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North Korea test-fires submarine-launched cruise missiles

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 5 outlets across the spectrum.

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

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North Korea test-fired submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles on Wednesday, state media KCNA reported Thursday. KCNA said the tests assessed the readiness of underwater combat systems and posed no threat to neighbouring countries. Tensions with South Korea followed a September 21 landmine blast in the Demilitarised Zone, and the launches come as Donald Trump has made fresh overtures for a meeting with Kim Jong Un, Bloomberg reports. The Associated Press reports that North Korea is stepping up weapons demonstrations in an apparent bid to press Washington for concessions. KCNA did not name the launch platform; AP says photos suggest the Hero Kim Kun Ok submarine was used, which is not yet confirmed.

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. North Korea test-fired submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles, state media KCNA reported.

    Reported byLeft2Center2Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Bloomberg, Al Jazeera English
    Center
    France 24, Deutsche Welle
    Right
    New York Post

  2. The tests involved two types of missile.

    Reported byLeft1Center1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Al Jazeera English
    Center
    France 24
    Right
    New York Post

  3. KCNA said the launches posed no threat to neighbouring countries.

    One outletFrance 24· Center

  4. Tensions with South Korea have risen since a September 21 landmine blast in the Demilitarised Zone injured three South Korean soldiers.

    One outletFrance 24· Center

  5. Donald Trump has made fresh overtures for a meeting with Kim Jong Un, Bloomberg reports.

    One outletBloomberg· Left

Show 2 more pointsShow fewer points

  1. The Associated Press reports that North Korea is stepping up weapons demonstrations in an apparent bid to press Washington for concessions.

    One outletNew York Post· Right

  2. The tests were the first public underwater-launched missile tests in nearly three years, and photos suggest the Hero Kim Kun Ok submarine was used.

    One outletNew York Post· Right

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • The launches posed no threat to neighbouring countries.

    KCNA says the launches posed no threat to neighbouring countries. The AP report describes the Hero Kim Kun Ok submarine, if deployed with such weapons, as a major threat to South Korea and the United States.

  • The launches were made from the Hero Kim Kun Ok submarine.

    KCNA did not name the launch platform. AP says its photos suggest the submarine was used, and that this is not yet confirmed.

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three sides report North Korea test-fired submarine-launched cruise missiles, per state media KCNA. Center outlets stress tensions with South Korea, left outlets tie the launches to Trump’s meeting overtures, and the right-side AP report stresses the first underwater tests in nearly three years.

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Left headlines differ: Bloomberg ties the tests to Donald Trump’s fresh meeting overtures, while Al Jazeera reports the state media account without comment.

    Kim Tests Submarine-Launched Missiles After Trump Floats Meeting
    BloombergLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    2 outlets

    Center headlines report the test and attribute it to state media, with France 24 adding rising tensions with South Korea and Deutsche Welle stressing the submarine launch.

    North Korea test-fires submarine-launched cruise missiles amid rising tensions
    France 24CenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    1 outlet

    The only right-side coverage is an Associated Press report carried by the New York Post, headlined on the first underwater-launched tests in nearly three years.

    North Korea holds first underwater-launched missile tests in nearly 3 years
    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.

Mantle found no loaded language in this coverage. Every headline and opening was checked against Mantle’s published word list, and Mantle’s AI read all 5 articles in context. Straight reporting often has none.

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

  • Trump’s meeting overtures
  • Pyongyang flexing military muscle
  • state media account

Leaves out

  • September 21 landmine blast in the Demilitarised Zone
  • KCNA’s claim that the tests posed no threat

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

See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

2 outlets

Leads with

  • state media attribution
  • tensions with South Korea
  • submarine-launched cruise missiles

Leaves out

  • Trump’s overtures for a meeting with Kim Jong Un

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

See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines
  • Deutsche WelleCenter

    North Korea says it tested cruise missiles to be launched from sub

    North Korean state media said the military test-fired cruise missiles designed to be launched from submarines. Pyongyang has ramped up weapons launches in recent weeks.

    Read at Deutsche Welle (opens in a new tab)
  • France 24Center

    North Korea test-fires submarine-launched cruise missiles amid rising tensions

    North Korea test-fired two types of submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles on Wednesday, state media KCNA reported Thursday, saying the launches posed no threat to neighbouring countries. …

    Read at France 24 (opens in a new tab)

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

  • first underwater tests in nearly three years
  • Hero Kim Kun Ok submarine
  • pressure on the United States

Leaves out

  • Trump’s overtures for a meeting with Kim Jong Un
  • September 21 landmine blast in the Demilitarised Zone

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

See the headline from the rightHide the headlines
  • New York PostRightAssociated Press report

    North Korea holds first underwater-launched missile tests in nearly 3 years

    North Korea tested two strategic cruise missiles from a submarine, likely mobilizing the Hero Kim Kun Ok vessel for its first public test.

    Read at New York Post (opens in a new tab)

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 56 min later

    Its first report, Oct 14, 9:07 PM EDT

  • Center

    First to report

    France 24, Oct 14, 7:12 PM EDT

  • Right

    10 hr 19 min later

    Its first report, Oct 15, 5:30 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. France 24CenterOct 14, 7:12 PM EDT
  2. Deutsche WelleCenterOct 14, 7:37 PM EDT
  3. BloombergLeftOct 14, 9:07 PM EDT
  4. Al Jazeera EnglishLeftOct 14, 11:23 PM EDT
  5. New York PostRightOct 15, 5:30 AM EDT

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

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