Skip to content

Crime & JusticeDeveloping

Jury awards $6 million to David Sabatini in defamation suit against former colleague

By

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 6 outlets, mostly right-leaning (83%).

8 articles in total, 1 of them opinion. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Man in dark suit and red tie seated before a wooden panel, looking to the side.
Image via The New York TimesHow images are chosenReport this image

A Suffolk County, Massachusetts jury found that Kristin Knouse defamed David Sabatini and awarded him $6 million, according to The New York Times, Fox News, Epoch Times and other outlets that report the verdict. The jury returned its decision on October 16, according to Epoch Times. Sabatini, a former MIT scientist, sued Knouse, a researcher, after she accused him of sexual harassment; he said in a 2021 complaint that their relationship was consensual and that her allegations led to a probe of his laboratory at the Whitehead Institute. Knouse and her lawyer did not respond to requests for comment, and her lawyer, Ellen Zucker, said an appeal is planned.

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 Suffolk County, Massachusetts jury awarded David Sabatini $6 million in his defamation suit against former colleague Kristin Knouse.

    Reported byLeft1Right4Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The New York Times
    Right
    New York Post, Reason, Daily Mail, The Free Press
    Far Right
    Fox News, The Epoch Times

  2. Sabatini says he was forced to resign from his MIT post after the accusations against him.

    One outletThe Epoch Times· Far Right

  3. According to Sabatini’s 2021 complaint, he and Knouse had a consensual relationship from 2018 for about a year, and her harassment allegations led to a probe of his lab at the Whitehead Institute.

    One outletThe Epoch Times· Far Right

  4. Knouse and her lawyer did not respond to requests for comment, and her lawyer, Ellen Zucker, said an appeal is planned.

    One outletThe Epoch Times· Far Right

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • Knouse’s accusations of sexual harassment against Sabatini were false.

    The jury found in Sabatini’s favor on defamation, according to the outlets reporting the verdict. Sabatini’s 2021 complaint says the relationship was consensual and that Knouse began spreading harassment allegations after he ended it. Knouse and her lawyer did not comment, and the lawyer said an appeal is planned.

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side present reports that a Massachusetts jury awarded David Sabatini $6 million in his defamation suit against former colleague Kristin Knouse. The left presents the verdict as a win for a former MIT scientist, while right-side outlets call it vindication and say Knouse’s claims were defamatory.

  • the left

    1 outlet

    The New York Times, the only left-side outlet here, leads with the verdict and the $6 million award, naming Sabatini’s MIT career and the sexual harassment context.

    David Sabatini, an M.I.T. Scientist, Wins $6 Million in Sexual Harassment Defamation Suit
    The New York TimesLeftAll 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

    5 outlets · 1 opinion

    Right-side headlines call the verdict vindication, with Daily Mail and Reason stressing that the colleague lied; Fox News and Epoch Times, both Far Right, report the award more plainly.

    Former MIT scientist wins $6M defamation verdict against colleague who accused him of sexual misconduct
    Fox 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.

  • Left0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right6

    vengeful ex-girlfriendsex pest#TheyLiedeye-watering

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded modifier

    vengeful ex-girlfriendMore neutral: former colleague

    Describes the accuser's motive as fact while the case was still before the jury.

    …a manipulative sex pest or the victim of a smear campaign orchestrated by a vengeful ex-girlfriend.

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

  • Dehumanizing label

    sex pestMore neutral: accused of sexual misconduct

    Labels Sabatini with a contemptuous category before the jury has decided the case.

    Jury sent out to decide whether world-renowned molecular biologist is sex pest or victim of overzealous ex who wanted to ruin him

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

  • Partisan shorthand

    #TheyLiedMore neutral: Defamation lawsuit

    A campaign hashtag asserting the accuser lied, a conclusion the verdict does not establish.

    $6M Verdict in #TheyLied Defamation Lawsuit Brought Over Sexual Harassment Allegations

    Used byReason (Right)

  • Sensational language

    eye-wateringMore neutral: large

    The adjective adds drama to a payout that is described more neutrally elsewhere as a $6 million award.

    Renowned scientist wins eye-watering seven-figure payout after jury rules his much younger colleague lied about him…

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

Show 2 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded verb

    destroyedMore neutral: ended

    The verb asserts a total outcome in the outlet’s own voice, where ended describes the same loss of career.

    Four years ago, Suzy Weiss broke the story of a biologist whose career was destroyed by a female colleague’s accusations.

    Used byThe Free Press (Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    unemployableMore neutral: without a job

    The word is a judgement about his employability in the outlet’s own voice rather than a reported fact.

    And he was unemployable.

    Used byThe Free Press (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

1 outlet

Leads with

  • the $6 million verdict
  • Sabatini’s former MIT career
  • the sexual harassment defamation claim
See the headline 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

5 outlets · 1 opinion

Leads with

  • the $6 million verdict
  • vindication of Sabatini
  • Knouse’s claims described as defamatory or lies
  • his career losses after the accusations
See the 6 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 day 9 hr later

    Its first report, Oct 16, 9:02 PM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    First to report

    Daily Mail, Oct 15, 11:30 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Daily MailRightOct 15, 11:30 AM EDT
  2. The New York TimesLeftOct 16, 9:02 PM EDT
  3. Fox NewsFar RightOct 17, 4:06 PM EDT
  4. New York PostRightOct 18, 4:26 AM EDT
  5. The Free PressRightOct 19, 8:27 PM EDT
  6. The Epoch TimesFar RightOct 20, 6:01 PM EDT

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

Read next

Help someone else find the truth beneath the surface

Most people see one side of a story. Share this one, so they can see how every side is telling it and decide for themselves.

Email it

Seen a mistake? Tell us what is wrong with this page