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Portland Teen Charged With Attempted Murder and Domestic Terrorism After Chemical Mix at School

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, mostly right-leaning (67%).

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

A 15-year-old student at Benson Polytechnic High School in Portland, Oregon, has been charged with 19 crimes, including ten counts of attempted aggravated murder and domestic terrorism, after allegedly mixing chemicals he brought from home in the school cafeteria on September 8. Authorities said the mixture produced toxic fumes that sickened the student, who was hospitalized in critical condition before being moved to an inpatient mental health facility, according to his lawyer. The student appeared in court, where his attorneys denied the allegations. Investigators said they found prior statements and behaviors suggesting an interest in hazardous chemicals, explosives and violence, according to the Portland Police Bureau.

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 15-year-old student at Benson Polytechnic High School in Portland mixed chemicals he brought from home in the school cafeteria on September 8.

    Reported byLeftRight

  2. The chemical mixture produced toxic fumes that caused a medical emergency, hospitalizing the student in critical condition.

    Reported byLeftRight

  3. The student was charged with 19 crimes, including 10 counts of attempted aggravated murder and domestic terrorism charges.

    Reported byLeftRight

  4. His lawyers denied the allegations in court.

    Reported byLeftRight

  5. The student is now receiving inpatient treatment at a mental health facility, according to his attorney.

    Reported byRight

  6. Investigators said they found prior statements and behaviors suggesting an interest in hazardous chemicals, explosives and violence.

    Reported byRight

How each side tells it

Compare views

  • the left

    1 outlet

    The single left-side report states the charges plainly and notes the defense's denial in the same breath.

    Teen Charged With Attempted Murder and Domestic Terrorism After Chemical Spill
    The New York TimesLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    No coverage yet

    No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

  • the right

    2 outlets

    Right-side outlets frame the event as an escalating safety scare, with Fox emphasizing officials' warnings about school violence and Daily Mail stressing dramatic details about the student's medical emergency.

    Portland teen faces terrorism, attempted murder charges after school cafeteria chemical scare
    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.

  • Left0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right2

    a slew of chargesmysterious substance

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    a slew of chargesMore neutral: multiple charges

    "Slew" exaggerates the number of charges for dramatic effect rather than stating the count factually.

    …High School student, who has not been publicly identified, was charged with a slew of charges on Friday, including 10 counts of attempted aggravated murder and domestic…

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

  • Sensational language

    mysterious substanceMore neutral: chemicals

    Describing the chemicals as "mysterious" adds drama rather than specifying known facts about the substance.

    …teen is charged with domestic terrorism and attempted murder after mixing mysterious substance in school cafeteria

    Used byDaily Mail (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

1 outlet

Leads with

  • the formal charges
  • the lawyers' denial

Leaves out

  • details about the DA's news conference
  • investigators' findings on prior behavior

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

See the headline from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

0 outlets

No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the right

2 outlets

Leads with

  • the student's critical medical condition
  • the number and severity of charges
  • officials' comments on school safety
  • investigators' findings about prior concerning behavior
See the 2 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • Fox NewsFar Right

    Portland teen faces terrorism, attempted murder charges after school cafeteria chemical scare

    A 15-year-old Benson Polytechnic High School student faces 19 counts including domestic terrorism after allegedly mixing toxic chemicals in the cafeteria.

    Read at Fox News (opens in a new tab)
  • Daily MailRight

    Portland teen is charged with domestic terrorism and attempted murder after mixing Sensational language“mysterious substance”Describing the chemicals as "mysterious" adds drama rather than specifying known facts about the substance.More neutral: chemicalsDisagree with this highlight? in school cafeteria

    A 15-year-old boy faces domestic terrorism charges after mixing chemicals in the school cafeteria, nearly killing himself.

    Read at Daily Mail (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

    First to report

    The New York Times, Oct 2, 8:33 PM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    20 hr 10 min later

    Its first report, Oct 3, 4:43 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The New York TimesLeftOct 2, 8:33 PM EDT
  2. Daily MailRightOct 3, 4:43 PM EDT
  3. Fox NewsFar RightOct 4, 6:37 PM EDT

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

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