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Man found dead in duffel bag on Brooklyn sidewalk identified as Joseph Owusu

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, mostly right-leaning (67%).

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

Aerial view of Brooklyn and Manhattan skyline with Brooklyn Bridge over East River at sunset
Image via TheGrioHow images are chosenReport this image

The body of Joseph Owusu, a 24-year-old Ghanaian man, was found in a duffel bag on a sidewalk in Canarsie, Brooklyn, on October 30, according to his family and officials as reported by the Daily Mail, the New York Post and TheGrio. Surveillance video shows people unloading the bag from a white sedan and driving away, the Daily Mail reports. Police have announced no arrests, and the medical examiner has yet to determine the cause of death. Family and neighbors describe Owusu as a churchgoing musician who hoped to study computer science.

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. Joseph Owusu, 24, was found dead in a duffel bag on a sidewalk at East 93rd Street and Avenue L in Canarsie, Brooklyn, on October 30.

    Reported byLeft1Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    TheGrio
    Right
    Daily Mail, New York Post

  2. Police have announced no arrests in the case.

    Reported byLeft1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    TheGrio
    Right
    Daily Mail

  3. Surveillance video shows people unloading a bag from a white sedan on the sidewalk before driving away.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    Daily Mail, New York Post

  4. The medical examiner has yet to determine the cause of death, and an autopsy is being conducted.

    Reported byLeft1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    TheGrio
    Right
    Daily Mail

  5. Neighbors and family describe Owusu as a churchgoing musician who hoped to study computer science.

    Reported byLeft1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    TheGrio
    Right
    New York Post

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side reports that Joseph Owusu, 24, was found dead in a duffel bag in Canarsie, Brooklyn, on October 30, with no arrests announced. Right-side outlets lead with the disposal footage and his churchgoing, while the left-side outlet centers the family’s grief and his unfulfilled ambitions.

  • the left

    1 outlet

    Only one left-side outlet, TheGrio, covers this story, and its headline centers the family’s grief and the victim’s unfulfilled ambitions.

    ‘He never got the chance’: Family mourns 24-year-old Ghanaian musician found dead in Brooklyn
    TheGrioLeftAll 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

    2 outlets

    Both right-side outlets lead with the grim discovery and disposal footage, the Daily Mail with a horror framing and the New York Post with the victim’s faith and piano playing.

    Man found dead in trash bag in NYC was ‘devout’ churchgoer, pianist from Ghana
    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.

  • Left0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right3

    horrific momentChillingHorror moment

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    horrific momentMore neutral: moment

    The adjective horrific adds an emotional judgement that the described footage alone does not state.

    The horrific moment two men dumped a duffle bag on a Brooklyn sidewalk with a young man's body shoved…

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

  • Sensational language

    ChillingMore neutral: surveillance video

    The adjective chilling is an emotional judgement about the surveillance video rather than a description of it.

    Chilling surveillance video showed two people unloading a heavy duffle bag with Owusu's body…

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

  • Sensational language

    Horror momentMore neutral: Video shows two men dump duffel bag

    The word horror adds dramatic emotion to a report that could be stated by describing the footage.

    Horror moment two men dump duffle bag on Brooklyn sidewalk as church-going man's dead body is…

    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

  • family’s grief
  • victim’s ambitions in computer science
  • church and music life

Leaves out

  • police response to the 911 call and death pronounced at the scene
  • surveillance footage of the bag being dumped from a sedan

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

See the headline from the leftHide the headlines
  • TheGrioLeft

    ‘He never got the chance’: Family mourns 24-year-old Ghanaian musician found dead in Brooklyn

    Joseph Owusu dreamed of pursuing computer science before his life was cut short. His brother says the family is struggling

    Read at TheGrio (opens in a new tab)

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

2 outlets

Leads with

  • disposal footage
  • body found in a duffel bag
  • victim’s churchgoing and music

Leaves out

  • family’s grief and statement that they do not know who could have done it
  • medical examiner has yet to determine the cause of death

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

See the 2 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • Daily MailRight

    Sensational language“Horror moment”The word horror adds dramatic emotion to a report that could be stated by describing the footage.More neutral: Video shows two men dump duffel bagDisagree with this highlight? two men dump duffle bag on Brooklyn sidewalk as church-going man's dead body is found inside

    The horror moment two men dumped a duffle bag on a Brooklyn sidewalk with a young man's body shoved inside was captured on video.

    Read at Daily Mail (opens in a new tab)
  • New York PostRight

    Man found dead in trash bag in NYC was ‘devout’ churchgoer, pianist from Ghana

    Joseph Owusu, 24, was found lifeless in a garbage bag around 9:20 a.m. Oct. 30 outside a church at East 93rd Street and Avenue L in Canarsie, according to the Embassy of Ghana.

    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

    TheGrio, Nov 6, 3:00 PM EST

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    2 hr 56 min later

    Its first report, Nov 6, 5:56 PM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. TheGrioLeftNov 6, 3:00 PM EST
  2. New York PostRightNov 6, 5:56 PM EST
  3. Daily MailRightNov 7, 7:27 PM EST

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

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