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Nanotyrannus skeleton named Jodi sells for about $47 million at New York auction

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 5 outlets, mostly left-leaning (60%).

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

Dinosaur skeleton mounted on a black stand against a dark background, showing skull and ribs.
Image via The New York TimesHow images are chosenReport this image

A Nanotyrannus skeleton named Jodi sold at a Sotheby’s auction in New York for $47.3 million, Sotheby’s said. Sotheby’s said six bidders competed in a twelve-minute battle online and by phone before the sale closed by phone, and it had estimated the skeleton would sell for $6 million to $9 million. The buyer has not been publicly identified. The skeleton was found in 2019 on private land in Montana. Before the sale, the BBC reported the skeleton going to auction with a £4.5m price tag, amid debate in the scientific community over whether dinosaur remains should be in private hands or public view.

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 Nanotyrannus skeleton named Jodi sold at auction in New York for about $47 million, with the reported figure $47.3 million.

    Reported byLeft3Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The New York Times, ABC News, The Guardian
    Right
    New York Post

  2. Sotheby’s said the skeleton sold for $47.3 million after a twelve-minute bidding battle among six bidders, closing by phone.

    One outletThe Guardian· Left

  3. Sotheby’s had estimated the skeleton would sell for $6 million to $9 million.

    One outletThe Guardian· Left

  4. Sotheby’s said the sale makes Jodi the second most valuable dinosaur ever sold at auction.

    One outletThe Guardian· Left

  5. The buyer has not been publicly identified.

    One outletThe Guardian· Left

  6. Before the sale, the BBC reported the skeleton going to auction with a £4.5m price tag, amid debate over whether dinosaur remains should be in private hands or public view.

    One outletBBC News· Center

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • The skeleton carried a £4.5m price tag.

    The BBC headline gives £4.5m as the price tag as the skeleton went to auction, before the sale. Sotheby’s and the other outlets report that it sold for $47.3 million.

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side present reports a Nanotyrannus skeleton going to auction, and the left and right report it sold for about $47 million. The center’s headline gives a £4.5m price tag and the debate over private ownership, while the left and right lead with the sale price and rarity.

  • the left

    3 outlets

    Leads with the $47 million price and the fossil’s rarity; the ABC headline’s ‘giant’ sum and ‘mini T. rex’ framing is matched by the New York Post’s ‘whopping’ on the right.

    Skeleton of Nanotyrannus ‘Jodi,’ T. Rex’s Cousin, Is Auctioned for $47.3 Million
    The New York TimesLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    Its headline gives the auction and a £4.5m price tag, and the piece turns to the debate over whether dinosaur remains belong in private hands or public view.

    Nanotyrannus skeleton goes to auction in New York with £4.5m price tag
    BBC NewsCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    1 outlet

    Only the New York Post headline on this story is right-side; its text is an Associated Press report, and the headline stresses the sum, calling it ‘whopping’ at $47M and the fossil a ‘mini T. rex’ lookalike.

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

    blockbuster price taggiant

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    blockbuster price tagMore neutral: high price

    The word “blockbuster” adds drama to a plain auction price that the figures already state.

    The blockbuster price tag for “Jodi,” as the skeleton is nicknamed, makes it the second-priciest set of…

    Used byABC News (Left)

  • Sensational language

    giantMore neutral: $47 million

    The word “giant” adds emphasis to the price that the figure already conveys.

    rex just sold for a giant $47 million

    Used byABC News (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

3 outlets

Leads with

  • the $47.3 million sale price
  • the fossil’s rarity and size
  • Sotheby’s ‘second most valuable’ claim
See the 3 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • The GuardianLeft

    Rare Nanotyrannus skeleton, sells for $47.3m at New York auction

    Sale makes ‘Jodi’, a smaller relative of T rex, the ‘second most valuable dinosaur ever sold at auction’, Sotheby’s says A rare skeleton of a Nanotyrannus, a smaller relative of the Tyrannosaurus rex, sold at auction in New York this week for $47.3m, making it one of the world’s …

    Read at The Guardian (opens in a new tab)
  • ABC NewsLeftAssociated Press report

    A dinosaur fossil that looks like a mini T. rex just sold for a Sensational language“giant”The word “giant” adds emphasis to the price that the figure already conveys.More neutral: $47 millionDisagree with this highlight? $47 million

    A dinosaur that looks like a miniature T

    Read at ABC News (opens in a new tab)

    Also published by New York Post. It counts once.

  • The New York TimesLeft

    Skeleton of Nanotyrannus ‘Jodi,’ T. Rex’s Cousin, Is Auctioned for $47.3 Million

    The Nanotyrannus specimen is the latest dinosaur fossil to fetch a high price at a private auction, this time at Sotheby’s.

    Read at The New York Times (opens in a new tab)

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • the auction itself
  • the private versus public debate over dinosaur remains
See the headline from the centerHide the headlines
  • BBC NewsCenter

    Nanotyrannus skeleton goes to auction in New York with £4.5m price tag

    The auction of the rare skeleton comes amid debate in the scientific community about whether dinosaur remains should end up in private hands or public view.

    Read at BBC News (opens in a new tab)

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

  • the dollar sum
  • the fossil’s resemblance to a mini T. rex
See the headline from the rightHide the headlines

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 hr 18 min later

    Its first report, Oct 27, 10:41 AM EDT

  • Center

    First to report

    BBC News, Oct 27, 9:23 AM EDT

  • Right

    5 hr 34 min later

    Its first report, Oct 27, 2:57 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. BBC NewsCenterOct 27, 9:23 AM EDT
  2. The New York TimesLeftOct 27, 10:41 AM EDT
  3. ABC NewsLeftOct 27, 2:56 PM EDT
  4. New York PostRightOct 27, 2:57 PM EDT
  5. The GuardianLeftOct 27, 5:16 PM EDT

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

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