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Tennessee asks judge to bar Christa Pike’s lawyers from inspecting execution drug

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 7 outlets across the spectrum.

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

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Tennessee has asked a judge to rescind part of an order that lets lawyers for Christa Pike inspect, collect and test leftover pentobarbital from her failed execution, according to a state court filing. The state argues that such access would reveal the drug supplier, which it says would violate state law and could halt future executions. A Tennessee Department of Correction employee said in a declaration that suppliers fear threats, harassment and boycotts. Pike, 50, survived two doses of the drug in September; her attorneys say it probably did not enter her bloodstream correctly. The request follows a judge’s order to preserve evidence in a lawsuit her attorneys filed.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. Editors read every story. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Tennessee has asked a judge to rescind part of an order letting Pike’s lawyers inspect, collect and test leftover pentobarbital.

    Reported byFar Left1Left2Center1Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    MS NOW
    Left
    ABC News, CBS News
    Center
    NewsNation
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    Fox News

  2. The state argues that revealing the drug supplier would violate state law and could halt future executions.

    Reported byFar Left1Left2Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    MS NOW
    Left
    ABC News, CBS News
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    Fox News

  3. Pike, 50, survived two doses of pentobarbital during her September execution.

    Reported byFar Left1Left2Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    MS NOW
    Left
    ABC News, CBS News
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    Fox News

  4. A Tennessee Department of Correction employee said in a declaration that suppliers fear threats, harassment and boycotts.

    One outletNew York Post· Right

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side present reports that Tennessee has asked a judge to bar Pike’s lawyers from inspecting leftover execution drug. The left and right differ mainly in emphasis: left headlines focus on the state’s effort to block inspection, while right headlines stress the risk to future executions and the supplier’s fear of retaliation.

  • the left

    3 outlets

    Headlines describe the state seeking to block Pike’s attorneys from inspecting the execution drug, and MS NOW calls it a ‘failed’ execution drug; all three repeat one AP report.

    State seeks to block Christa Pike's attorneys from inspecting execution drug
    ABC NewsLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    Headline frames it as Tennessee trying to block Pike’s team from access to the lethal injection drug, without mentioning the supplier or the botched execution.

    Tennessee tries to block Christa Pike team access to lethal injection drug
    NewsNationCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    3 outlets

    Headlines stress risks to future executions and the supplier’s fear of retaliation; Far Right Fox News warns executions could halt, while the Right New York Post centers supplier secrecy.

    Tennessee warns executions could grind to a halt if Christa Pike's lawyers see a single drug label: court docs
    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.

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right3

    begging a judgebungled executionbotched execution

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    begging a judgeMore neutral: asking a judge

    The verb presents a routine legal request as a plea from a supplicant, adding drama the filing does not show.

    Tennessee prison officials are begging a judge to keep their lethal drug suppliers’ identities under wraps – over fears that the…

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    bungled executionMore neutral: failed execution

    The word judges how the execution was carried out, while the AP report on the same event uses the neutral term failed execution.

    …wraps – over fears that the vendors will face retaliation for Christa Pike’s bungled execution, newly filed court documents reveal.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    botched executionMore neutral: failed execution

    The word judges how the execution was carried out, while the AP report on the same event uses the neutral term failed execution.

    Tennessee’s lethal drug supplier fears retaliation after Christa Pike’s botched execution: court docs

    Used byNew York Post (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

3 outlets

Leads with

  • the state’s effort to restrict access
  • the drug used in a botched execution
See the 3 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • ABC NewsLeftAssociated Press report

    State seeks to block Christa Pike's attorneys from inspecting execution drug

    Tennessee is seeking to block Christa Pike’s attorneys from accessing the pentobarbital used in the 50-year-old inmate’s botched execution on the grounds that it would reveal the supplier

    Read at ABC News (opens in a new tab)

    Also published by CBS News and MS NOW. It counts once.

  • MS NOWFar LeftAssociated Press report

    Tennessee seeks to block Christa Pike’s attorneys from inspecting failed execution drug

    MS NOW published a report that is shown in full at ABC News. The headline is the one MS NOW gave it.

    Read at MS NOW (opens in a new tab)
  • CBS NewsLeftAssociated Press report

    State seeks to block Pike's lawyers from inspecting execution drug

    CBS News published a report that is shown in full at ABC News. The headline is the one CBS News gave it.

    Read at CBS News (opens in a new tab)

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • the state’s attempt to limit access
  • the lethal injection drug
See the headline from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

3 outlets

Leads with

  • risk of halting future executions
  • supplier identity and secrecy
  • retaliation fears
See the 3 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • The Epoch TimesFar Right

    Tennessee Seeks to Block Christa Pike’s Attorneys From Inspecting Drug Used in Failed Execution

    The convicted murderer survived two lethal doses of pentobarbital during the execution attempt on Sept. 30.

    Read at The Epoch Times (opens in a new tab)
  • Fox NewsFar Right

    Tennessee warns executions could grind to a halt if Christa Pike's lawyers see a single drug label: court docs

    Tennessee officials warn that exposing their pentobarbital supplier could halt all future executions after Christa Pike survived two lethal doses.

    Read at Fox News (opens in a new tab)
  • New York PostRight

    Tennessee’s lethal drug supplier fears retaliation after Christa Pike’s Loaded modifier“botched execution”The word judges how the execution was carried out, while the AP report on the same event uses the neutral term failed execution.More neutral: failed executionDisagree with this highlight?: court docs

    Tennessee prison officials are begging a judge to keep their lethal drug suppliers’ identities under wraps after Christa Pike’s botched execution, newly filed court documents reveal.

    Read at New York Post (opens in a new tab)

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, 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

    21 hr 13 min later

    Its first report, Nov 10, 6:35 PM EST

  • Center

    1 day 17 hr later

    Its first report, Nov 11, 2:58 PM EST

  • Right

    First to report

    New York Post, Nov 9, 9:22 PM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. New York PostRightNov 9, 9:22 PM EST
  2. Fox NewsFar RightNov 10, 10:40 AM EST
  3. ABC NewsLeftNov 10, 6:35 PM EST
  4. CBS NewsLeftNov 10, 7:51 PM EST
  5. MS NOWFar LeftNov 10, 11:15 PM EST
  6. NewsNationCenterNov 11, 2:58 PM EST
  7. The Epoch TimesFar RightNov 11, 7:36 PM EST

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

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