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Judge orders psychiatric exam for Thomas Markle in child sexual abuse material case

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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

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A U.S. magistrate judge in Tampa, Florida, has ordered a psychiatric evaluation of Thomas Markle, 82, the father of Meghan Markle, to determine whether he is mentally fit to stand trial. In a two-page order issued Friday, Judge Lindsay Griffin cited his “health condition,” “advanced age” and “lack of recall.” Markle is charged with one federal count of possessing child sexual abuse material, according to the criminal complaint and an FBI affidavit. Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Amie Gerodimos is to examine him and report back to the court on Nov. 20.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. Editors read every story. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. A federal judge ordered a psychiatric examination of Thomas Markle, 82.

    Across the spectrumReported byLeft2Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    CBS News, CNN
    Right
    New York Post

  2. Judge Lindsay Griffin cited Markle’s “health condition,” “advanced age” and “lack of recall” in the order.

    Across the spectrumReported byLeft2Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    CBS News, CNN
    Right
    New York Post

  3. Markle is charged with one federal count of possessing child sexual abuse material.

    Across the spectrumReported byLeft2Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    CBS News, CNN
    Right
    New York Post

  4. According to an FBI affidavit, federal agents seized the material from storage units Markle rented in Los Angeles.

    Reported byLeft2Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    CBS News, CNN
    Right
    New York Post

  5. Dr. Amie Gerodimos is to conduct the independent exam and report to the court on Nov. 20.

    One outletNew York Post· Right

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three outlets report that a judge ordered a psychiatric exam for Thomas Markle, who is charged in a child sexual abuse material case. The Post stresses his mental decline and uses words like shocking and vile, while CBS and CNN stick to the order and the judge’s stated reasons.

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Left headlines state the psychiatric order plainly; CBS leads with Meghan Markle’s father, and CNN’s headline, on a Reuters report, names the child pornography case.

    Meghan Markle's father ordered to undergo psychiatric exam
    CBS NewsLeftAll 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

    Right side has only the New York Post, whose own headline calls his decline shocking and says court papers reveal the truth; its headline on the Reuters report calls the case vile.

    Thomas Markle court docs Loaded verb“reveal truth about”The phrase implies that the documents expose a hidden truth, which presumes a conclusion about his condition.More neutral: showDisagree with this highlight? 82-year-old’s Sensational language“shocking”The adjective adds drama to a description of Markle’s mental state that the court order does not characterize that way.More neutral: seriousDisagree with this highlight? mental decline amid child porn probe
    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.

  • Left1

    child sex predator

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right3

    vilereveal truth aboutshocking

In the outlets’ own words

  • Dehumanizing label

    child sex predatorMore neutral: accused of possessing child sexual abuse material

    The label calls Markle a predator before any conviction, when the charge is possession of material.

    …to determine if he is mentally fit to answer to charges accusing him of being a child sex predator.

    Used byCNN (Left)

  • Sensational language

    vileMore neutral: (omit) and quote or describe

    Moral verdict in the reporter's voice.

    Judge orders psychiatric exam for Meghan Markle’s dad, Thomas, in vile child porn case

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    reveal truth aboutMore neutral: show

    The phrase implies that the documents expose a hidden truth, which presumes a conclusion about his condition.

    Thomas Markle court docs reveal truth about 82-year-old’s shocking mental decline amid child porn probe

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Sensational language

    shockingMore neutral: serious

    The adjective adds drama to a description of Markle’s mental state that the court order does not characterize that way.

    Thomas Markle court docs reveal truth about 82-year-old’s shocking mental decline amid child porn probe

    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

  • the judge’s order for a psychiatric exam
  • reasons cited in the order
  • a single federal child sexual abuse material count

Leaves out

  • the named examining psychiatrist and the Nov. 20 report date

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

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

    Meghan Markle's father ordered to undergo psychiatric exam

    Judge Lindsay Griffin cited Thomas Markle's "health condition," "advanced age" and "lack of recall" in the order.

    Read at CBS News (opens in a new tab)
  • CNNLeftReuters report

    Judge orders psychiatric exam for Thomas Markle, father of Meghan, in child pornography case

    A federal judge in Florida has ordered a psychiatric evaluation for Thomas Markle, the estranged father of Britain’s Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, to determine if he is mentally fit to answer to charges accusing him of being a Dehumanizing label“child sex predator”The label calls Markle a predator before any conviction, when the charge is possession of material.More neutral: accused of possessing child sexual abuse materialDisagree with this highlight?. …

    Read at CNN (opens in a new tab)

    Also published by New York Post. It counts once.

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

  • Markle’s mental decline
  • court documents as the source
  • the child porn probe and arrest
See the 2 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • New York PostRight

    Thomas Markle court docs Loaded verb“reveal truth about”The phrase implies that the documents expose a hidden truth, which presumes a conclusion about his condition.More neutral: showDisagree with this highlight? 82-year-old’s Sensational language“shocking”The adjective adds drama to a description of Markle’s mental state that the court order does not characterize that way.More neutral: seriousDisagree with this highlight? mental decline amid child porn probe

    A judge wrote in a two-page order that Meghan Markle's father should undergo a psychiatric assessment after his court appearance raised concern.

    Read at New York Post (opens in a new tab)
  • New York PostRightReuters report

    Judge orders psychiatric exam for Meghan Markle’s dad, Thomas, in Sensational language“vile”Moral verdict in the reporter's voice.More neutral: (omit) and quote or describeDisagree with this highlight? child porn case

    New York Post published a report that is shown in full at CNN. The headline is the one New York Post gave it.

    Read at New York Post (opens in a new tab)

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

    First to report

    CNN, Nov 9, 9:02 PM EST

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    12 hr 53 min later

    Its first report, Nov 10, 9:55 AM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. CNNLeftNov 9, 9:02 PM EST
  2. CBS NewsLeftNov 10, 7:08 AM EST
  3. New York PostRightNov 10, 9:55 AM EST

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

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