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King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia visit Ceuta amid tensions with Morocco

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 7 outlets across the spectrum.

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

Large crowd of migrants walking along a rocky shoreline, carrying bags, escorted by a uniformed officer.
Image via France 24How images are chosenReport this image

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia visited the Spanish exclave of Ceuta on Tuesday, a visit that France 24 calls the first royal trip since 2007. The trip follows a July migrant influx of more than 70,000 people, most of whom have since returned to Morocco. Morocco claims sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla. The king said the two territories are an inalienable part of Spain and urged good neighbourly relations with Rabat. Breitbart reports he also said illegal migrants must return to their countries of origin as soon as possible. Semafor reports Spain’s prime minister accused Morocco of entering its territorial waters during the crisis.

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. King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia visited Ceuta on Tuesday.

    Reported byLeft1Center3Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Al Jazeera English
    Center
    Deutsche Welle, France 24, PBS NewsHour
    Far Right
    Breitbart News

  2. The visit is the first royal trip to Ceuta since 2007.

    Reported byCenter1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    France 24
    Far Right
    Breitbart News

  3. A July migrant influx into Ceuta from Morocco brought tens of thousands of people across the border; most have since returned, and thousands remain.

    One side only: the centerReported byCenter3See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    France 24, PBS NewsHour, Semafor

  4. Morocco claims sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla.

    One outletFrance 24· Center

  5. The king said Ceuta and Melilla are an inalienable part of Spain, that sovereignty is not negotiable, and called for good neighbourly relations with Morocco.

    One side only: the centerReported byCenter2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    France 24, Semafor
Show 2 more pointsShow fewer points

  1. Spain’s prime minister has accused Morocco of entering Spanish territorial waters during the crisis.

    One outletSemafor· Center

  2. The king is reported to have said that all illegal migrants in Spanish territory should return to their countries of origin as soon as possible.

    One outletBreitbart News· Far Right

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • More than 70,000 people crossed into Ceuta in July.

    France 24 and Semafor put the number above 70,000; AP, carried by PBS NewsHour, puts it at about 80,000.

  • This is the first royal visit to Ceuta since 2007.

    Most supplied articles say since 2007 (19 years); one France 24 article says 14 years; Deutsche Welle calls it the royal couple’s “first-ever” visit to the exclave.

  • The king said all illegal migrants must return to their countries as soon as possible.

    Breitbart reports this; France 24, Semafor and AP report his remarks on sovereignty and good neighbourly relations with Morocco and do not mention a call for returns.

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side present reports that King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia visited Ceuta on Tuesday after the July migrant influx. Center outlets stress the diplomatic sensitivity with Morocco and the king’s sovereignty remarks, while Breitbart centers his call for illegal migrants to return.

  • the left

    1 outlet

    The one left-side outlet, Al Jazeera English, frames the visit as the king’s first in his reign amid an ongoing migration crisis, without mentioning Morocco’s claim.

    Spain’s King Felipe makes first visit to Ceuta amid migrant crisis
    Al Jazeera EnglishLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    4 outlets

    Center-rated outlets lead with the royal visit and its diplomatic sensitivity, stressing Morocco’s sovereignty claim and the king’s remarks that Ceuta and Melilla are inalienable Spanish territory.

    Ceuta an 'inalienable' part of Spain, king says on key visit
    France 24CenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    2 outlets

    Breitbart, rated Far Right, is the only right-side article, and its headline centers the visit on the king calling for illegal arrivals to leave while describing Ceuta as invaded.

    Spanish King Felipe VI in Ceuta: All Dehumanizing label“Illegal Arrivals”Calling the people who crossed illegal arrivals labels them as having broken the law before any finding; the other outlets say migrants.More neutral: migrantsDisagree with this highlight? Must Go Back ASAP
    Breitbart 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.

  • Center1

    rushed the border fence

  • Right2

    invaded cityIllegal Arrivals

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    rushed the border fenceMore neutral: reached the border fence

    The verb presents a crossing as a rush, adding drama beyond the reported movement of people to the border.

    In late July, some 70,000 refugees in Morocco rushed the border fence with Spain.

    Used byDeutsche Welle (Center)

  • Sensational language

    invaded cityMore neutral: the city of Ceuta

    Describing the city as invaded asserts that the July crossing was an invasion, a judgement the other outlets do not make.

    …as possible" King Felipe VI of Spain said Tuesday during his official visit to the invaded city of Ceuta.

    Used byBreitbart News (Far Right)

  • Dehumanizing label

    Illegal ArrivalsMore neutral: migrants

    Calling the people who crossed illegal arrivals labels them as having broken the law before any finding; the other outlets say migrants.

    Spanish King Felipe VI in Ceuta: All Illegal Arrivals Must Go Back ASAP

    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

1 outlet

Leads with

  • first visit of the king’s reign
  • ongoing migration crisis

Leaves out

  • Morocco’s claim of sovereignty over Ceuta

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

See the headline from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

4 outlets

Leads with

  • diplomatic sensitivity with Morocco
  • Spanish sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla
  • aftermath of the July migrant influx

Leaves out

  • king’s call for illegal migrants to return as soon as possible

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

See the 4 headlines from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

2 outlets

Leads with

  • king calls for illegal migrants to return
  • Ceuta described as invaded
  • first overnight royal stay in almost a century

Leaves out

  • Morocco’s claim of sovereignty over Ceuta
  • the 70,000 figure for the July crossing

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

See the 2 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • The Washington TimesRight

    Spain's King Felipe VI says migrants who entered Ceuta must go home

    King Felipe VI said Tuesday that people who entered Spain irregularly during this summer's mass crossing into Ceuta should return to their places of origin ASAP through established legal procedures.

    Read at The Washington Times (opens in a new tab)
  • Breitbart NewsFar Right

    Spanish King Felipe VI in Ceuta: All Dehumanizing label“Illegal Arrivals”Calling the people who crossed illegal arrivals labels them as having broken the law before any finding; the other outlets say migrants.More neutral: migrantsDisagree with this highlight? Must Go Back ASAP

    All illegal migrants in Spanish territory must return to their country of origin "as soon as possible" King Felipe VI of Spain said Tuesday during his official visit to the Sensational language“invaded city”Describing the city as invaded asserts that the July crossing was an invasion, a judgement the other outlets do not make.More neutral: the city of CeutaDisagree with this highlight? of Ceuta.

    Read at Breitbart News (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

    5 hr 19 min later

    Its first report, Oct 13, 10:41 AM EDT

  • Center

    First to report

    France 24, Oct 13, 5:22 AM EDT

  • Right

    23 hr 16 min later

    Its first report, Oct 14, 4:38 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. France 24CenterOct 13, 5:22 AM EDT
  2. Deutsche WelleCenterOct 13, 7:24 AM EDT
  3. Al Jazeera EnglishLeftOct 13, 10:41 AM EDT
  4. PBS NewsHourCenterOct 13, 4:29 PM EDT
  5. Breitbart NewsFar RightOct 14, 4:38 AM EDT
  6. SemaforCenterOct 14, 7:33 AM EDT
  7. The Washington TimesRightOct 14, 5:05 PM EDT

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

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