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Small plane crash in Wisconsin kills six, including a child

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 9 outlets. No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered it yet.

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

Firefighters at night behind police tape on a road, emergency lights glowing red.
Image via Fox NewsHow images are chosenReport this image

Left and right outlets alike report that a small plane crashed on Tuesday night in a wooded area near Dellona, Wisconsin, close to the Wisconsin Dells. The Sauk County Sheriff’s Office said all six people aboard died at the scene, five adults and one child. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating. Right-side outlets name the pilot as Ronald Riek, 63, and report that the plane flew through a thunderstorm and that wing icing may have been a factor, according to flight data and reports. Investigators have not announced a cause.

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 small plane crashed on Tuesday night in a wooded area near Dellona, Wisconsin, near the Wisconsin Dells, and all six people aboard died.

    Across the spectrumReported byFar Left1Left3Right3Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Left
    The New York Times, The Washington Post, ABC News
    Right
    Daily Mail, New York Post, The Washington Times
    Far Right
    Fox News, The Epoch Times

  2. The Sauk County Sheriff’s Office said five adults and one child were killed.

    Reported byFar Left1Left2Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Left
    The Washington Post, ABC News
    Right
    Daily Mail

  3. Ronald Riek, 63, was named in reports as the pilot.

    One outletDaily Mail· Right

  4. Reports say the plane was flying through a thunderstorm and that ice may have built up on the wings; the cause has not been confirmed.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    The Washington Times
    Far Right
    Fox News, The Epoch Times

  5. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the crash.

    One outletFox News· Far Right

  6. Family members said a grandmother, her two adult daughters and a 13-year-old grandson were among the dead.

    One outletThe Epoch Times· Far Right

How each side tells it

Compare views

All sides report that a small plane crashed Tuesday night near Wisconsin Dells, killing six people including a child. Left headlines centre the death toll and location, while right headlines add the pilot’s identity, reported icing and storm conditions, and flight data.

  • the left

    4 outlets

    Left headlines lead with the death toll and the crash location, using plain wording such as killed and crashes near Wisconsin Dells; the Daily Beast adds that the area is a tourist destination.

    Plane crashes near Wisconsin Dells, killing all 6 on board
    The Washington PostLeftAll 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

    5 outlets

    Right headlines add the pilot’s experience, reported icing and storm conditions, or flight data and air traffic control, and the Epoch Times leads with the victims’ family on an AP report.

    Experienced pilot among 6 killed in plane crash after ice accumulated on the wings during storm
    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.

  • Left0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right1

    horrifying

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    horrifyingMore neutral: doorbell recording

    The word adds emotional drama to a headline about a fatal crash without adding a fact.

    as horrifying doorbell recording of death plunge emerges

    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

4 outlets

Leads with

  • death toll of six
  • location near Wisconsin Dells
  • sheriff’s office as the source

Leaves out

  • wing icing and thunderstorm conditions reported by right-side outlets
  • identity of the pilot

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

See the 4 headlines 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

5 outlets

Leads with

  • pilot’s identity and experience
  • ice and storm as possible cause
  • flight data and air traffic control
  • victims’ family members

Leaves out

  • sheriff’s office statement on the cause
  • left-side headlines emphasise the location and tourist area rather than the cause

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

See the 5 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

    First to report

    The New York Times, Oct 14, 8:09 AM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    2 hr later

    Its first report, Oct 14, 10:10 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The New York TimesLeftOct 14, 8:09 AM EDT
  2. The Washington PostLeftOct 14, 8:49 AM EDT
  3. Daily MailRightOct 14, 10:10 AM EDT
  4. New York PostRightOct 14, 10:23 AM EDT
  5. ABC NewsLeftOct 14, 11:25 AM EDT
  6. The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 14, 11:31 AM EDT
  7. Fox NewsFar RightOct 14, 11:57 AM EDT
  8. The Washington TimesRightOct 15, 2:43 PM EDT
  9. The Epoch TimesFar RightOct 16, 9:32 AM EDT

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

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