after a petrol bomb or Molotov cocktail was thrown at police during protests in France on October 31, according to Deutsche Welle, The Guardian and Breitbart. The Guardian reports that an estimated 320,000 people joined demonstrations across French cities, some in Halloween costume, and that violence broke out after the rallies ended. Deutsche Welle reports 779 arrests across France, and The Guardian says more than 770. The New York Post reports that projectiles, fireworks and Molotov cocktails were thrown at officers in Paris and that US and Israeli flags were burned in Lyon.

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. Paris prosecutors opened an attempted murder investigation over an attack on police during the protests.

    Reported byLeft1Center1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Center
    Deutsche Welle
    Far Right
    Breitbart News

  2. More than 770 people were arrested across France during the protests.

    Reported byLeft1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Center
    Deutsche Welle

  3. The Guardian reports an estimated 320,000 people joined demonstrations in several French cities, with violence also in Portugal and Switzerland.

    One outletThe Guardian· Left

  4. Projectiles, fireworks and Molotov cocktails were thrown at police in Paris, injuring several officers, according to the New York Post.

    One outletNew York Post· Right

  5. Germany’s interior minister called for harsh penalties after the violence.

    One outletThe Guardian· Left

How each side tells it

Compare views

All sides report that Paris prosecutors opened an attempted murder investigation after an attack on police during French protests. The left stresses youth-led grievances and protests across Europe, the center reports the probe and arrest figures, and the right stresses Molotov attacks, riots and burned flags.

  • the left

    1 outlet

    The left headline leads with the attempted murder probe and a petrol bomb attack, and describes the protests as peaceful and youth-led.

    Attempted murder probe after petrol bomb thrown at French riot police
    The GuardianLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    The only center article, from Deutsche Welle, leads with the opened attempted murder probe and the protest attack, in wording close to the left headline.

    France opens attempted murder probe after protest attack
    Deutsche WelleCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    2 outlets

    Right-side headlines lead with Molotov attacks on police and riot imagery, while the New York Post headlines stress crowd size and fire rather than the investigation.

    France: Attempted Murder Investigation Opened over Molotov Cocktail Attack on Police During Halloween Riots
    Breitbart 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.

  • Left1

    peaceful

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right2

    strife-tornfar-left extremist groups

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    strife-tornMore neutral: recent

    The adjective adds a sense of drama about the city that the reported facts do not require.

    …in Paris after a Molotov cocktail was thrown at police by Halloween rioters on the strife-torn streets of the French capital.

    Used byBreitbart News (Far Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    far-left extremist groupsMore neutral: protesters

    The label attaches an ideological and extremist characterization to the attackers without a source for it in the excerpt.

    In all four police officers and one gendarme were injured in attacks by far-left extremist groups, three of them burned by targeted incendiary devices.

    Used byBreitbart News (Far Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    peacefulMore neutral: mainly youth-led protests

    Calling the protests peaceful is a characterization the same article complicates by reporting street violence and attacks on police.

    …police officer and Germany’s interior minister has called for harsh penalties after peaceful and mainly youth-led protests across Europe ended in violence.

    Used byThe Guardian (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

1 outlet

Leads with

  • attempted murder probe
  • youth-led protests and grievances
  • violence across Europe

Leaves out

  • officers injured in Paris
  • US and Israeli flags burned in Lyon

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

See the headline from the leftHide the headlines
  • The GuardianLeft

    Attempted murder probe after petrol bomb thrown at French riot police

    Youth-led protests end with street violence in cities across France, Germany, Switzerland, Portugal and Albania French officials have opened an investigation into the attempted murder of a police officer and Germany’s interior minister has called for harsh penalties after …

    Read at The Guardian (opens in a new tab)

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • attempted murder probe
  • arrest figures
  • fewer arrests than previous weekends

Leaves out

  • youth-led grievances behind the protests
  • burning of US and Israeli flags

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

See the headline from the centerHide the headlines
  • Deutsche WelleCenter

    France opens attempted murder probe after protest attack

    Paris prosecutors have opened an attempted murder investigation after a Molotov attack on police. France reported 779 arrests during nationwide protests and Halloween night, fewer than on previous weekends.

    Read at Deutsche Welle (opens in a new tab)

From the right

2 outlets

Leads with

  • Molotov attacks on police
  • riots and street violence
  • crowd size
  • burned US and Israeli flags

Leaves out

  • protest grievances over education and housing costs
  • Germany’s call for harsher penalties

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

See the 2 headlines from the rightHide the headlines

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

    4 hr later

    Its first report, Nov 1, 11:24 AM EST

  • Center

    2 hr 26 min later

    Its first report, Nov 1, 9:50 AM EST

  • Right

    First to report

    Breitbart News, Nov 1, 7:24 AM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Breitbart NewsFar RightNov 1, 7:24 AM EST
  2. Deutsche WelleCenterNov 1, 9:50 AM EST
  3. New York PostRightNov 1, 9:50 AM EST
  4. The GuardianLeftNov 1, 11:24 AM EST

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

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