ScienceDevelopingUpdated 3 hr ago

Metal object found in Minnesota cornfield is believed to be space debris

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

Image via The Washington TimesHow images are chosen Report this image

The New York Times, the New York Post and The Washington Times report that a metal object was found in a cornfield near Scott Township in western Minnesota, about 158 miles northwest of Minneapolis. The New York Post reports that a farmer found the object while harvesting, and estimated it had been there for at least six weeks. Officials said it poses no danger to the public, and federal and state agents are working to identify its owner and remove it. The Washington Times reports the debris came from a Chinese commercial rocket, citing unnamed reports. The New York Times reports that debris was found in Indonesia on Monday, days after the Minnesota find.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

New to Mantle? It shows who is covering each story across the political spectrum, and highlights loaded words. How to read a storyHide the guide

The coverage spectrum counts the outlets covering a story at each of five points. A short or missing segment means that part of the spectrum is mostly quiet.

Governor Loaded verb“slams”It adds drama to what was said. The governor criticized the lawmakers; “slams” makes it sound like a fight.More neutral: criticizes lawmakers over budget delay

Highlights mark words that carry a judgement. Tap one to see why, and what a neutral writer would say. Here it is “criticizes”.

The 5-point spectrum

Far Left
Voices that strongly advocate for progressive policies and systemic change.
Left
Mainstream liberal perspectives focusing on social equality and regulation.
Center
Sources that prioritize neutral reporting and balanced viewpoints.
Right
Mainstream conservative perspectives focusing on market freedom and tradition.
Far Right
Voices that strongly advocate for conservative values and limited government.

How we measure bias

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

A farmer found a large metal object in a Minnesota cornfield, believed to be space debris.
Reported byLeft1Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
Left
The New York Times
Right
The Washington Times, New York Post
The object was found near Scott Township, about 158 miles northwest of Minneapolis.
One side only: the rightReported byRight2See the outletsHide the outlets
Right
The Washington Times, New York Post
Officials said the object poses no danger to the public.
One outletNew York Post· Right
Federal and state agents are working to identify the object’s owner and remove it.
One outletNew York Post· Right
The farmer estimated the object had been in the field for at least six weeks.
One outletNew York Post· Right

Show 2 more pointsShow fewer points

The Washington Times reports the debris came from a Chinese commercial rocket, citing unnamed reports.
One outletThe Washington Times· Right
Debris was found in Indonesia on Monday, days after the Minnesota find.
One outletThe New York Times· Left

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

The debris came from a Chinese commercial rocket.
The Washington Times reports this, citing unnamed reports. The New York Post reports that it is unclear where the object came from or who owns it. The New York Times does not address the origin.

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three report that a metal object, likely space debris, was found in a Minnesota cornfield. The New York Times stresses a wider risk tied to a second find in Indonesia, while right-side outlets focus on the unknown owner and, in The Washington Times, Chinese rocket origin.

the left
1 outlet
The New York Times headline stresses a growing casualty risk and links the Minnesota object to a second debris find in Indonesia, presenting it as a wider story.
Space Debris Found Twice Within Days Amid ‘Growing Casualty Risk’
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
2 outlets
Right-side headlines focus on the object’s mystery and origin: The Washington Times names a Chinese commercial rocket, while the New York Post stresses a ‘space object’ found by a farmer.
Debris in farmer's field in Minnesota came from Chinese commercial space launch rocket
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.

Left0
No loaded words in its own voice.
Center
Has not covered this story.
Right1
according to reports

In the outlets’ own words

Vague attribution
according to reportsMore neutral: citing unnamed reports
The origin claim is attributed to unnamed reports, so readers cannot tell who made it.
…158 miles northwest of Minneapolis, came from a Chinese commercial rocket, according to reports.
Used byThe Washington Times (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

growing casualty risk
second debris find in Indonesia
wider global scale

See the headline from the leftHide the headlines

The New York TimesLeft
Space Debris Found Twice Within Days Amid ‘Growing Casualty Risk’
Debris was found in Indonesia on Monday, just days after a farmer across the globe in Minnesota reported a massive metal object thought to be space junk in a cornfield.
3 hr agoRead at The New York Times (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

Chinese commercial rocket origin
mysterious object found by a farmer
unknown owner and serial numbers

Leaves out

Debris found in Indonesia, reported by the New York Times

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

See the 2 headlines from the rightHide the headlines

New York PostRight
Massive metallic ‘space object’ discovered by farmer in Minnesota cornfield: cops
In the farmers’ estimation, the cosmic debris sat in the field for at least six weeks before being discovered, based on the size of the corn that was growing from underneath it, KGW8 reported.
1 day agoRead at New York Post (opens in a new tab)
The Washington TimesRight
Debris in farmer's field in Minnesota came from Chinese commercial space launch rocket
Metal debris that fell in a field in Scott Township, Minnesota, roughly 158 miles northwest of Minneapolis, came from a Chinese commercial rocket, Vague attribution“according to reports”The origin claim is attributed to unnamed reports, so readers cannot tell who made it.More neutral: citing unnamed reportsDisagree with this highlight?.
1 day agoRead at The Washington Times (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
1 day 11 hr later
Its first report, Oct 22, 5:03 AM EDT
Center
No report yet
From the outlets Mantle follows
Right
First to report
The Washington Times, Oct 20, 5:34 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order

The Washington TimesRightOct 20, 5:34 PM EDT
New York PostRightOct 20, 10:48 PM EDT
The New York TimesLeftOct 22, 5:03 AM EDT

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

Metal object found in Minnesota cornfield is believed to be space debris

Coverage spectrum

Key points

Where accounts differ

Compare views

the left

the center

the right

Language to notice

In the outlets’ own words

Side by side

From the left

Space Debris Found Twice Within Days Amid ‘Growing Casualty Risk’

From the center

From the right

Massive metallic ‘space object’ discovered by farmer in Minnesota cornfield: cops

Debris in farmer's field in Minnesota came from Chinese commercial space launch rocket

How the coverage built up

Read next

France reports first human Shamonda virus case, in a patient who died

Expert says skeleton in Westminster Abbey Roman sarcophagus is likely a medieval abbot

Abdul El-Sayed and Mike Rogers meet in final Michigan Senate debate

Flaws in PHP web programming language prompt urgent patching and some sites go offline

Polling firm Wedgewood admits it fabricated poll data, calling it a social experiment