Skip to content

WorldBreaking

Four Salvadoran soldiers missing after gang attack on UN-backed force in Haiti

By

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 6 outlets across the spectrum.

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

Four soldiers from El Salvador serving in a UN-backed force against gang violence in Haiti are unaccounted for after gangs attacked their vehicle, according to Al Jazeera, Sky News and The Washington Times, which cites the Associated Press. The Associated Press reports the attack targeted an armored vehicle over the weekend and was the first major assault since the force began operations. The New York Times reports that the soldiers were apparently abducted and gives a figure of five missing. The UN Security Council was due to meet on Haiti, with the attack expected to dominate its discussions, Al Jazeera reports.

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. Four soldiers from El Salvador in a UN-backed gang suppression force are unaccounted for after a gang attack in Haiti.

    Reported byLeft1Center2Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Al Jazeera English
    Center
    PBS NewsHour, Sky News
    Right
    The Washington Times

  2. Gangs opened fire on an armored vehicle over the weekend.

    Reported byCenter1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    PBS NewsHour
    Right
    The Washington Times

  3. The attack was the first major one since the international force began operations.

    Reported byCenter1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    PBS NewsHour
    Right
    The Washington Times

  4. The New York Times reports the soldiers were apparently abducted and gives a count of five missing.

    One outletThe New York Times· Left

  5. The UN Security Council was to meet on Haiti, with the attack expected to dominate the discussions.

    One outletAl Jazeera English· Left

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • The number of Salvadoran soldiers missing after the attack.

    The New York Times reports five missing. Al Jazeera, Sky News and the Associated Press report four.

  • Whether the soldiers were abducted.

    The New York Times reports they were apparently abducted. The other outlets report only that the four soldiers are unaccounted for.

How each side tells it

Compare views

Outlets across the sides report soldiers from El Salvador missing after a gang attack in Haiti, with four cited by most and five by the New York Times. Left and center headlines center the missing soldiers and the search, while the right emphasizes gangs targeting foreign troops in the biggest attack yet.

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Left-side headlines lead with the missing soldiers and the search, and the New York Times uses the word ambush and a count of five.

    Search under way for four soldiers missing after gang attack in Haiti
    Al Jazeera EnglishLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    2 outlets

    Center headlines report four soldiers missing; PBS carries the Associated Press framing of the biggest attack since the force began, while Sky stresses the missing soldiers.

    Four soldiers from UN-backed force missing after gang attack in Haiti
    Sky NewsCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    2 outlets

    The right's only coverage is an Associated Press report carried by The Washington Times, whose headline stresses gangs targeting foreign troops in the biggest attack since the force began.

    Gangs in Haiti target foreign troops in biggest attack since new force began operations
    The Washington TimesRightAll 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 5 of the 6 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

  • missing soldiers
  • search under way
  • UN Security Council meeting
See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

2 outlets

Leads with

  • four soldiers missing
  • first major attack
  • UN-backed force
See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines
  • Sky NewsCenter

    Four soldiers from UN-backed force missing after gang attack in Haiti

    Four soldiers from El Salvador are unaccounted for after being attacked by heavily-armed gangs in Haiti.

    Read at Sky News (opens in a new tab)
  • PBS NewsHourCenterAssociated Press report

    Haitian gangs target foreign troops in biggest attack since force began operations

    Gangs in Haiti opened fire on an armored vehicle over the weekend, leaving four soldiers from El Salvador unaccounted for in the first major attack since an international gang suppression force began operations in the violence-wracked Caribbean country.

    Read at PBS NewsHour (opens in a new tab)

From the right

2 outlets

Leads with

  • gangs targeting foreign troops
  • biggest attack yet
  • armored vehicle fired on

Leaves out

  • apparent abduction of the soldiers
  • count of five missing

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

See the 2 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • Breitbart NewsFar Right

    Haiti Gangs Ambush Foreign Troops, Kidnap Four Salvadoran Air Force Members

    Deadly Haitian gangs over the weekend ambushed members of an international security force deployed in Haiti, kidnapping four Salvadoran Air Force members, authorities confirmed Monday.

    Read at Breitbart News (opens in a new tab)
  • The Washington TimesRightAssociated Press report

    Gangs in Haiti target foreign troops in biggest attack since new force began operations

    Gangs in Haiti have opened fire on an armored vehicle, leaving four soldiers from El Salvador unaccounted for in the first major attack since an international gang suppression force began operations in the violence-wracked country.

    Read at The Washington Times (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 18, 9:59 PM EDT

  • Center

    15 hr 46 min later

    Its first report, Oct 19, 1:45 PM EDT

  • Right

    10 hr 53 min later

    Its first report, Oct 19, 8:52 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The New York TimesLeftOct 18, 9:59 PM EDT
  2. The Washington TimesRightOct 19, 8:52 AM EDT
  3. Al Jazeera EnglishLeftOct 19, 12:40 PM EDT
  4. PBS NewsHourCenterOct 19, 1:45 PM EDT
  5. Sky NewsCenterOct 20, 6:59 AM EDT
  6. Breitbart NewsFar RightOct 20, 2:42 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