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Missing 17-year-old found alive in Australian bushland after six days

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 9 outlets across the spectrum.

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

Police officers beside a police helicopter as a person embraces a relative after being found.
Image via CBS NewsHow images are chosenReport this image

Police said a helicopter crew found William, 17, alive on Thursday morning in dense bushland near Walhalla in Victoria, Australia, six days after he went missing. He had gone camping with a friend and was reported missing on the Friday after failing to return from a trip to fetch camping equipment. Reports say he survived on creek water and a bag of chips while wearing only shorts and boots. Authorities said he was in good health, and he was taken to hospital to be monitored.

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. Police said a helicopter crew found William, 17, alive on Thursday morning after a six-day search near Walhalla in Victoria.

    Reported byFar Left1Left3Center4Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Left
    The Guardian, Al Jazeera English, CBS News
    Center
    Deutsche Welle, NewsNation, United Press International, BBC News
    Right
    New York Post

  2. William was reported missing on Friday, November 6, after failing to return to his camp near Walhalla.

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

  3. Authorities said he was in good health and was taken to hospital to be monitored.

    Reported byFar Left1Left1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Left
    The Guardian
    Center
    United Press International

  4. Reports say he survived on creek water and a bag of chips while wearing only shorts and boots.

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

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side reports that William, 17, was found alive by a police helicopter crew after six days missing near Walhalla in Victoria. Left coverage dwells on his survival and the rescue footage, while center headlines state the rescue plainly and attribute details to police.

  • the left

    4 outlets

    Left-side headlines lead with survival details and human interest, such as food, water and a favourite song, while the Daily Beast stresses rescue footage and his autism.

    Chips, creek water and Take Me Home, Country Roads: how an Australian teenager survived six nights in the bush
    The GuardianLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    4 outlets

    Center headlines state the rescue plainly, often attributed to police, and two name the teenager’s autism or the aerial search that found him.

    Teen with autism found alive after 6 days lost in Australian woodlands, police say
    NewsNationCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    1 outlet

    The only right-side coverage is the Associated Press report, which the New York Post ran under a plain headline; no right-side outlet wrote its own report.

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.

  • Left2

    Incredible footageIncredible Moment

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    Incredible footageMore neutral: Footage shows

    The word Incredible adds drama that the reported rescue itself does not require.

    Incredible footage has emerged of a teenager who had been missing for days in Australian bushland…

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    Incredible MomentMore neutral: Video Shows Moment Boy Is Found

    The word Incredible adds drama that the reported rescue itself does not require.

    Incredible Moment Boy Is Found After 6 Days Lost in Wild

    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

  • survival details such as food, water and shelter
  • the teenager’s own account and favourite song
  • rescue footage and his reaction
See the 5 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • The GuardianLeft

    Chips, creek water and Take Me Home, Country Roads: how an Australian teenager survived six nights in the bush

    William, 17, says ‘nights were pretty cold’ and he ‘honestly didn’t think’ he’d survive A teenage boy who survived almost a week lost in dense Australian bushland sang John Denver’s Take Me Home, Country Roads as he held out hope of rescue on long nights alone in the wilderness. …

    Read at The Guardian (opens in a new tab)
  • The Daily BeastFar Left

    Sensational language“Incredible Moment”The word Incredible adds drama that the reported rescue itself does not require.More neutral: Video Shows Moment Boy Is FoundDisagree with this highlight? Boy Is Found After 6 Days Lost in Wild

    Sensational language“Incredible footage”The word Incredible adds drama that the reported rescue itself does not require.More neutral: Footage showsDisagree with this highlight? has emerged of a teenager who had been missing for days in Australian bushland being found. The 17-year-old, identified only as William, disappeared on November 6 while going camping with a friend in Walhalla East, Victoria. …

    Read at The Daily Beast (opens in a new tab)
  • Al Jazeera EnglishLeft

    Missing teenager found in bushland during aerial search in Australia

    A 17-year-old teenager has been found in dense bushland during an aerial search after being missing for six days.

    Read at Al Jazeera English (opens in a new tab)
  • CBS NewsLeftAssociated Press report

    Boy found alive after 6 days lost in wilderness: "Grounded for life"

    Video shot from the rescue helicopter showed the boy was shirtless and sunburned. He was wearing shorts and boots and was using towels as blankets.

    Read at CBS News (opens in a new tab)

    Also published by New York Post. It counts once.

  • The GuardianLeftAssociated Press report

    Australian teen who went missing in bushland wearing only shorts and boots found alive after six days

    William, 17, was reported missing after straying from his camp near Walhalla in Victoria’s Gippsland region Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A teenage boy has been found alive after disappearing in dense bushland wearing only shorts and work boots …

    Read at The Guardian (opens in a new tab)

From the center

4 outlets

Leads with

  • the rescue itself and his survival
  • police statements on his health
  • the aerial search that found him
See the 4 headlines from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

  • the teen found alive after six days
  • the Australian woodlands setting
See the headline 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

    The Guardian, Nov 11, 9:30 PM EST

  • Center

    10 min later

    Its first report, Nov 11, 9:40 PM EST

  • Right

    10 hr 19 min later

    Its first report, Nov 12, 7:49 AM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The GuardianLeftNov 11, 9:30 PM EST
  2. BBC NewsCenterNov 11, 9:40 PM EST
  3. United Press InternationalCenterNov 12, 3:53 AM EST
  4. NewsNationCenterNov 12, 4:01 AM EST
  5. Deutsche WelleCenterNov 12, 4:14 AM EST
  6. CBS NewsLeftNov 12, 6:52 AM EST
  7. Al Jazeera EnglishLeftNov 12, 7:26 AM EST
  8. New York PostRightNov 12, 7:49 AM EST
  9. The Daily BeastFar LeftNov 12, 10:35 AM EST

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

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