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Texas and Oklahoma execute two men, one convicted of killing his three children

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 6 outlets across the spectrum.

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

Split image: Oklahoma State Penitentiary building beside a smiling bearded man in a red shirt
Image via Fox NewsHow images are chosenReport this image

Texas and Oklahoma executed two men on Thursday, according to reports. Oklahoma executed James Pavatt for the 2001 killing of Rob Andrew, the husband of a woman Pavatt was allegedly involved with; Pavatt was convicted of murder. Texas executed John Allen Rubio, convicted of killing his three young children in 2003 in Brownsville. Coverage says Rubio told loved ones before his execution that he would soon be with the children, and that he claimed God had forgiven him.

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. Texas executed John Allen Rubio by lethal injection on Thursday for the 2003 killing of his three children.

    Reported byCenter2Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    United Press International, Newsweek
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    Fox News

  2. Oklahoma executed James Pavatt by lethal injection on Thursday for the 2001 murder of Rob Andrew.

    Reported byCenter1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    United Press International
    Far Right
    Fox News

  3. Rubio was convicted of the 2003 killing of his three children, whom he had been raising in Brownsville.

    One outletUnited Press International· Center

  4. Rubio said before his execution that he would soon be with the children he killed, and claimed God had forgiven him.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    Fox News

  5. Pavatt was convicted of the 2001 killing of his alleged lover’s husband, carried out over a life insurance policy.

    One outletUnited Press International· Center

How each side tells it

Compare views

Coverage reports that Texas and Oklahoma executed two men, one convicted of the 2003 killing of his three children. The right’s headlines dwell on the children’s deaths and Rubio’s words about the afterlife, while the center’s are plainer and the left’s single headline names the father’s beheading.

  • the left

    1 outlet

    Left coverage is limited to ABC News, which ran the Associated Press report under a headline centering on a father who beheaded three children; the text is AP’s work, not ABC’s.

  • the center

    2 outlets

    Center headlines are plain and factual, naming the method and the count of executions, such as Texas executing its eighth inmate this year or two men executed on the same day.

    Texas executes man for killing, beheading his 3 children
    United Press InternationalCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    3 outlets

    Right headlines lead with the children’s deaths and Rubio’s words about the afterlife; the New York Post uses words like monster and evil, while Fox News leads with Rubio’s final quote.

    Texas man executed for beheading 3 children: 'Going to be with my kids'
    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.

  • Right4

    Evil dadmonsterboastedderanged

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded modifier

    Evil dadMore neutral: Texas man convicted of killing his three children

    Calling the father “evil” in the headline states a moral verdict that the facts of the conviction do not require.

    Evil dad who decapitated 3 young children finally set to executed

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Dehumanizing label

    monsterMore neutral: man

    The noun reduces the man to a subhuman category in the outlet's own voice.

    The monster boasted that he would soon reunite with his innocent victims in the afterlife.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    boastedMore neutral: said

    The verb presents a statement about his afterlife as bragging, adding judgement to what he said.

    The monster boasted that he would soon reunite with his innocent victims in the afterlife.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    derangedMore neutral: man convicted

    The word presents a mental state as settled fact before any evaluation has been reported.

    A deranged Texas killer claimed God forgave him minutes before he was executed Thursday for the…

    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

1 outlet

Leads with

  • the father who beheaded three children
  • two executions reported together
See the headline from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

2 outlets

Leads with

  • the beheading of three children
  • the same-day executions in two states
  • Texas’s eighth execution this year

Leaves out

  • Rubio’s final words about his children and God

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

See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

3 outlets

Leads with

  • the beheading of three children
  • Rubio’s claims about God and the afterlife
  • the victims’ innocence
See the 4 headlines from the rightHide the headlines

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 17 hr later

    Its first report, Nov 12, 5:44 AM EST

  • Center

    2 days later

    Its first report, Nov 12, 1:04 PM EST

  • Right

    First to report

    Daily Mail, Nov 10, 12:27 PM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Daily MailRightNov 10, 12:27 PM EST
  2. New York PostRightNov 11, 12:59 PM EST
  3. ABC NewsLeftNov 12, 5:44 AM EST
  4. United Press InternationalCenterNov 12, 1:04 PM EST
  5. Fox NewsFar RightNov 12, 1:42 PM EST
  6. NewsweekCenterNov 12, 9:44 PM EST

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

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