Skip to content

EconomyDeveloping

Oil prices hit five-month high amid Middle East conflict

By

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 4 outlets across the spectrum.

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

Large black oil tanker at sea with a tugboat and a distant sailboat on calm water.
Image via CNBCHow images are chosenReport this image

CNBC, NBC News, ABC News and the New York Post report that oil prices reached a five-month high on Tuesday as the conflict in the Middle East continued. The New York Post reports that Brent crude traded above $111 a barrel in the morning before falling back, and that West Texas Intermediate passed $100 before also easing. Later in the day Brent was about 1% lower near $108. The Post, citing AAA, says the national average gas price was $4.28 per gallon. ABC News reports that the rise followed attacks on ships and facilities, and the Post says attacks on cargo ships are reportedly continuing.

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. Oil prices reached a five-month high on Tuesday as conflict in the Middle East continued.

    Reported byLeft2Center1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    NBC News, ABC News
    Center
    CNBC
    Right
    New York Post

  2. Attacks on ships and facilities in the region have been reported, and attacks on cargo ships were reportedly continuing.

    Reported byLeft1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    ABC News
    Right
    New York Post

  3. Brent crude traded above $111 a barrel in the morning before falling back to about $108, and West Texas Intermediate passed $100 before easing.

    One outletNew York Post· Right

  4. According to AAA, the national average gas price was $4.28 per gallon.

    One outletNew York Post· Right

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side reports that oil prices reached a five-month high on Tuesday amid Middle East conflict. The left stresses the threat to gas prices before the midterms and the attacks on ships, the center emphasizes the price surge, and the right stresses that prices reversed later in the day.

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Headlines stress the threat to gas prices two weeks before the midterms and the attacks on ships and facilities behind the price rise.

    Oil prices rise, threatening to push cost of gas higher two weeks before midterms
    NBC NewsLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    The CNBC headline presents the story as a rally, saying U.S. oil surged to a top of $107 with Brent at a five-month high.

    U.S. oil surges to top $107, Brent crude at five-month high amid Mideast tensions
    CNBCCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    1 outlet

    The New York Post headline stresses that prices reversed after the five-month high while Middle East uncertainty persists.

    Oil prices hit five-month high before reversing gains as Middle East uncertainty persists
    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 4 of the 5 articles in context when it wrote the analysis. 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

  • gas prices before the midterms
  • attacks on ships and facilities
  • the Iran war

Leaves out

  • the intraday peak above $111 for Brent
  • the reversal of gains later in the day

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

  • the price surge
  • Mideast tensions
  • investors monitoring developments

Leaves out

  • the effect on gasoline prices before the midterms

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

See the headline from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

  • the price reversal
  • Middle East uncertainty
  • Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia

Leaves out

  • the link to the midterm elections
  • the attacks on ships and facilities named in the left-side headlines

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

See the headline from the rightHide the headlines
  • New York PostRight

    Oil prices hit five-month high before reversing gains as Middle East uncertainty persists

    Crude oil prices hit a five-month high Tuesday morning before reversing gains, as conflict in the Middle East continued to simmer.

    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

    3 hr later

    Its first report, Oct 20, 9:48 AM EDT

  • Center

    First to report

    CNBC, Oct 20, 6:48 AM EDT

  • Right

    6 hr 8 min later

    Its first report, Oct 20, 12:56 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. CNBCCenterOct 20, 6:48 AM EDT
  2. NBC NewsLeftOct 20, 9:48 AM EDT
  3. ABC NewsLeftOct 20, 9:53 AM EDT
  4. New York PostRightOct 20, 12:56 PM EDT

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

Read next

Help someone else find the truth beneath the surface

Most people see one side of a story. Share this one, so they can see how every side is telling it and decide for themselves.

Email it

Seen a mistake? Tell us what is wrong with this page