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Father accused of burying 11-month-old son alive is denied bond

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 23 outlets across the spectrum.

42 articles in total, 1 of them opinion. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

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A South Carolina father has been denied bond after being charged with attempted murder in the case of his 11-month-old son, who was found alive after about 24 hours in a dog crate buried in a shallow hole in the woods. Authorities said the boy was found near his father’s home on Tuesday, a day after he was taken, and is being cared for in hospital. CBS News reports that authorities say the father tried to flee the state. The New York Post reports that the boy is clinging to life.

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. An 11-month-old boy was found alive inside a dog crate buried in a shallow hole in South Carolina woods about 24 hours after he was reported taken.

    Across the spectrumReported byFar Left2Left2Center4Right2Far Right3See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    HuffPost, The Boston Globe
    Left
    ABC News, The Guardian
    Center
    Scripps News, Sky News, BBC News, NewsNation
    Right
    New York Post, The Washington Times
    Far Right
    The Daily Caller, The Epoch Times, TheBlaze

  2. The boy’s father has been charged with attempted murder.

    Across the spectrumReported byFar Left2Left2Center2Right2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    HuffPost, The Boston Globe
    Left
    CNN, The Guardian
    Center
    Scripps News, Sky News
    Right
    Daily Mail, The Washington Times
    Far Right
    The Epoch Times

  3. The father was denied bond.

    Reported byFar Left2Left3Center1Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    HuffPost, The Boston Globe
    Left
    ABC News, CBS News, The Guardian
    Center
    Scripps News
    Right
    The Washington Times
    Far Right
    The Epoch Times

  4. The boy is being cared for in hospital, according to officials.

    One outletBBC News· Center

  5. Authorities say the father tried to flee the state.

    One outletCBS News· Left

  6. The New York Post reports that the boy is clinging to life.

    One outletNew York Post· Right

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side reports that an 11-month-old boy was found alive in a buried dog crate in South Carolina and that his father faces charges. The left and center headlines focus on the charges and bond ruling, while right-side outlets lead with the buried-alive detail and the father’s alleged role.

  • the left

    8 outlets

    Left-side headlines lead with the father being accused, charged or denied bond, and HuffPost’s version of the AP story stresses that the boy survived.

    Father accused of burying 11-month-old son alive denied bond
    ABC NewsLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    6 outlets

    Center headlines mostly lead with the boy being found alive in a dog crate, while Sky News and Scripps News lead with the charge or the bond ruling.

    Missing 11-month-old found alive buried in dog crate in South Carolina
    NewsNationCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    9 outlets · 1 opinion

    Right-side headlines lead with the buried-alive rescue or the father’s alleged role; the Far Right Daily Caller and TheBlaze go further with suspect and faith-themed framing.

    Missing 11-month-old baby found buried alive in dog crate after disappearing with dad for 24 hours
    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.

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right12

    taking off with the childheart-pounding rescuemiraculously survivesrepeat South Carolina criminal

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    taking off with the childMore neutral: taking the child

    Describes the father’s taking of the boy with a word that suggests flight before the facts are established.

    …the woods of South Carolina, as his father Michael Comer is arrested after taking off with the child on Monday.

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

  • Sensational language

    heart-pounding rescueMore neutral: rescue

    Manufactures drama in the description of the rescue.

    …dirt” and heard little Koah Sharpe's cries as they started to dig during the heart-pounding rescue.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Sensational language

    miraculously survivesMore neutral: survives

    Adds a drama-laden judgement about the survival that the facts reported do not require.

    Missing 11-month-old miraculously survives being buried alive 24 hours after his dad disappeared with him

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Dehumanizing label

    repeat South Carolina criminalMore neutral: man arrested on a burglary charge

    Labels the father a criminal before the charges or facts are established in the coverage.

    A repeat South Carolina criminal was tossed back in jail on a burglary charge Monday evening, hours before…

    Used byThe Western Journal (Far Right)

Show 8 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded verb

    tossed back in jailMore neutral: was booked into jail

    Uses a dismissive verb for a booking that the reports describe as a routine arrest.

    A repeat South Carolina criminal was tossed back in jail on a burglary charge Monday evening, hours before the authorities discovered…

    Used byThe Western Journal (Far Right)

  • Absolutist framing

    he’d buried his ownMore neutral: the boy was found buried

    Presents as established that the father buried the child, while the supplied coverage reports only that the boy was found buried.

    …a burglary charge Monday evening, hours before the authorities discovered that he’d buried his own 11-month-old baby boy in

    Used byThe Western Journal (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    highly disturbingMore neutral: text messages

    The words tell the reader how to feel about the texts rather than describing what they say.

    Mom of baby buried alive for 24 hours shares highly disturbing text 'ex sent her around time infant vanished'… as suspect's own mother says she…

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    one very messed up familyMore neutral: a family whose parents are separated

    The phrase passes a judgement on a family’s character rather than describing its circumstances.

    The story takes place in South Carolina and involves one very messed up family.

    Used byHot Air (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    The WorstMore neutral: A story about a baby found alive after being buried

    The label is dramatic and adds an emotional verdict to a story about a baby found buried alive.

    The Worst and Also the Best Story You'll Hear Today

    Used byHot Air (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    miraculously releasedMore neutral: released

    The word “miraculously” adds a sense of wonder the facts of the discharge do not require.

    11-month-old baby buried alive for over 24 hours miraculously released from hospital as dad is charged with attempted murder

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Sensational language

    shallow graveMore neutral: buried underground

    “Shallow grave” adds the picture of a burial site for a dead person, while other outlets describe the crate as buried about a foot underground and the child as alive.

    Dad accused of burying baby boy alive in shallow grave is charged with infant's attempted murder

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    deadbeat dadMore neutral: father

    The label judges the father’s character before the charges have been decided in court.

    …a dog crate in South Carolina, over 24 hours after he was allegedly taken by his deadbeat dad.

    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

8 outlets

Leads with

  • father charged and denied bond
  • alleged attempt to flee the state
  • boy survived the ordeal
See the 12 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

6 outlets

Leads with

  • boy found alive after 24 hours
  • hospital care for the boy
  • sheriff’s account of the rescue
See the 7 headlines from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

9 outlets · 1 opinion

Leads with

  • buried-alive rescue detail
  • father’s alleged role and history
  • boy clinging to life

Leaves out

  • denial of bond

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

See the 12 headlines from the rightHide the headlines

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

    NBC News, Nov 10, 6:09 PM EST

  • Center

    4 hr 8 min later

    Its first report, Nov 10, 10:17 PM EST

  • Right

    1 hr 47 min later

    Its first report, Nov 10, 7:56 PM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. NBC NewsLeftNov 10, 6:09 PM EST
  2. Daily MailRightNov 10, 7:56 PM EST
  3. ABC NewsLeftNov 10, 8:23 PM EST
  4. United Press InternationalCenterNov 10, 10:17 PM EST
  5. New York PostRightNov 10, 10:49 PM EST
  6. The GuardianLeftNov 11, 12:59 AM EST
  7. CNNLeftNov 11, 4:04 AM EST
  8. NewsNationCenterNov 11, 5:12 AM EST
  9. The Daily WireFar RightNov 11, 6:39 AM EST
  10. The Western JournalFar RightNov 11, 7:16 AM EST
  11. CBS NewsLeftNov 11, 8:57 AM EST
  12. The New York TimesLeftNov 11, 9:28 AM EST
  13. The Washington TimesRightNov 11, 9:35 AM EST
  14. BBC NewsCenterNov 11, 1:10 PM EST
  15. The Boston GlobeFar LeftNov 11, 1:18 PM EST
  16. HuffPostFar LeftNov 11, 1:33 PM EST
  17. Scripps NewsCenterNov 11, 2:34 PM EST
  18. TownhallFar RightNov 11, 3:45 PM EST
  19. PBS NewsHourCenterNov 11, 3:59 PM EST
  20. TheBlazeFar RightNov 11, 4:45 PM EST
  21. Sky NewsCenterNov 11, 4:58 PM EST
  22. The Epoch TimesFar RightNov 12, 10:51 AM EST
  23. The Daily CallerFar RightNov 12, 12:25 PM EST

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

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