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Oklahoma man charged over letters containing white powder sent to officials

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 9 outlets across the spectrum.

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

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Image via MS NOWHow images are chosenReport this image

Federal authorities have charged Robin Patrick Martin of Oklahoma with conveying a hoax and mailing threatening communications, according to charging documents. The unsealed criminal complaint says he sent more than 700 letters containing white powder to public officials, lawmakers and media organizations before the 2024 and 2026 elections. The Associated Press reported that the powder was nonhazardous. A federal law enforcement source told Fox News that the FBI arrested Martin early Monday. An initial court appearance was expected Tuesday afternoon in Oklahoma City, and the charges carry up to 15 years in prison if he is convicted on both counts.

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. Robin Patrick Martin of Oklahoma has been charged with conveying a hoax and mailing threatening communications.

    Reported byFar Left2Left2Center1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    Raw Story, MS NOW
    Left
    CBS News, The Guardian
    Center
    The Hill
    Right
    New York Post

  2. According to court documents, hundreds of letters containing white powder were sent to public officials before the 2024 and 2026 elections.

    Reported byFar Left2Left2Center1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    Raw Story, MS NOW
    Left
    CBS News, The Guardian
    Center
    The Hill
    Right
    New York Post

  3. The powder was described as nonhazardous.

    Reported byFar Left1Left1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    MS NOW
    Left
    The Guardian
    Right
    New York Post

  4. A federal law enforcement source told Fox News that the FBI arrested Martin.

    One outletFox News· Far Right

  5. An initial court appearance was expected Tuesday in Oklahoma City.

    One outletRaw Story· Far Left

How each side tells it

Compare views

Most headlines state the charge plainly, while Fox News leads with an FBI arrest citing a source and Raw Story calls Martin an election denier. All three sides report that an Oklahoma man was charged over hundreds of letters containing white powder sent to officials.

  • the left

    4 outlets

    Left headlines mostly report the charge plainly, but Raw Story, a Far Left outlet, calls Martin an election denier, a label the other outlets do not use.

    Oklahoma man charged with mailing hundreds of white-powder letters
    CBS NewsLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    2 outlets

    The Hill’s headline reports the charge plainly and names lawmakers as recipients, the only center headline in the sample.

    Oklahoma man charged over mailing letters with powder to lawmakers
    The HillCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    3 outlets

    Right-side headlines split: the New York Post runs the AP charge story, while Fox News, a Far Right outlet, leads with an FBI arrest citing an unnamed source.

    Loaded verb“FBI nabs”Nabs is a colloquial verb that makes the arrest sound like a capture, while other outlets report it as an arrest.More neutral: FBI arrestsDisagree with this highlight? suspect accused of sending hundreds of white powder letters to public officials: source
    Fox NewsFar RightAll 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.

  • Left1

    Election denier

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right1

    FBI nabs

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    FBI nabsMore neutral: FBI arrests

    Nabs is a colloquial verb that makes the arrest sound like a capture, while other outlets report it as an arrest.

    FBI nabs suspect accused of sending hundreds of white powder letters to public officials:…

    Used byFox News (Far Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    Election denierMore neutral: Oklahoma man

    The label places the man in a contested political category before any court has ruled on his motive.

    Election denier charged with mailing suspicious powder to hundreds of officials

    Used byRaw Story (Far 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

4 outlets

Leads with

  • the hoax and threatening-mail charges
  • hundreds of letters sent to officials
  • the suspect’s stance on elections

Leaves out

  • the three-page “Declaration of War” letter

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

See the 4 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • CBS NewsLeft

    Oklahoma man charged with mailing hundreds of white-powder letters

    An Oklahoma man faces federal charges after allegedly sending hundreds of letters containing white powder to public officials and media outlets ahead of the 2024 and 2026 elections.

    Read at CBS News (opens in a new tab)
  • Raw StoryFar Left

    Loaded modifier“Election denier”The label places the man in a contested political category before any court has ruled on his motive.More neutral: Oklahoma manDisagree with this highlight? charged with mailing suspicious powder to hundreds of officials

    Federal authorities have charged an Oklahoma man with mailing hundreds of letters containing white powder to public officials ahead of the 2024 and 2026 elections. …

    Read at Raw Story (opens in a new tab)
  • The GuardianLeftAssociated Press report

    US man charged with mailing hundreds of letters containing powder to officials before midterms

    The Guardian published a report that is shown in full at New York Post. The headline is the one The Guardian gave it.

    Read at The Guardian (opens in a new tab)
  • MS NOWFar LeftAssociated Press report

    Oklahoma man charged with mailing nonhazardous powder to officials

    MS NOW published a report that is shown in full at New York Post. The headline is the one MS NOW gave it.

    Read at MS NOW (opens in a new tab)

From the center

2 outlets

Leads with

  • more than 700 letters
  • up to 15 years in prison
  • the unsealed criminal complaint
See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines
  • The HillCenter

    Oklahoma man charged over mailing letters with powder to lawmakers

    An Oklahoma man is facing federal charges amid allegations that he sent more than 700 letters containing a white powdery substance to public officials, lawmakers, media organizations and others in the weeks before the 2024 and 2026 elections. …

    Read at The Hill (opens in a new tab)
  • Roll CallCenter

    Man charged in spree of powder-filled letters that rattled Congress

    Federal officials unsealed charges Tuesday against an Oklahoma man accused of mailing hundreds of letters containing suspicious substances to members of Congress and other officials last month and ahead of the 2024 election. The court records, unsealed in the U.S. …

    Read at Roll Call (opens in a new tab)

From the right

3 outlets

Leads with

  • the FBI arrest
  • an unnamed federal source
  • hundreds of suspicious letters
See the 3 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • The Epoch TimesFar Right

    Man Sent Hundreds of Letters Containing Powder to Officials: Court Documents

    Robin Martin was hit with federal charges that included mailing threatening communications.

    Read at The Epoch Times (opens in a new tab)
  • New York PostRightAssociated Press report

    Oklahoma man charged with mailing hundreds of letters containing powder to officials ahead of the election

    Federal authorities have charged an Oklahoma man with sending hundreds of letters containing nonhazardous white powder to public officials ahead of the 2024 and 2026 elections.

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

    Also published by MS NOW and The Guardian. It counts once.

  • Fox NewsFar Right

    Loaded verb“FBI nabs”Nabs is a colloquial verb that makes the arrest sound like a capture, while other outlets report it as an arrest.More neutral: FBI arrestsDisagree with this highlight? suspect accused of sending hundreds of white powder letters to public officials: source

    A suspect was arrested by the FBI’s Oklahoma City field office in connection to hundreds of suspicious letters sent to government and election offices.

    Read at Fox News (opens in a new tab)

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

    3 hr 30 min later

    Its first report, Nov 3, 12:48 PM EST

  • Center

    First to report

    Roll Call, Nov 3, 9:17 AM EST

  • Right

    58 min later

    Its first report, Nov 3, 10:16 AM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Roll CallCenterNov 3, 9:17 AM EST
  2. Fox NewsFar RightNov 3, 10:16 AM EST
  3. New York PostRightNov 3, 12:39 PM EST
  4. MS NOWFar LeftNov 3, 12:48 PM EST
  5. The GuardianLeftNov 3, 12:50 PM EST
  6. Raw StoryFar LeftNov 3, 1:13 PM EST
  7. CBS NewsLeftNov 3, 1:15 PM EST
  8. The HillCenterNov 3, 2:03 PM EST
  9. The Epoch TimesFar RightNov 3, 2:25 PM EST

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

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