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Former Stoughton officer Matthew Farwell convicted of killing Sandra Birchmore

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 10 outlets across the spectrum.

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

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A federal jury in Boston convicted former Stoughton police officer Matthew Farwell of killing Sandra Birchmore and her unborn child. Birchmore was 23 and pregnant when she died in February 2021. The jury had reported a deadlock on Monday and resumed deliberating before the verdict on Tuesday. Farwell faces a life sentence, with sentencing scheduled for February. Prosecutors say he strangled Birchmore and staged the scene to look like a suicide. Newsweek reports that her death was first ruled a suicide before federal investigators reopened the case.

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 jury in Boston convicted former Stoughton police officer Matthew Farwell of killing Sandra Birchmore.

    Across the spectrumReported byLeft3Center2Right2Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    CBS News, CNN, ABC News
    Center
    Newsweek, NewsNation
    Right
    The Washington Times, New York Post
    Far Right
    The Epoch Times, Fox News

  2. The verdict also covers the unborn child Birchmore was carrying when she died.

    Reported byLeft1Center1Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    CBS News
    Center
    Newsweek
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    The Epoch Times

  3. Prosecutors say Farwell strangled Birchmore and staged her apartment to look like a suicide.

    Reported byCenter1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    Newsweek
    Far Right
    Fox News

  4. Birchmore was 23 and pregnant when she died in February 2021, a death first ruled a suicide before federal investigators reopened the case.

    One outletNewsweek· Center

  5. Jurors reported a deadlock on Monday, then resumed deliberating before reaching the verdict.

    Reported byFar Left1Center2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Boston Globe
    Center
    Newsweek, NewsNation

  6. Farwell faces a life sentence, with sentencing scheduled for February.

    Reported byLeft1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    CBS News
    Center
    Newsweek

How each side tells it

Compare views

Left, center and right outlets all report that a federal jury in Boston convicted Matthew Farwell of killing Sandra Birchmore and her unborn child. Left coverage stresses the life sentence and the deadlock, center reports the verdict plainly, and right coverage stresses the pregnant victim and the staged suicide.

  • the left

    4 outlets

    Left headlines lead with the verdict, the unborn child or the life sentence; the Boston Globe frames it through the jury deadlock, and CNN and ABC run an AP headline on the alleged motive.

    Jury convicts Matthew Farwell of killing Sandra Birchmore and unborn child
    CBS NewsLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    2 outlets

    Center headlines report the guilty verdict plainly, Newsweek adds the unborn child, and NewsNation's deadlock piece centers Birchmore's friends who are in limbo.

    Ex-Cop Matthew Farwell Convicted in Deaths of Sandra Birchmore, Unborn Baby
    NewsweekCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    4 outlets

    Right headlines lead with murder and the pregnant victim, Fox adds a staged suicide, and the New York Post calls Farwell disgraced; the Washington Times repeats the AP headline.

    Ex-Massachusetts police officer convicted of murdering pregnant woman in staged suicide
    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.

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right2

    DisgracedDisgraced ex-cop

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded modifier

    DisgracedMore neutral: former or who resigned after

    Verdict as adjective; say what happened.

    Disgraced ex-cop Matthew Farwell was convicted Tuesday by a Boston jury in the killing of…

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    Disgraced ex-copMore neutral: Former police officer Matthew Farwell

    The word “disgraced” passes judgement on the defendant beyond the verdict, which the headline can state without it.

    Disgraced ex-cop Matthew Farwell found guilty of killing pregnant Sandra Birchmore

    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

4 outlets

Leads with

  • verdict covers the unborn child
  • mandatory life sentence
  • jury deadlock
  • alleged motive of silencing a sex abuse claim

Leaves out

  • the 2021 death first ruled a suicide, reported by Newsweek

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

See the 4 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

2 outlets

Leads with

  • the verdict itself
  • unborn child counted in the deaths
  • jury deadlock and friends in limbo
  • staged suicide scene

Leaves out

  • the relationship began when Birchmore was 15, reported by Fox News

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

See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

4 outlets

Leads with

  • pregnant victim
  • staged suicide
  • relationship that began at 15
  • disgraced former officer

Leaves out

  • the jury's earlier deadlock, reported by the Boston Globe

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

See the 4 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • The Epoch TimesFar Right

    REPLAY: Former Massachusetts Police Officer Found Guilty of Murdering Sandra Birchmore and Her Unborn Child

    A federal jury in Boston finds former Stoughton police officer Matthew Farwell guilty of murdering Sandra Birchmore and her unborn child on Nov. 10. Birchmore was a member of the Stoughton Police Explorers youth mentoring program when she and Farwell began a relationship.

    Read at The Epoch Times (opens in a new tab)
  • Fox NewsFar Right

    Ex-Massachusetts police officer convicted of murdering pregnant woman in staged suicide

    Matthew Farwell faced charges of killing Sandra Birchmore after she allegedly threatened to expose a relationship that began when she was 15.

    Read at Fox News (opens in a new tab)
  • New York PostRight

    Loaded modifier“Disgraced ex-cop”The word “disgraced” passes judgement on the defendant beyond the verdict, which the headline can state without it.More neutral: Former police officer Matthew FarwellDisagree with this highlight? Matthew Farwell found guilty of killing pregnant Sandra Birchmore

    Loaded modifier“Disgraced”Verdict as adjective; say what happened.More neutral: former, who resigned after, who was convicted ofDisagree with this highlight? ex-cop Matthew Farwell was convicted Tuesday by a Boston jury in the killing of 23-year-old Sandra Birchmore and her unborn child.

    Read at New York Post (opens in a new tab)
  • The Washington TimesRightAssociated Press report

    Ex-officer convicted of killing Sandra Birchmore to keep Massachusetts woman quiet about sex abuse

    The Washington Times published a report that is shown in full at CNN.

    Read at The Washington Times (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

    The Boston Globe, Nov 9, 7:09 AM EST

  • Center

    22 hr 16 min later

    Its first report, Nov 10, 5:25 AM EST

  • Right

    1 day 6 hr later

    Its first report, Nov 10, 1:59 PM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The Boston GlobeFar LeftNov 9, 7:09 AM EST
  2. CBS NewsLeftNov 9, 8:54 AM EST
  3. NewsNationCenterNov 10, 5:25 AM EST
  4. New York PostRightNov 10, 1:59 PM EST
  5. Fox NewsFar RightNov 10, 2:28 PM EST
  6. CNNLeftNov 10, 2:34 PM EST
  7. ABC NewsLeftNov 10, 2:52 PM EST
  8. The Washington TimesRightNov 10, 3:11 PM EST
  9. The Epoch TimesFar RightNov 10, 3:26 PM EST
  10. NewsweekCenterNov 10, 9:54 PM EST

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

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