Crime & JusticeDevelopingUpdated 25 min ago

Tennessee governor says Christa Pike will remain incarcerated after failed execution

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 5 outlets, mostly right-leaning (80%).

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

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The Daily Beast, Fox News, the New York Post and Just the News report that Christa Pike, 50, survived two doses of a lethal injection in September, when the state’s execution failed. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee says she remains incarcerated and that her sentence will likely stay the same. Pike’s lawyers had asked Lee to commute her sentence. Pike was sentenced to death for the murder of classmate Colleen Slemmer. The Daily Beast reports she was hospitalized and declared brain dead before regaining consciousness on October 6.

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

New to Mantle? It shows who is covering each story across the political spectrum, and highlights loaded words. How to read a storyHide the guide

The coverage spectrum counts the outlets covering a story at each of five points. A short or missing segment means that part of the spectrum is mostly quiet.

Governor Loaded verb“slams”It adds drama to what was said. The governor criticized the lawmakers; “slams” makes it sound like a fight.More neutral: criticizes lawmakers over budget delay

Highlights mark words that carry a judgement. Tap one to see why, and what a neutral writer would say. Here it is “criticizes”.

The 5-point spectrum

Far Left
Voices that strongly advocate for progressive policies and systemic change.
Left
Mainstream liberal perspectives focusing on social equality and regulation.
Center
Sources that prioritize neutral reporting and balanced viewpoints.
Right
Mainstream conservative perspectives focusing on market freedom and tradition.
Far Right
Voices that strongly advocate for conservative values and limited government.

How we measure bias

What happened

Key points

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

Christa Pike survived a lethal injection in September after the execution failed.
Reported byFar Left1Right1Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
Far Left
The Daily Beast
Right
New York Post
Far Right
Just the News, Fox News
Gov. Bill Lee said Pike remains incarcerated and her sentence will likely stay the same.
Reported byFar Left1Right1Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
Far Left
The Daily Beast
Right
New York Post
Far Right
Just the News, Fox News
Pike’s lawyers asked Lee to commute her sentence after the failed execution.
Reported byFar Left1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
Far Left
The Daily Beast
Far Right
Just the News
Pike, 50, was sentenced to death for the murder of classmate Colleen Slemmer.
Reported byFar Left1Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
Far Left
The Daily Beast
Right
New York Post
Far Right
Fox News
A former police chief who handled the case said Pike was “ruthless” and “almost giddy” while describing the killing to police.
One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
Right
New York Post
Far Right
Fox News
Pike was hospitalized and declared brain dead, then regained consciousness on October 6; her cognitive recovery remains uncertain.
One outletThe Daily Beast· Far Left

How each side tells it

Compare views

All sides report that Christa Pike survived a failed lethal injection and that Gov. Bill Lee says her sentence will likely stay the same. Right-leaning outlets lead with a former police chief’s account of Pike’s demeanor, while the Daily Beast focuses on the failed injection and the governor’s hint.

the left
1 outlet
Headlines lead with Gov. Lee hinting that Pike’s sentence will not change, using the label “Death Row Woman” and focusing on the failed injection itself.
Tennessee Gov. Hints at Death Row Woman’s Fate After Botched Execution
The Daily BeastFar LeftAll 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
4 outlets
Headlines lead with Gov. Lee signaling Pike will stay on death row, and the New York Post stresses a former police chief’s grisly account; Far Right Just the News stresses that she survived lethal injection.
Tennessee governor hints at Christa Pike’s fate after botched execution
New York PostRightAll 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.
Right6
botched executiontwisted murdersick mementoGrisly details

In the outlets’ own words

Loaded modifier
botched executionMore neutral: failed execution
The word asserts that the execution was carried out badly, a conclusion the state’s own review has not yet reached.
…attorneys to have her sentence commuted to life without parole following the botched execution, Tennessee Gov.
Used byJust the News (Far Right)Fox News (Far Right)
Sensational language
twisted murderMore neutral: murder
The adjective adds a dramatic judgement that the word murder alone does not carry.
Christa Pike was ‘ruthless,’ ‘almost giddy’ while being interrogated about twisted murder, police chief recalls
Used byNew York Post (Right)
Sensational language
sick mementoMore neutral: souvenir
The adjective adds an emotional judgement about the killer in the outlet’s own voice.
…in Knoxville in Janunary 1995 and then keeping a piece of her victim’s skull as a sick memento.
Used byNew York Post (Right)
Sensational language
Grisly detailsMore neutral: Details
The adjective manufactures drama in the outlet’s own headline where a plain noun would inform.
Grisly details from Christa Pike’s horrific 1995 murder of classmate resurface
Used byNew York Post (Right)

Show 2 more phrasesShow fewer

Sensational language
horrificMore neutral: 1995 murder
The adjective adds an emotional judgement in the outlet’s own voice.
Grisly details from Christa Pike’s horrific 1995 murder of classmate resurface
Used byNew York Post (Right)
Vague attribution
raising questionsMore neutral: state the question and who is asking
The writer is raising the question while pretending someone else did.
30 and has since returned to prison, raising questions about whether the state could attempt to put her to death again.
Used byFox 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

governor’s hint on Pike’s sentence
details of the failed injection
Pike’s status on death row

Leaves out

former police chief’s account of Pike’s demeanor

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

See the headline from the leftHide the headlines

The Daily BeastFar Left
Tennessee Gov. Hints at Death Row Woman’s Fate After Botched Execution
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said Christa Pike’s sentence will likely stay the same, despite her failed execution last month. Pike, 50, was sentenced to death in 1996 for the murder of her classmate, 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. Last month, she became the first prisoner in U.S. …
1 hr agoRead at The Daily Beast (opens in a new tab)

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

4 outlets

Leads with

governor’s signal on Pike’s sentence
former police chief’s account of the murder
Pike surviving lethal injection

See the 4 headlines from the rightHide the headlines

Daily MailRight
Christa Pike will likely still remain on death row even after botched execution, governor says
Governor Bill Lee addressed whether Christa Pike would still face the death penalty weeks after she survived two doses of lethal injection for the 1995 stabbing death of her classmate.
25 min agoRead at Daily Mail (opens in a new tab)
New York PostRight
Tennessee governor hints at Christa Pike’s fate after botched execution
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has hinted that Christa Pike's sentence will stay the same after her botched execution last month.
4 hr agoRead at New York Post (opens in a new tab)
2 more from New York Post
- Grisly details from Christa Pike’s horrific 1995 murder of classmate resurface
- Christa Pike was ‘ruthless,’ ‘almost giddy’ while being interrogated about twisted murder, police chief recalls
Fox NewsFar Right
Ex-chief says Christa Pike was 'almost giddy' describing murder as governor weighs in after Loaded modifier“botched execution”The word asserts that the execution was carried out badly, a conclusion the state’s own review has not yet reached.More neutral: failed executionDisagree with this highlight?
A former Knoxville police chief recalled Christa Pike being "ruthless" and "almost giddy" while describing Colleen Slemmer's brutal 1995 murder.
5 hr agoRead at Fox News (opens in a new tab)
Just the NewsFar Right
Tennessee Gov. Lee signals woman who survived lethal injection will still face death penalty
Despite pleas from her attorneys to have her sentence commuted to life without parole following the botched execution, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said Pike remains incarcerated and her sentence is unlikely to change.
20 hr agoRead at Just the News (opens in a new tab)
2 more from Just the News
- Tennessee Gov. Lee signals woman who survived lethal injection will still face death penalty
- Tennessee Gov. Lee signals woman who survived lethal injection will still face death penalty

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
1 day 1 hr later
Its first report, Oct 29, 3:25 PM EDT
Center
No report yet
From the outlets Mantle follows
Right
First to report
New York Post, Oct 28, 2:03 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order

New York PostRightOct 28, 2:03 PM EDT
Fox NewsFar RightOct 29, 10:59 AM EDT
The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 29, 3:25 PM EDT
Daily MailRightOct 29, 4:11 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out. Just the News gave only a date, so it is not placed.

Tennessee governor says Christa Pike will remain incarcerated after failed execution

Coverage spectrum

Key points

Compare views

the left

the center

the right

Language to notice

In the outlets’ own words

Side by side

From the left

Tennessee Gov. Hints at Death Row Woman’s Fate After Botched Execution

From the center

From the right

Christa Pike will likely still remain on death row even after botched execution, governor says

Tennessee governor hints at Christa Pike’s fate after botched execution

Tennessee Gov. Lee signals woman who survived lethal injection will still face death penalty

How the coverage built up

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