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Saudi Arabia executes two Bangladeshi nationals; Bangladesh says it was not informed

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets across the spectrum.

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

Saudi Arabia executed two Bangladeshi nationals last Wednesday in Mecca, the Saudi interior ministry said, after they were convicted of committing an “indecent act” inside a mosque. The ministry said the sentences were handed down under tazir, a category of punishment left to the judge’s discretion, because of the severity of the offence and the violation of the mosque’s sanctity. Bangladesh says it was not informed of the executions until after they had taken place, and it has asked the Saudi government for more details about the case.

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. Saudi Arabia executed two Bangladeshi nationals in Mecca last Wednesday, the Saudi interior ministry said.

    Reported byFar Left1Center1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Center
    BBC News
    Right
    The Washington Times

  2. The Saudi interior ministry said the two were convicted of committing an “indecent act” inside a mosque.

    Reported byFar Left1Center1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Center
    BBC News
    Right
    The Washington Times

  3. Bangladeshi authorities say they were not informed of the executions until after they had taken place.

    Reported byFar Left1Center1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Center
    BBC News
    Right
    The Washington Times

  4. The Saudi interior ministry did not specify the nature of the act.

    One outletBBC News· Center

  5. The Saudi interior ministry said the sentences were handed down under tazir, citing the severity of the offence and the violation of the mosque’s sanctity.

    One outletBBC News· Center

  6. Bangladesh says it has asked the Saudi government for more details about the case.

    One outletBBC News· Center

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • Saudi Arabia did not inform Bangladesh of the executions before they took place.

    Bangladeshi authorities say they were not informed until after the executions. The supplied coverage contains no Saudi response on notification.

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three sides report that Saudi Arabia executed two Bangladeshi nationals in Mecca and that Bangladesh says it was not told beforehand. The center stresses the ministry’s stated reasons and Dhaka’s reaction, while the left casts the executions as the act of a Trump ally.

  • the left

    1 outlet

    The left’s only headline casts the executions as the act of a Trump ally, putting Trump’s name first and the sanctity-of-Mecca allegation in the description.

    Trump Ally Carries Out Double Execution Over ‘Indecent Act’
    The Daily BeastFar LeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    The center’s BBC piece leads with Bangladesh’s complaint that it was not informed, and it sets out the ministry’s stated reasons and the unspecified offence.

    Bangladesh says it was not informed of its citizens' execution by Saudi Arabia
    BBC NewsCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    1 outlet

    The right’s only coverage is an Associated Press report; the Washington Times headline, its own choice, leads with the executions and repeats the ministry’s “indecent acts” wording.

    Saudi Arabia executes 2 Bangladeshis over 'indecent acts,' and other Mideast news
    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.

  • Left1

    The president’s pal

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded modifier

    The president’s palMore neutral: Saudi Arabia’s government

    The label is a sarcastic nickname in the outlet’s own voice that characterizes the Saudi government’s action before the facts are weighed.

    The president’s pal put two foreign workers to death without giving their home government notice.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (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

1 outlet

Leads with

  • Trump’s ties to Saudi Arabia
  • executions without notice to Dhaka
  • alleged violation of Mecca’s sanctity

Leaves out

  • the ministry’s stated legal basis under tazir
  • the ministry’s failure to specify the act

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

See the headline from the leftHide the headlines
  • The Daily BeastFar Left

    Trump Ally Carries Out Double Execution Over ‘Indecent Act’

    One of President Donald Trump’s closest Middle Eastern allies has executed two foreign workers for allegedly violating the sanctity of one of Islam’s holiest cities. …

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

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • Bangladesh not informed until after the executions
  • the ministry’s stated reasons
  • Bangladesh’s request for more details
See the headline from the centerHide the headlines
  • BBC NewsCenter

    Bangladesh says it was not informed of its citizens' execution by Saudi Arabia

    Saudi Arabia said it executed two Bangladeshis last week for committing an "indecent act" in a mosque.

    Read at BBC News (opens in a new tab)

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

  • Saudi Arabia as the actor
  • the ministry’s “indecent acts” wording
  • Bangladesh’s lack of prior notice
See the headline from the rightHide the headlines
  • The Washington TimesRightAssociated Press report

    Saudi Arabia executes 2 Bangladeshis over 'indecent acts,' and other Mideast news

    Saudi Arabia says it has executed 2 Bangladeshi nationals over "indecent acts" inside a mosque in Mecca. Bangladesh said that it hadn't been informed of the executions beforehand.

    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

    8 hr 40 min later

    Its first report, Oct 19, 12:57 PM EDT

  • Center

    First to report

    BBC News, Oct 19, 4:17 AM EDT

  • Right

    5 hr 37 min later

    Its first report, Oct 19, 9:54 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. BBC NewsCenterOct 19, 4:17 AM EDT
  2. The Washington TimesRightOct 19, 9:54 AM EDT
  3. The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 19, 12:57 PM EDT

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

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