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Illinois man charged in alleged mass-shooting plot against Hindu temple near Chicago

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 17 outlets across the spectrum.

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

Two uniformed officers in sunglasses and tactical vests, one carrying a rifle, speaking with a third officer.
Image via Al Jazeera EnglishHow images are chosenReport this image

A 19-year-old Palatine, Illinois, man, Alexandros Paporakis, was arrested on Sunday and charged with making a terrorist threat and unlawfully possessing weapons, according to police and prosecutors. Police said he had shared a document expressing white supremacist views and outlined a plan for a mass shooting that potentially targeted a Hindu place of worship in Aurora, Illinois. A congressman, citing Cook County prosecutors, said the suspect’s rifle jammed. Community leaders say online hate against Hindus and Indians fueled the plot. Paporakis has appeared in court.

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 arrested a 19-year-old Palatine, Illinois man, Alexandros Paporakis, on Sunday.

    Reported byLeft1Center2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    ABC News
    Center
    The Hill, BBC News

  2. Prosecutors charged him with felony counts of making a terrorist threat and unlawfully possessing weapons.

    Reported byLeft1Right2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    ABC News
    Right
    New York Post, Washington Examiner
    Far Right
    The Epoch Times

  3. Police said he planned a mass shooting that potentially targeted a Hindu place of worship.

    Reported byLeft3Center1Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Al Jazeera English, ABC News, The Guardian
    Center
    The Hill
    Right
    Washington Examiner
    Far Right
    One America News

  4. Police said he had shared a document expressing white supremacist views and outlined the plan.

    Reported byLeft1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Right
    Washington Examiner

  5. The alleged target was a Hindu temple in Aurora, Illinois.

    Reported byFar Left1Center1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The New Republic
    Center
    The Hill
    Right
    Washington Examiner
Show 2 more pointsShow fewer points

  1. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi said, citing Cook County prosecutors, that the suspect’s rifle jammed.

    Reported byFar Left1Left1Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The New Republic
    Left
    ABC News
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    The Epoch Times

  2. Community leaders say online hate against Hindus and Indians fueled the plot.

    Reported byLeft1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    ABC News
    Center
    PBS NewsHour

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • The plot was aimed at a Hindu temple.

    The New York Post and One America News report the Hindu temple as the target; ABC News and The Guardian, citing police, say the plot potentially targeted a Hindu place of worship, and Just the News says it may have.

How each side tells it

Compare views

All sides report that a 19-year-old Palatine man was arrested and charged over an alleged mass-shooting plot at a Hindu temple near Chicago. Right outlets stress the white supremacist label and thwarted attack, left outlets hedge the target, and center outlets lead with the arrest.

  • the left

    5 outlets

    Left headlines hedge the target with ‘potentially’ or ‘police say’, and the Far Left New Republic centers a Democratic congressman’s presence at the temple.

    Man charged in alleged plot potentially targeting Hindu place of worship in Illinois
    ABC NewsLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    3 outlets

    Center headlines report the arrest, the court appearance and officials’ reaction in plain terms, and attribute the online-hate explanation to community leaders.

    Palatine man charged in alleged mass shooting plot targeting Hindu place of worship
    The HillCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    9 outlets · 1 opinion

    Right headlines lead with the arrest or the thwarted attack; the New York Post adds a ‘sociopathic white supremacist’ label and the jammed gun, while far-right outlets stick to arrest and charge wording.

    Hindu temple mass shooting thwarted after ‘sociopathic white supremacist’ teen’s gun jammed near Chicago
    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.

  • Left2

    tried to carry out a mass shootingMass Shooting Attempt

  • Center2

    massacrehateful

  • Right9

    transgender 19-year-old alleged neo-NaziTrans neo-Nazimassacreturned his coworker into police

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    massacreMore neutral: carry out a mass shooting

    The outlet describes an alleged plot in the stronger term of a massacre, which goes beyond the facts the police have described.

    …have expressed shock and outrage about an alleged racially motivated 2-year plot to massacre people at a Hindu temple in Aurora, Ill., which led to the arrest of a 19-year-old…

    Used byThe Hill (Center)Fox News (Far Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    transgender 19-year-old alleged neo-NaziMore neutral: 19-year-old man accused

    The sentence attaches a transgender identity to a neo-Nazi label in a crime story, tying a group to the alleged act; a plain description of the accused is available.

    A transgender 19-year-old alleged neo-Nazi accused of plotting a racist mass shooting at a Hindu temple outside…

    Used byNew York Post (Right)Fox News (Far Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    Trans neo-NaziMore neutral: 19-year-old accused

    The headline attaches a transgender identity to a neo-Nazi label in a crime story, tying a group to the alleged act; a plain description of the accused is available.

    Trans neo-Nazi teen accused of Hindu temple mass shooting plot will get hormone treatments in…

    Used byNew York Post (Right)Fox News (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    turned his coworker into policeMore neutral: reported his coworker to police

    The phrasing is colloquial and carries a tone of betrayal, where a plain report to police would describe the same act.

    A Taco Bell employee turned his coworker into police, thwarting a potential mass shooting at a Chicago-area Hindu temple.

    Used byThe Daily Caller (Far Right)

Show 8 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded modifier

    would-be gunmanMore neutral: suspect

    The label treats the suspect as a gunman before the charges are tested in court.

    …a Taco Bell in Arlington Heights, Illinois said he had been in contact with the would-be gunman as Paporakis lapsed into a manic episode and sent him a video of a rifle and a…

    Used byThe Daily Caller (Far Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    HeroicMore neutral: Taco Bell worker

    The headline passes a value judgement on the worker before the facts are set out; the report that he alerted police does not need the word.

    Heroic Taco Bell Worker Thwarts Would-Be Mass Shooter Allegedly Targeting Place Of Worship

    Used byThe Daily Caller (Far Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    Would-Be Mass ShooterMore neutral: man charged in alleged mass shooting plot

    The label pre-judges a man who has been charged but not convicted, and presents the alleged plot as a settled identity.

    Heroic Taco Bell Worker Thwarts Would-Be Mass Shooter Allegedly Targeting Place Of Worship

    Used byThe Daily Caller (Far Right)

  • Absolutist framing

    tried to carry out a mass shootingMore neutral: allegedly planned a mass shooting

    The sentence presents an alleged plan as a completed attempt in the outlet's own voice.

    A 19-year-old man tried to carry out a mass shooting at a Hindu temple in Aurora, Illinois, on Sunday while Democratic…

    Used byThe New Republic (Far Left)

  • Absolutist framing

    Mass Shooting AttemptMore neutral: alleged mass shooting plot

    The headline states an alleged plot as an established attack, which the police accounts describe as a plan.

    Democratic Congressman Was at Temple During Mass Shooting Attempt

    Used byThe New Republic (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    would-be terroristMore neutral: accused man

    The label treats the accused as a terrorist before the charges are tested in court.

    The accused would-be terrorist, who allegedly left behind a white-supremacist manifesto, will be supplied a…

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    Leave Out Some Important DetailsMore neutral: Ro Khanna’s comments on the thwarted Hindu temple shooting

    Says the comments were incomplete without naming what was left out, which asserts a conclusion about the comments.

    Ro Khanna's Comments on the Thwarted Hindu Temple Shooting Leave Out Some Important Details

    Used byTownhall (Far Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    hatefulMore neutral: quote the statement

    Characterizes motive; quote the words.

    …shooting targeting a large Hindu temple in suburban Chicago was fueled by years of hateful rhetoric on social media against Hindus and Indians, community leaders say.

    Used byPBS NewsHour (Center)

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.

  • Absolutist framing

    Quoted

    mass shooting attemptMore neutral: alleged mass shooting plot

    The phrase presents an alleged plot as an attempted attack; it is reported here as the congressman's claim.

    Illinois Quick Hits: Congressman says he was at temple targeted in mass shooting attempt

    Quoted byThe Center Square (Right)

    These are Raja Krishnamoorthi’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

5 outlets

Leads with

  • police attribution of the plot
  • potential Hindu target
  • white supremacist manifesto
  • anti-Hindu hate online
See the 7 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

3 outlets

Leads with

  • arrest and charges
  • court appearance
  • lawmakers’ reaction
  • community leaders’ view of online hate

Leaves out

  • white supremacist manifesto police describe
  • rifle jamming

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

See the 3 headlines from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

9 outlets · 1 opinion

Leads with

  • thwarted attack
  • white supremacist label
  • jammed gun
  • terrorist threat charge

Leaves out

  • community leaders’ view that online hate fueled the plot
  • congressman’s family inside the temple

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

See the 13 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • The Center SquareRight

    Lawmakers urge more nonprofit security funding after threat

    (The Center Square) – Some legislators are calling for more taxpayer funding of nonprofit security grants after a potential mass shooting was averted in the Chicago suburbs.

    Read at The Center Square (opens in a new tab)

    Also published by Just the News. It counts once.

  • Fox NewsFar Right

    Loaded modifier“Trans neo-Nazi”Attaches a transgender identity and a neo-Nazi label to the suspect in the outlet’s own voice, although the identity has no bearing on the alleged plot.More neutral: 19-year-old manDisagree with this highlight? accused of plotting Hindu temple Sensational language“massacre”Describes a thwarted attack that did not kill anyone, where the description itself says mass shooting; massacre suggests a completed killing.More neutral: mass shooting plotDisagree with this highlight?, will receive hormone treatment in jail: officials

    A Loaded modifier“transgender 19-year-old alleged neo-Nazi”Attaches a transgender identity and a neo-Nazi label to the suspect in the outlet’s own voice, although the identity has no bearing on the alleged plot.More neutral: 19-year-old man who authorities say identified himself as a neo-NaziDisagree with this highlight? plotted an attack on a Hindu temple, but the firearm malfunctioned and a coworker's tip led to an arrest.

    Read at Fox News (opens in a new tab)
  • New York PostRight

    Loaded modifier“Trans neo-Nazi”The headline attaches a transgender identity to a neo-Nazi label in a crime story, tying a group to the alleged act; a plain description of the accused is available.More neutral: 19-year-old accusedDisagree with this highlight? teen accused of Hindu temple mass shooting plot will get hormone treatments in jail: judge

    The accused Loaded modifier“would-be terrorist”The label treats the accused as a terrorist before the charges are tested in court.More neutral: accused manDisagree with this highlight?, who allegedly left behind a white-supremacist manifesto, will be supplied a cocktail of medications behind bars.

    Read at New York Post (opens in a new tab)
  • The Center SquareRight

    Illinois Quick Hits: Congressman says he was at temple targeted in Absolutist framing“mass shooting attempt”The phrase presents an alleged plot as an attempted attack; it is reported here as the congressman's claim.More neutral: alleged mass shooting plotThese are Raja Krishnamoorthi’s words. The outlet is reporting them.Disagree with this highlight?

    (The Center Square) – Illinois U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Schaumburg, says he and his family were worshipping at a Hindu temple in Aurora last Sunday that was targeted for a potential mass shooting.

    Read at The Center Square (opens in a new tab)
  • The Daily CallerFar Right

    Loaded modifier“Heroic”The headline passes a value judgement on the worker before the facts are set out; the report that he alerted police does not need the word.More neutral: Taco Bell workerDisagree with this highlight? Taco Bell Worker Thwarts Loaded modifier“Would-Be Mass Shooter”The label pre-judges a man who has been charged but not convicted, and presents the alleged plot as a settled identity.More neutral: man charged in alleged mass shooting plotDisagree with this highlight? Allegedly Targeting Place Of Worship

    A Taco Bell employee Loaded verb“turned his coworker into police”The phrasing is colloquial and carries a tone of betrayal, where a plain report to police would describe the same act.More neutral: reported his coworker to policeDisagree with this highlight?, thwarting a potential mass shooting at a Chicago-area Hindu temple. Palatine police arrested Alexandros Paporakis, 19, and charged him with making a terrorist threat and unlawful possession of weapons on Oct. …

    Read at The Daily Caller (opens in a new tab)

    Also published by The Western Journal. It counts once.

  • One America NewsFar Right

    Ill.: 19-year-old man arrested for alleged plot to carry out mass shooting at Hindu temple

    A 19-year-old Illinois man was charged with plotting to carry out a mass-casualty shooting at a Hindu temple in a suburb near Chicago, according to police.

    Read at One America News (opens in a new tab)
  • Washington ExaminerRight

    Teenager allegedly planned mass shooting at Hindu temple near Chicago

    A teenager was arrested on charges that he planned a mass shooting targeting a Hindu temple in Aurora, Illinois, after allegedly sharing a manifesto outlining plans for mass murder, according to police and prosecutors. …

    Read at Washington Examiner (opens in a new tab)
  • New York PostRightAssociated Press report

    Hindu temple mass shooting thwarted after ‘sociopathic white supremacist’ teen’s gun jammed near Chicago

    Alexandros Paporakis, a Taco Bell cashier from Palatine, Illinois, faces felony charges of making a terrorist threat and unlawfully possessing weapons.

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

    Also published by ABC News and The Epoch Times. It counts once.

  • Just the NewsFar Right

    Illinois man charged in alleged mass-shooting plan that may have targeted Hindu place of worship

    The Mount Prospect Police Department had received a tip from an individual who reported receiving "concerning electronic communications" from the suspect.

    Read at Just the News (opens in a new tab)
  • TownhallFar RightOpinion

    Ro Khanna's Comments on the Thwarted Hindu Temple Shooting Loaded verb“Leave Out Some Important Details”Says the comments were incomplete without naming what was left out, which asserts a conclusion about the comments.More neutral: Ro Khanna’s comments on the thwarted Hindu temple shootingDisagree with this highlight?

    Earlier this week, a 19-year-old man from Palatine, Illinois, was arrested and is facing charges for allegedly trying to carry out a mass shooting at the state's largest Hindu temple. …

    Read at Townhall (opens in a new tab)
  • The Western JournalFar RightSame report as at The Daily Caller

    Heroic Taco Bell Worker Thwarts Would-Be Mass Shooter Who Targeted Place of Worship: Report

    The Western Journal published a report that is shown in full at The Daily Caller. The headline is the one The Western Journal gave it.

    Read at The Western Journal (opens in a new tab)
  • The Epoch TimesFar RightAssociated Press report

    Teen Accused of Plotting Shooting at Chicago-Area Hindu Temple

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

    Read at The Epoch Times (opens in a new tab)
  • Just the NewsFar RightCenter Square report

    Lawmakers urge more nonprofit security funding after threat

    Just the News published a report that is shown in full at The Center Square.

    Read at Just the News (opens in a new tab)
    2 more from Just the News

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

    4 hr later

    Its first report, Oct 15, 2:57 AM EDT

  • Center

    7 hr 52 min later

    Its first report, Oct 15, 6:46 AM EDT

  • Right

    First to report

    New York Post, Oct 14, 10:54 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. New York PostRightOct 14, 10:54 PM EDT
  2. ABC NewsLeftOct 15, 2:57 AM EDT
  3. Al Jazeera EnglishLeftOct 15, 3:54 AM EDT
  4. The HillCenterOct 15, 6:46 AM EDT
  5. Washington ExaminerRightOct 15, 8:00 AM EDT
  6. BBC NewsCenterOct 15, 8:20 AM EDT
  7. The GuardianLeftOct 15, 8:20 AM EDT
  8. One America NewsFar RightOct 15, 2:44 PM EDT
  9. The Daily CallerFar RightOct 15, 3:02 PM EDT
  10. The New RepublicFar LeftOct 15, 3:18 PM EDT
  11. The Center SquareRightOct 15, 3:30 PM EDT
  12. The New York TimesLeftOct 15, 5:40 PM EDT
  13. Fox NewsFar RightOct 15, 10:27 PM EDT
  14. The Epoch TimesFar RightOct 16, 5:00 AM EDT
  15. PBS NewsHourCenterOct 16, 4:02 PM EDT
  16. The Western JournalFar RightOct 18, 6:50 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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