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Police investigate sexual assault report at fraternity house near University of Chicago

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 9 outlets across the spectrum.

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

Brick fraternity house on a tree-lined street, with inset of University of Chicago campus sign and building
Image via New York PostHow images are chosenReport this image

A 21-year-old woman says she was sexually assaulted in the early hours of Sunday, October 11, at the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house near the University of Chicago in Hyde Park. Chicago police are investigating, and no charges have been filed. On Tuesday the university told students in a community alert that a person of interest has been identified. It said he is not a student or affiliated with the school and has been banned from campus. The university has not named him. Some outlets link the report to an earlier reported gang rape case at Cornell University.

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. A 21-year-old woman says she was sexually assaulted in the early hours of Sunday, October 11, at the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house near the University of Chicago.

    Reported byLeft4Center1Right2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    ABC News, The Guardian, CBS News, NBC News
    Center
    The Hill
    Right
    New York Post, Daily Mail
    Far Right
    Breitbart News

  2. The university said in a community alert on Tuesday that a person of interest has been identified, and that he is not a student or affiliated with the school.

    Reported byLeft2Center1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The New York Times, NBC News
    Center
    The Hill
    Right
    New York Post

  3. The university has banned the man from campus, according to its notice to students.

    One outletNew York Post· Right

  4. Chicago police are investigating the report, and no charges have been filed.

    Reported byLeft1Center1Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    CBS News
    Center
    The Hill
    Right
    Daily Mail, New York Post

  5. Several outlets connect the report to an earlier reported gang rape case at Cornell University.

    Reported byLeft2Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The New York Times, The Guardian
    Far Right
    Townhall, Breitbart News

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • The incident was a gang rape.

    Townhall, in an opinion piece, calls it another gang rape allegation. Breitbart reports that a group of men reportedly cheered outside the bathroom door, while the other supplied coverage describes one suspect and does not describe any other man assaulting the woman.

How each side tells it

Compare views

All sides report a 21-year-old woman says she was sexually assaulted at a fraternity house near the University of Chicago, and that a person of interest is identified. Left and center headlines stick to the allegation and police inquiry; right-side headlines lead with the word rape and the crowd’s behavior.

  • the left

    5 outlets

    Left headlines report the woman’s allegation and police or university statements in neutral terms, while the New York Times frames the case as upending another elite campus and the Guardian ties it to Cornell.

    Woman says someone sexually assaulted her at frat house near University of Chicago
    ABC NewsLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    Center headlines are procedural, leading with the police investigation, the identified person of interest and the university’s community alert.

    Person of interest identified in connection with sexual assault near University of Chicago campus
    The HillCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    3 outlets · 1 opinion

    Right-side headlines lead with rape, the suspect or the crowd’s conduct; the far-right pieces add a Cornell comparison and campus shock, while Daily Mail sticks to the allegation.

    UChicago frat party Loaded modifier“rape suspect”Calling a man a rape suspect in the outlet’s own voice labels him before any charge has been filed.More neutral: man police are investigating over a sexual assault allegationDisagree with this highlight? ID’d, banned from campus after Sensational language“braying”“Braying” mocks the crowd’s noise and judges its behavior before the facts about the crowd are established.More neutral: crowdDisagree with this highlight? crowd cheered him on
    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.

  • Left3

    Upends Another Elite Campusignited national uproarnational outrage

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right10

    was rapedgang of mencircusraucous night

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    Upends Another Elite CampusMore neutral: Sexual Assault Report at Chicago Frat Raises Questions for Another Campus

    The verb suggests dramatic disruption of the institution beyond what the reported facts establish.

    Sexual Assault Report at Chicago Frat Upends Another Elite Campus

    Used byThe New York Times (Left)

  • Absolutist framing

    was rapedMore neutral: alleges she was sexually assaulted

    The headline states an allegation as established fact, while the article itself attributes it to a police report.

    Woman, 21, was raped at Chicago frat party as gang of men cheered outside bathroom where attack was…

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

  • Sensational language

    gang of menMore neutral: group of men

    The police report quoted in the article describes a group of men, and gang adds a criminal connotation.

    Woman, 21, was raped at Chicago frat party as gang of men cheered outside bathroom where attack was unfolding, police report claims

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

  • Sensational language

    circusMore neutral: legal matter

    Calling the legal proceedings a circus dismisses them in the outlet’s own voice before they are decided.

    She filed a civil suit in September, which rehashes this circus, and there are many questions about when consent was or wasn’t given, because all…

    Used byTownhall (Far Right)

Show 9 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Sensational language

    raucous nightMore neutral: a night when alcohol and drugs were involved

    It characterizes the night of the alleged assault in the outlet’s own voice before any finding, adding a judgement about the woman’s conduct.

    …when consent was or wasn’t given, because all parties seemed to have engaged in a raucous night of drugs, booze, and group sex.

    Used byTownhall (Far Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    braying brosMore neutral: men

    Braying is a mocking description of the men in the outlet's own voice, which goes beyond the reported facts.

    …that she was raped in a frat house bathroom at the University of Chicago — as braying bros cheered “when’s my turn” and “let me in,” outside.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Sensational language

    shocking reportMore neutral: report

    Shocking adds drama to the report without adding facts.

    The shocking report at another elite university fraternity house comes weeks after the “Cornell 7”…

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    brosMore neutral: men

    The label bros is a dismissive name for the men in the outlet's own voice and goes beyond the reported facts.

    Rape reported at another elite college’s frat party — as bros cheered on attack, asked ‘when’s my turn’: witness

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Sensational language

    ignited national uproarMore neutral: drew national attention

    The phrase describes the reaction to the Cornell case in dramatic terms that the facts reported do not require.

    Alleged assault follows report of gang rape at frat house at Cornell, which ignited national uproar and criticism online A 21-year-old woman reported being sexually assaulted…

    Used byThe Guardian (Left)

  • Sensational language

    national outrageMore neutral: amid public discussion of sexual misconduct on college campuses

    Asserts a broad public reaction without naming who is outraged or how it was measured.

    …at a fraternity party near the University of Chicago last weekend, amid national outrage over sexual misconduct on college campuses.

    Used byNBC News (Left)

  • Sensational language

    brayingMore neutral: crowd

    “Braying” mocks the crowd’s noise and judges its behavior before the facts about the crowd are established.

    …assaulting a woman at a rowdy frat party near the elite college's campus as a braying crowd egged him on.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    rape suspectMore neutral: man police are investigating over a sexual assault allegation

    Calling a man a rape suspect in the outlet’s own voice labels him before any charge has been filed.

    UChicago frat party rape suspect ID’d, banned from campus after braying crowd cheered him on

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    RocksMore neutral: Prompts Scrutiny at

    “Rocks” is a verb of drama that suggests the report shook the campus, an effect the supplied text does not show.

    Report of Rape at Frat Party Rocks Another Elite College Campus

    Used byBreitbart News (Far Right)

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

  • the woman’s allegation
  • police and university statements
  • link to the Cornell case and Greek-life scrutiny

Leaves out

  • the crowd outside the bathroom
  • the suspect’s campus ban

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

See the 5 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • police investigation
  • person of interest identified
  • university community alert

Leaves out

  • the Cornell case comparison
  • the crowd outside the bathroom

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

See the headline from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

3 outlets · 1 opinion

Leads with

  • the suspect’s identity and campus ban
  • the crowd cheering outside the bathroom
  • elite-campus and Cornell comparison
See the 4 headlines from the rightHide the headlines

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

    55 min later

    Its first report, Oct 12, 12:27 PM EDT

  • Center

    2 days 19 hr later

    Its first report, Oct 15, 6:45 AM EDT

  • Right

    First to report

    New York Post, Oct 12, 11:32 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. New York PostRightOct 12, 11:32 AM EDT
  2. ABC NewsLeftOct 12, 12:27 PM EDT
  3. Breitbart NewsFar RightOct 12, 3:45 PM EDT
  4. Daily MailRightOct 12, 5:40 PM EDT
  5. The New York TimesLeftOct 14, 11:50 AM EDT
  6. The GuardianLeftOct 14, 7:32 PM EDT
  7. CBS NewsLeftOct 14, 7:57 PM EDT
  8. The HillCenterOct 15, 6:45 AM EDT
  9. NBC NewsLeftOct 15, 10:51 AM EDT

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

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