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Man, 60, Arrested After Crashing Vehicle Into Closed Texas Kroger to Use Bathroom

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 5 outlets, mostly right-leaning (80%).

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

A 60-year-old man was arrested after police said he intentionally drove his vehicle into a closed Kroger grocery store in Rosenberg, Texas, early Sunday morning. Police said the man, identified as James Mansell Lancaster Jr., was upset that the store’s doors were locked and he needed to use the restroom. The crash occurred around 4:28 a.m. at the pharmacy entrance, causing extensive damage, reportedly estimated at about $50,000, according to police. No injuries were reported. The man was charged with criminal mischief. Rosenberg Police posted about the incident on Facebook, joking that people should find a store that is open before Sunday.

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 man crashed his vehicle into the entrance of a closed Kroger in Rosenberg, Texas, around 4:28-4:30 a.m. on Sunday, September 27.

    Reported byLeftRight

  2. Police said the driver was upset the doors were locked and needed to use the bathroom.

    Reported byLeftRight

  3. The driver was identified by police as James Mansell Lancaster Jr., 60.

    Reported byLeftRight

  4. The crash caused extensive damage to the pharmacy entrance, estimated at about $50,000.

    Reported byRight

  5. No injuries were reported.

    Reported byRight

Show 2 more pointsShow fewer points

  1. The man was charged with criminal mischief.

    Reported byRight

  2. Rosenberg Police posted about the incident on Facebook, including a joking remark about finding an open store.

    Reported byRight

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • The driver's hometown or residence

    The Western Journal reports the driver as being from Natchez, Mississippi, while Fox News and other outlets describe him simply as a 'Texas man' without specifying he was from out of state.

How each side tells it

Compare views

  • the left

    1 outlet

    The sole left-side outlet presents the incident factually and briefly, naming the driver and emphasizing his stated motive without embellishment.

    A Driver Desperate to Use the Bathroom Loaded verb“Plows Into”The verb dramatizes the collision beyond a neutral description of the crash.More neutral: Crashes IntoDisagree with this highlight? a Kroger in Texas, the Police Say
    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

    4 outlets

    Right-side outlets lean into the absurdity of the story with playful, pun-laden headlines and descriptions, several quoting the police department's own joke about the bathroom emergency.

    Loaded modifier“Weak-bladdered”The phrase mocks the subject's physical condition rather than describing the event neutrally.More neutral: Texas manDisagree with this highlight? Texas man, 60, drove through doors of Kroger pharmacy for pre-dawn bathroom emergency: 'When you gotta go, you gotta go'
    Daily MailRightAll 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

    Plows Into

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right2

    had no time to lose when he drove into a grocery store to let looseWeak-bladdered

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    Plows IntoMore neutral: Crashes Into

    The verb dramatizes the collision beyond a neutral description of the crash.

    A Driver Desperate to Use the Bathroom Plows Into a Kroger in Texas, the Police Say

    Used byThe New York Times (Left)

  • Sensational language

    had no time to lose when he drove into a grocery store to let looseMore neutral: drove into a grocery store seeking a restroom

    The punning phrasing sensationalizes and mocks the incident rather than describing it plainly.

    A Texas man had no time to lose when he drove into a grocery store to let loose.

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    Weak-bladderedMore neutral: Texas man

    The phrase mocks the subject's physical condition rather than describing the event neutrally.

    Weak-bladdered Texas man, 60, drove through doors of Kroger pharmacy for pre-dawn bathroom…

    Used byDaily Mail (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

  • identity of the driver
  • police account of the motive

Leaves out

  • extent of damage
  • arrest and charges
  • police department's joking Facebook statement

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

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

4 outlets

Leads with

  • comedic/absurd nature of the incident
  • police department's humorous public statement
  • extent of property damage
  • driver's bathroom emergency as the central detail
See the 4 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • Daily MailRight

    Loaded modifier“Weak-bladdered”The phrase mocks the subject's physical condition rather than describing the event neutrally.More neutral: Texas manDisagree with this highlight? Texas man, 60, drove through doors of Kroger pharmacy for pre-dawn bathroom emergency: 'When you gotta go, you gotta go'

    The man, who remains unidentified, crashed through the window of a Kroger in Rosenberg around 4.30am Sunday.

    Read at Daily Mail (opens in a new tab)
  • The Western JournalFar Right

    Police: Man 'Intentionally' Drove Into Closed Texas Grocery Store to Use the Restroom

    A Mississippi man who was a long way from home while experiencing a bathroom emergency took a unique approach to the problem. It got him arrested. All was normal at

    Read at The Western Journal (opens in a new tab)
  • Fox NewsFar Right

    Texas man arrested after 'intentionally' crashing into a closed Kroger to use bathroom: cops

    A 60-year-old Texas man crashed his vehicle into a closed Kroger because he needed to use the bathroom and now faces criminal mischief charges.

    Read at Fox News (opens in a new tab)

    Also published by New York Post. It counts once.

  • New York PostRightFox News report

    Texas driver arrested after ‘intentionally’ crashing into a closed Kroger to use bathroom: cops

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

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

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

    19 hr later

    Its first report, Sep 28, 7:21 PM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    First to report

    Fox News, Sep 28, 12:19 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Fox NewsFar RightSep 28, 12:19 AM EDT
  2. New York PostRightSep 28, 1:58 AM EDT
  3. The New York TimesLeftSep 28, 7:21 PM EDT
  4. The Western JournalFar RightSep 30, 9:33 AM EDT
  5. Daily MailRightSep 30, 2:53 PM EDT

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

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