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National Guard member shot in Washington, D.C.; suspect also wounded

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 13 outlets, mostly right-leaning (77%).

19 articles in total, 2 of them opinion. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Uniformed National Guard members in camouflage with reflective vests walking up a station staircase, backs to camera.
Image via CBS NewsHow images are chosenReport this image

Police say a National Guard member was shot in the leg late Sunday, October 18, in the Barracks Row area of Southeast Washington, D.C., and that the suspect was also shot. Police say the guard member was trying to break up a street fight when he was shot. Neither injury was reported as life-threatening. Reports published Tuesday say a 41-year-old man has been charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and firearms offenses, citing court filings. The Associated Press reports that one U.S. Attorney’s spokesperson said prosecutors were still evaluating whether to bring federal charges.

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. Police said a National Guard member was shot in the leg late Sunday in Southeast Washington while trying to break up a street fight.

    Reported byCenter1Right3Far Right3See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    The Hill
    Right
    The Washington Times, Washington Examiner, New York Post
    Far Right
    The Western Journal, One America News, Townhall

  2. The suspect was also shot in the exchange of fire, and neither the guard member nor the suspect had life-threatening injuries, police said.

    Reported byLeft1Center1Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    CBS News
    Center
    The Hill
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    Townhall

  3. Police said they were investigating the shooting near the 400 block of 8th Street SE.

    Reported byLeft1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    ABC News
    Center
    The Hill

  4. The suspect, a 41-year-old man, has been charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and firearms offenses, according to reports of court filings.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    Townhall, Just the News

  5. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney for D.C. said prosecutors were evaluating the charges, and no federal charges had been filed by Tuesday evening.

    One outletJust the News· Far Right

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • The suspect will be prosecuted in federal court.

    Just the News’ headline says so, citing the U.S. Attorney’s discretion over court choice. The same article reports that the suspect was scheduled for arraignment in D.C. Superior Court and that no federal charges had been filed as of Tuesday evening. The AP-based report lists the charges without naming a court.

  • The suspect’s name is Jerrell Jackson or Jarrell Lamont Jackson.

    Townhall and Just the News give the name as Jerrell Jackson. The AP-based report gives the name as Jarrell Lamont Jackson, age 41, and lists the charges in full.

How each side tells it

Compare views

All sides report a National Guard member shot in the leg late Sunday in Southeast Washington, and the suspect also shot. The left leads with the shooting and police probe, while the right stresses the guard’s intervention in a fight and the return fire.

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Left headlines lead with the injury and the police investigation, not the fight; the ABC and CBS headlines name the guard member and the shooting without describing how it began.

    DC police investigating shooting involving National Guard member
    ABC NewsLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    The Hill’s headline states the shooting plainly and gives the guard member’s attempt to break up a fight as its context.

    National Guardsman shot in DC after trying to break up fight
    The HillCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    10 outlets · 2 opinion

    Right headlines center the guard member’s intervention in a fight; the Far Right adds proximity to the Capitol and the return fire that wounded the suspect.

    National Guard member shot trying to intervene during street fight in DC
    Washington ExaminerRightAll 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.

  • Right2

    great deterrentA criminal

In the outlets’ own words

  • Absolutist framing

    great deterrentMore neutral: a presence some credit with deterring crime

    It presents a contested claim that the Guard's presence deters crime as settled fact.

    They've been a great deterrent.

    Used byRedState (Far Right)

  • Dehumanizing label

    A criminalMore neutral: A suspect

    Calls the suspect a criminal before the case has been tried.

    A criminal shot the guardsman instead of dropping his gun as ordered.

    Used byPJ Media (Far Right)

Words quoted from someone else (1)Hide the quoted words

Loaded words that outlets reported someone else saying. They show what was said, not how the outlet chose to say it.

  • Sensational language

    Quoted

    brazen attackMore neutral: attack

    The words are a prosecutor’s characterization of the attack and add judgement beyond the charges listed.

    …Guard shooting gunman ID’d, charged with multiple firearms offenses after ‘brazen attack’

    Quoted byNew York Post (Right)

    These are Jeanine Pirro’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

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

2 outlets

Leads with

  • police investigation
  • injury to the guard member
  • non-life-threatening injuries

Leaves out

  • guard members trying to break up a fight
  • the suspect’s charges

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

See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • guard member breaking up a fight
  • police account
  • injuries not life-threatening

Leaves out

  • guard members returning fire
  • the suspect’s charges

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

See the headline from the centerHide the headlines
  • The HillCenter

    National Guardsman shot in DC after trying to break up fight

    A member of the National Guard was shot in the leg late Sunday while attempting to break up a fight in Southeast Washington, D.C., police said Monday. …

    Read at The Hill (opens in a new tab)

From the right

10 outlets · 2 opinion

Leads with

  • guard member intervening in a fight
  • return fire by guard members
  • proximity to the U.S. Capitol
  • federal prosecution of the suspect
See the 13 headlines 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

    First to report

    ABC News, Oct 19, 2:38 AM EDT

  • Center

    7 hr 54 min later

    Its first report, Oct 19, 10:32 AM EDT

  • Right

    2 hr 41 min later

    Its first report, Oct 19, 5:20 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. ABC NewsLeftOct 19, 2:38 AM EDT
  2. Fox NewsFar RightOct 19, 5:20 AM EDT
  3. New York PostRightOct 19, 6:00 AM EDT
  4. The Washington TimesRightOct 19, 6:53 AM EDT
  5. CBS NewsLeftOct 19, 8:15 AM EDT
  6. Washington ExaminerRightOct 19, 9:41 AM EDT
  7. The Western JournalFar RightOct 19, 9:47 AM EDT
  8. The Daily CallerFar RightOct 19, 10:06 AM EDT
  9. One America NewsFar RightOct 19, 10:14 AM EDT
  10. The HillCenterOct 19, 10:32 AM EDT
  11. TheBlazeFar RightOct 19, 7:25 PM EDT
  12. TownhallFar RightOct 20, 12:30 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out. Just the News gave only a date, so it is not placed.

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