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Justice Department watchdog declines to investigate Reflecting Pool case handling

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 8 outlets across the spectrum.

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

Lincoln Memorial and drained Reflecting Pool area with small figures and parked cars in Washington.
Image via The IndependentHow images are chosenReport this image

The Justice Department’s inspector general, Don Berthiaume, has declined to investigate how prosecutors handled the criminal case against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn over alleged damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Outlets on the left, center and right report that the office said the allegations fall outside its jurisdiction and referred the matter to the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility. Hearn’s lawyers say evidence of his innocence was in the department’s possession and was ignored, and they have asked for an independent review of the case. The criminal case against Hearn is no longer active.

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. The Justice Department inspector general declined to investigate how the Hearn case was handled, saying the allegations fall outside its jurisdiction.

    Reported byFar Left1Left2Right2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Left
    CBS News, NBC News
    Right
    Washington Examiner, The Washington Times
    Far Right
    Just the News

  2. The inspector general referred the matter to the Office of Professional Responsibility.

    One side only: the leftReported byFar Left1Left1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Left
    CBS News

  3. Hearn’s lawyers say evidence of his innocence was in the Justice Department’s possession and was ignored, and they call for an independent review.

    Reported byLeft2Center1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Independent, NBC News
    Center
    The Hill
    Right
    Washington Examiner

  4. The criminal case against Hearn is no longer active.

    Reported byFar Left1Center1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Center
    The Hill
    Right
    The Washington Times

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • Federal officials mishandled the Hearn case and their conduct warrants investigation.

    Hearn’s lawyers say evidence of innocence was ignored and call for an independent review; the inspector general says the allegations fall outside its jurisdiction; the Daily Beast says prosecutorial misconduct has not yet been investigated.

How each side tells it

Compare views

Left and right outlets report that the inspector general declined to investigate the Hearn case, sending the matter to the Office of Professional Responsibility, while the center reports the lawyers’ request to reconsider. The left stresses refusal and Trump’s role, while the right presents it as the lawyers’ account.

  • the left

    4 outlets

    Left headlines say the watchdog refuses, dodges or declines and often tie it to Trump, with the Daily Beast furthest, using dodging and Trump’s name in its headline.

    DOJ watchdog declines investigation in Reflecting Pool case
    CBS NewsLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    The Hill’s headline presents the lawyers’ letter asking for reconsideration, framing the probe as still contested rather than refused.

    Ex-Olympic canoeist's lawyers urge DOJ inspector general to reconsider Reflecting Pool case probe
    The HillCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    3 outlets

    Right headlines report a declined or passed-off probe, with the Washington Times attributing the story to the lawyers; the Washington Examiner’s passes off wording is the sharpest.

    Justice Department won't investigate handling of Reflecting Pool vandalism case, say lawyers
    The Washington TimesRightAll 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.

  • Left8

    largely guttedbotched renovation projectrefusesbotched

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right1

    passes off

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    largely guttedMore neutral: reduced in size

    Describes the office’s condition in the outlet’s own voice without a cited finding of how far it was reduced.

    …referred the case to the Office of Professional Responsibility, a unit that was largely gutted and lacks independence.

    Used byCBS News (Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    botched renovation projectMore neutral: renovation project

    Adds a judgement of failure to the description of Trump’s project in the outlet’s own voice, which the report does not support with a cited finding.

    …damaged the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after President Donald Trump’s botched renovation project.

    Used byThe Independent (Left)

  • Loaded verb

    passes offMore neutral: declines to investigate

    Suggests the watchdog is dodging responsibility, while the description says it found the allegations outside its jurisdiction.

    DOJ watchdog passes off investigation into case of Olympian who was charged in Reflecting Pool case

    Used byWashington Examiner (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    refusesMore neutral: declines

    “Refuses” presents a decision not to investigate as a refusal of duty, which the supplied text does not establish; “declines” reports the same action neutrally.

    Justice Department IG refuses to investigate botched Reflecting Pool case after Trump’s false vandalism claims

    Used byNBC News (Left)

Show 5 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded modifier

    botchedMore neutral: the Reflecting Pool case against

    “Botched” states in the outlet’s own voice that the case was mishandled, a conclusion the supplied text presents only as the lawyers’ claim.

    Justice Department IG refuses to investigate botched Reflecting Pool case after Trump’s false vandalism claims

    Used byNBC News (Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    falseMore neutral: Trump’s vandalism claims

    The headline asserts in the outlet’s own voice that Trump’s vandalism claims are false, which the supplied text does not establish.

    …Department IG refuses to investigate botched Reflecting Pool case after Trump’s false vandalism claims

    Used byNBC News (Left)

  • Loaded verb

    hit one-time Olympian David HearnMore neutral: charged former Olympian David Hearn

    The verb ‘hit’ presents the charging decision as an attack, which adds judgement beyond the fact that charges were filed.

    The prosecutors who hit one-time Olympian David Hearn on a bogus vandalism charge will not be investigated for potential…

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    bogus vandalism chargeMore neutral: vandalism charge that was later dropped

    The word ‘bogus’ asserts the charge was false as the article’s own conclusion, not as an established finding.

    The prosecutors who hit one-time Olympian David Hearn on a bogus vandalism charge will not be investigated for potential misconduct—at least not yet.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    DodgingMore neutral: declines to investigate

    The word implies deliberate evasion, which the article does not establish; the body reports only that the office declined the matter.

    Trump’s DOJ Watchdog Dodging Reflecting Pool Investigation

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far 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

4 outlets

Leads with

  • Trump-appointed watchdog
  • gutted Office of Professional Responsibility
  • evidence of innocence ignored
See the 4 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • The Daily BeastFar Left

    Trump’s DOJ Watchdog Loaded verb“Dodging”The word implies deliberate evasion, which the article does not establish; the body reports only that the office declined the matter.More neutral: declines to investigateDisagree with this highlight? Reflecting Pool Investigation

    A Trump-appointed Inspector General says his office will not probe potential prosecutorial misconduct in the DOJ ’s reflecting-pool vandalism case involving an ex-Olympian who was cleared of wrongdoing. …

    Read at The Daily Beast (opens in a new tab)
  • NBC NewsLeft

    Justice Department IG Loaded verb“refuses”“Refuses” presents a decision not to investigate as a refusal of duty, which the supplied text does not establish; “declines” reports the same action neutrally.More neutral: declinesDisagree with this highlight? to investigate Loaded modifier“botched”“Botched” states in the outlet’s own voice that the case was mishandled, a conclusion the supplied text presents only as the lawyers’ claim.More neutral: the Reflecting Pool case againstDisagree with this highlight? Reflecting Pool case after Trump’s Loaded modifier“false”The headline asserts in the outlet’s own voice that Trump’s vandalism claims are false, which the supplied text does not establish.More neutral: Trump’s vandalism claimsDisagree with this highlight? vandalism claims

    The Justice Department’s inspector general is refusing to investigate what went wrong with the botched criminal case against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn over damage at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, including whether there was any criminality on prosecutors’ …

    Read at NBC News (opens in a new tab)
  • The IndependentLeft

    DOJ watchdog declines to investigate 'misconduct' in Reflecting Pool vandalism case, lawyers say

    David Hearn’s lawyers have alleged that evidence establishing their client’s innocence was in the Justice Department’s possession for weeks and was ‘simply ignored’

    Read at The Independent (opens in a new tab)
  • CBS NewsLeft

    DOJ watchdog declines investigation in Reflecting Pool case

    Hearn's lawyers complain the inspector general has referred the case to the Office of Professional Responsibility, a unit that was Loaded verb“largely gutted”Describes the office’s condition in the outlet’s own voice without a cited finding of how far it was reduced.More neutral: reduced in sizeDisagree with this highlight? and lacks independence.

    Read at CBS News (opens in a new tab)

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • lawyers’ letter to the inspector general
  • request to reconsider the probe
See the headline from the centerHide the headlines
  • The HillCenter

    Ex-Olympic canoeist's lawyers urge DOJ inspector general to reconsider Reflecting Pool case probe

    Lawyers who represented former Olympian David Hearn in a now-defunct criminal case alleging he vandalized the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool are urging the Justice Department’s internal watchdog to reconsider a probe into how the indictment and prosecution were handled. …

    Read at The Hill (opens in a new tab)

From the right

3 outlets

Leads with

  • lawyers’ misconduct allegations
  • inspector general’s jurisdiction
  • failed prosecution

Leaves out

  • Trump’s public vandalism claims, which NBC News says were false

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

See the 3 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

    First to report

    CBS News, Oct 21, 9:42 AM EDT

  • Center

    7 hr 17 min later

    Its first report, Oct 21, 4:59 PM EDT

  • Right

    1 hr 8 min later

    Its first report, Oct 21, 10:50 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. CBS NewsLeftOct 21, 9:42 AM EDT
  2. The IndependentLeftOct 21, 10:23 AM EDT
  3. Washington ExaminerRightOct 21, 10:50 AM EDT
  4. NBC NewsLeftOct 21, 12:43 PM EDT
  5. The Washington TimesRightOct 21, 3:08 PM EDT
  6. The HillCenterOct 21, 4:59 PM EDT
  7. The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 21, 6:39 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out. Just the News gave only a date, so it is not placed.

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