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Newsom plans to commute all 548 California death sentences to life without parole

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, mostly right-leaning (67%).

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

A man in a navy suit speaks at a press conference before several news station microphones.
Image via Fox NewsHow images are chosenReport this image

Gov. Gavin Newsom said he intends to commute the death sentences of all 548 people on California’s death row to life without parole, calling capital punishment incompatible with the state’s values. According to the Associated Press, 382 of the cases still need approval from at least four California Supreme Court justices. Newsom has said a meeting with the sisters of murder victim Polly Klaas at San Quentin shaped his decision, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. District attorneys across the state have condemned the plan, saying it overrides juries and ignores victims’ families. Some victims’ families have publicly criticized the move.

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. Gov. Gavin Newsom said he intends to commute the death sentences of all 548 condemned inmates in California to life without parole.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    Fox News

  2. Newsom said a meeting with the sisters of murder victim Polly Klaas at San Quentin prompted him to act.

    One outletNew York Post· Right

  3. Of the commutations, 382 cases still need approval from at least four California Supreme Court justices, according to the Associated Press.

    One outletFox News· Far Right

  4. Victims’ families have publicly criticized the move.

    Reported byCenter1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    NewsNation
    Far Right
    Fox News

  5. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer called the move immoral.

    One outletFox News· Far Right

  6. At least a dozen California district attorneys have publicly condemned the plan, saying it overrides juries.

    One outletFox News· Far Right

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side present reports Newsom’s plan to commute all 548 death sentences and criticism from victims’ families. The right stresses harm to victims, prosecutors’ opposition and the legal fight ahead, while the center’s coverage here focuses on victims’ families’ anger.

  • the left

    No coverage yet

    No left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

  • the center

    1 outlet

    Headline leads with victims’ families’ anger over the move, quoting a relative rather than the governor’s reasoning.

    ‘I was pissed’: Victims’ families Loaded verb“blast”Blast signals a harsher tone than the families’ statements may carry.More neutral: criticizeDisagree with this highlight? Newsom death row move
    NewsNationCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    2 outlets

    Headlines stress that the governor is sparing dangerous criminals and ignoring victims, with Fox News’s far-right pieces going further, saying the move ‘stabs crime victims in the heart’.

    Gov. Gavin Newsom reveals the moment he decided to Loaded verb“spare all”Spare frames the commutations as mercy toward condemned men rather than as a sentence change.More neutral: commute the death sentences of allDisagree with this highlight? of California’s 548 death row inmates
    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.

  • Left

    Has not covered this story.

  • Center1

    blast

  • Right8

    revoltpresume to speakpompousbetray

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    revoltMore neutral: opposition

    Revolt implies a rebellion, while the coverage describes prosecutors publicly objecting.

    Newsom’s death-row commutations spark DA revolt as prosecutors warn of legal fight

    Used byFox News (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    presume to speakMore neutral: speak for

    Presume to speak implies arrogance, a judgement beyond the governor’s stated reasoning.

    And by what authority does the governor presume to speak for the conscience of every Californian?

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    pompous

    Pompous is a personal judgement of the governor’s manner, not a description of the decision.

    I was a deputy state AG — and Gavin Newsom’s pompous death-row commutations betray an entire process of justice

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    betrayMore neutral: conflict with

    Betray asserts a breach of trust as settled fact, where the piece is arguing a view.

    I was a deputy state AG — and Gavin Newsom’s pompous death-row commutations betray an entire process of justice

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

Show 5 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded modifier

    most dangerous criminalsMore neutral: condemned inmates

    Describing the inmates as the most dangerous is a judgement the article does not establish.

    The decision to spare some of California’s most dangerous criminals has left many victims' families horrified.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Sensational language

    horrifiedMore neutral: opposed

    The word describes the families’ emotional state in strong terms the article does not quote.

    …spare some of California’s most dangerous criminals has left many victims' families horrified.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    spare the criminalsMore neutral: commute the sentences of

    Spare the criminals casts the commutations as leniency toward offenders.

    …facing backlash from prosecutors and victims’ family members for his move to spare the criminals, explained that a chance run-in with the siblings of murder victim Polly Klaas…

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    spare allMore neutral: commute the death sentences of all

    Spare frames the commutations as mercy toward condemned men rather than as a sentence change.

    Gavin Newsom reveals the moment he decided to spare all of California’s 548 death row inmates

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    blastMore neutral: criticize

    Blast signals a harsher tone than the families’ statements may carry.

    ‘I was pissed’: Victims’ families blast Newsom death row move

    Used byNewsNation (Center)

Words quoted from someone else (6)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.

  • Loaded verb

    Quoted

    overriding juriesMore neutral: replacing jury sentences

    Overriding juries is the prosecutors’ characterization of the plan, presented as the article’s own framing.

    California district attorneys accuse Gavin Newsom of overriding juries and ignoring victims' families with his plan to commute all 548 death sentences…

    Quoted byFox News (Far Right)

    These are California district attorneys’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

  • Loaded verb

    Quoted

    defies the will of state votersMore neutral: departs from the 2012 and 2016 votes

    Defies the will of voters is the prosecutors’ argument, not an established finding.

    …the sweeping move overrides juries, disregards victims’ families and defies the will of state voters.

    Quoted byFox News (Far Right)

    These are California district attorneys’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

  • Loaded modifier

    Quoted

    immoralMore neutral: opposed

    Immoral is a moral verdict on the policy, attributed to the district attorney.

    …California's death row sentences to life without parole, calling the mass clemency "immoral."

    Quoted byFox News (Far Right)

    These are Todd Spitzer’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

  • Loaded verb

    Quoted

    stabbing crime victimsMore neutral: affecting crime victims

    The violent metaphor is the district attorney’s characterization of the decision.

    …row, a move that Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer criticized as stabbing crime victims "in the heart." Speaking on "Fox News @ Night," Spitzer took direct aim at…

    Quoted byFox News (Far Right)

    These are Todd Spitzer’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

Show 2 more quoted phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded modifier

    Quoted

    cruelMore neutral: commutation

    Cruel is a moral judgement of the policy, attributed to the district attorney in the headline.

    California DA says Gavin Newsom's 'cruel' death row clemency stabs crime victims 'in the heart'

    Quoted byFox News (Far Right)

    These are Todd Spitzer’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

  • Loaded verb

    Quoted

    stabs crime victimsMore neutral: affects crime victims

    Stabs is a violent metaphor for a sentencing decision, attributed to the district attorney.

    California DA says Gavin Newsom's 'cruel' death row clemency stabs crime victims 'in the heart'

    Quoted byFox News (Far Right)

    These are Todd Spitzer’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

0 outlets

No left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • victims’ families’ anger
  • reaction to the commutations
See the headline from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

2 outlets

Leads with

  • sparing dangerous criminals
  • victims’ and prosecutors’ opposition
  • governor’s personal reasoning
  • legal fight ahead
See the 2 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

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Center

    11 hr 22 min later

    Its first report, Nov 7, 8:22 PM EST

  • Right

    First to report

    Fox News, Nov 7, 9:00 AM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Fox NewsFar RightNov 7, 9:00 AM EST
  2. New York PostRightNov 7, 4:04 PM EST
  3. NewsNationCenterNov 7, 8:22 PM EST

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

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