Skip to content

Crime & JusticeBreaking

Live World War II-era grenades found in estate sale box in Austin, Texas

By

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 8 outlets across the spectrum.

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

Cardboard box on concrete holding several old military grenades and canisters, overhead view.
Image via New York PostHow images are chosenReport this image

Live World War II-era grenades were found in a box bought at an estate sale in Austin, Texas, according to police and the outlets that reported it. The discovery prompted a police bomb squad response, with officers securing the scene and removing the devices, and the Guardian reports a neighborhood lockdown. Austin police said six grenades, roughly 80 years old, were in the box and were treated as live after X-ray examination. Authorities confirmed there was no crime, and police said the incident was a reminder not to touch old military weapons.

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. Live World War II-era grenades were found in a box bought at an estate sale in Austin, Texas.

    Reported byFar Left1Left2Center1Right3Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Left
    CBS News, The Guardian
    Center
    The Hill
    Right
    New York Post, The Washington Times, Daily Mail
    Far Right
    Breitbart News

  2. A police bomb squad responded to the home and removed the devices, with officers securing the scene.

    Reported byFar Left1Left1Center1Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Left
    The Guardian
    Center
    The Hill
    Right
    New York Post, Daily Mail

  3. Austin police said there was no crime.

    One outletThe Hill· Center

  4. Austin police said the box held six live grenades, roughly 80 years old, that were treated as live after X-ray examination.

    One outletDaily Mail· Right

How each side tells it

Compare views

All sides report live World War II-era grenades found in a box bought at an Austin, Texas, estate sale, and a bomb squad response. The main difference is emphasis: most left and center headlines describe the find plainly, while right headlines lead with the finder and, at Breitbart, with shock.

  • the left

    3 outlets

    Left headlines mostly describe the find plainly, though the Daily Beast uses dramatic words like shock and scramble.

    Live WWII-era grenades found in box bought at estate sale
    CBS NewsLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    The Hill's headline names the police department as the source and states the find plainly.

    Live WWII grenades found at Texas estate sale: Austin Police Department
    The HillCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    4 outlets

    Right headlines lead with the man who found the grenades and the word live, while Breitbart leads with shock and a quoted phrase about an unusual find.

    Texan finds live WWII grenades in boxes bought at estate sale
    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.

  • Left3

    harrowingScrambleShock Find

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right1

    Shock

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    harrowingMore neutral: discovery

    “Harrowing” characterizes the discovery emotionally rather than reporting it.

    A Texas man made a harrowing discovery at a local resident’s estate sale in Austin.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    ScrambleMore neutral: Response

    “Scramble” suggests disorder that the reports of a calm, safe removal do not describe.

    Bomb Squad Scramble Over Man’s Shock Find in Estate Sale Box

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    Shock FindMore neutral: Find

    “Shock” adds drama that the reported facts do not require.

    Bomb Squad Scramble Over Man’s Shock Find in Estate Sale Box

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    ShockMore neutral: Live grenades found

    The word presents the find as a shock rather than stating what happened.

    Shock as Live World War II-Era Grenades Sold at Texas Estate Sale: 'Not Your Typical Estate…

    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

3 outlets

Leads with

  • bomb squad response
  • neighborhood lockdown
  • live explosives
See the 3 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • The GuardianLeft

    Texas resident discovers second world war-era grenades in box bought at estate sale

    Discovery of grenades prompted a neighborhood lockdown and a visit from the Austin police department’s bomb squad A buyer at a Texas estate sale discovered several second world war-era grenades in a box of newly bought items, prompting a neighborhood lockdown and a visit from …

    Read at The Guardian (opens in a new tab)
  • The Daily BeastFar Left

    Bomb Squad Sensational language“Scramble”“Scramble” suggests disorder that the reports of a calm, safe removal do not describe.More neutral: ResponseDisagree with this highlight? Over Man’s Sensational language“Shock Find”“Shock” adds drama that the reported facts do not require.More neutral: FindDisagree with this highlight? in Estate Sale Box

    A Texas man discovered live World War II-era grenades at an estate sale in Austin on Tuesday. The Austin Police Department was contacted after the man noticed the handheld explosives in one of the boxes he bought. …

    Read at The Daily Beast (opens in a new tab)
  • CBS NewsLeft

    Live WWII-era grenades found in box bought at estate sale

    Multiple live grenades dating back to World War II were discovered in a box purchased at an estate sale in Austin, Texas, police said.

    Read at CBS News (opens in a new tab)

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • police attribution
  • no crime confirmed
  • warning about old military weapons
See the headline from the centerHide the headlines
  • The HillCenter

    Live WWII grenades found at Texas estate sale: Austin Police Department

    While authorities confirmed there was no crime, they said the incident serves as a reminder not to touch old military weapons.

    Read at The Hill (opens in a new tab)

From the right

4 outlets

Leads with

  • the man who found them
  • live grenades
  • estate sale purchase
See the 4 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • Daily MailRight

    Texas man discovers 'live and active' World War II grenades in estate sale haul

    Austin police confirmed that there were six live, roughly 80-year-old grenades in the box that were in a fairly good condition.

    Read at Daily Mail (opens in a new tab)
  • Breitbart NewsFar Right

    Sensational language“Shock”The word presents the find as a shock rather than stating what happened.More neutral: Live grenades foundDisagree with this highlight? as Live World War II-Era Grenades Sold at Texas Estate Sale: 'Not Your Typical Estate Sale Find'

    Texas police this week jumped into action after someone purchased what turned out to be live World War II-era grenades at an estate sale.

    Read at Breitbart News (opens in a new tab)
  • The Washington TimesRight

    Texan finds live WWII grenades in boxes bought at estate sale

    An Austin, Texas, bomb squad swarmed a residence this week after someone found live grenades inside a box bought at an estate sale.

    Read at The Washington Times (opens in a new tab)
  • New York PostRight

    Texas man finds live World War II grenades in box he bought at estate sale, prompting bomb squad response

    “Handling 80-year-old explosives with unknown stability is dangerous, precise work, and they do it with the professionalism this city counts on.”

    Read at New York Post (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

    7 hr 10 min later

    Its first report, Oct 14, 8:10 AM EDT

  • Center

    1 day 12 hr later

    Its first report, Oct 15, 1:09 PM EDT

  • Right

    First to report

    New York Post, Oct 14, 1:01 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. New York PostRightOct 14, 1:01 AM EDT
  2. CBS NewsLeftOct 14, 8:10 AM EDT
  3. The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 14, 10:15 AM EDT
  4. The Washington TimesRightOct 14, 10:48 AM EDT
  5. Breitbart NewsFar RightOct 14, 1:43 PM EDT
  6. The GuardianLeftOct 15, 8:49 AM EDT
  7. The HillCenterOct 15, 1:09 PM EDT
  8. Daily MailRightOct 15, 1:23 PM EDT

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

Read next

Help someone else find the truth beneath the surface

Most people see one side of a story. Share this one, so they can see how every side is telling it and decide for themselves.

Email it

Seen a mistake? Tell us what is wrong with this page