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Storm with tornadoes hits western Sicily towns of Marsala and Petrosino

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 5 outlets across the spectrum.

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

Large dark tornado funnel over houses and palm trees, with power lines in foreground
Image via Al Jazeera EnglishHow images are chosenReport this image

Reports differ on whether one or two tornadoes struck the coastal towns of Marsala and Petrosino in western Sicily, damaging buildings and overturning cars. The Guardian reports that dozens of people were injured, with at least 11 taken to hospital after being hit by debris and shattered glass, and that a 70-year-old man was in critical condition. Fox News reports that officials called it the worst storm in living memory. The Guardian reports that a school was damaged and that all 273 pupils inside were evacuated safely.

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. A tornado struck the coastal towns of Marsala and Petrosino in western Sicily, damaging buildings and overturning cars.

    Reported byLeft2Center1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Al Jazeera English, The Guardian
    Center
    BBC News
    Far Right
    Fox News

  2. Officials described the storm as the worst in living memory.

    One outletFox News· Far Right

  3. Dozens of people were reported injured, with at least 11 taken to hospital after being struck by flying debris and shattered glass.

    One outletThe Guardian· Left

  4. A school in Marsala was damaged, and all 273 pupils inside were safely evacuated.

    Reported byLeft1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Far Right
    Fox News

  5. A 70-year-old man was admitted to hospital in critical condition with several fractures.

    One outletThe Guardian· Left

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • Whether one tornado or two struck Marsala.

    The Guardian reports two tornadoes struck the town; the BBC, Al Jazeera and Fox News refer to a single tornado.

  • How severe the storm was.

    Fox News attributes to officials the description of it as the worst storm in living memory; the other supplied articles do not repeat that description.

How each side tells it

Compare views

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Both left-side headlines lead with the storm's force or its casualties, the Guardian with dozens injured and buildings damaged and Al Jazeera with a powerful tornado ripping through western Sicily.

    Dozens injured and buildings damaged as tornadoes hit Sicily
    The GuardianLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    The BBC headline describes a tornado ripping through a Sicilian town and city, and its description leads with dramatic footage of the damage; this side's coverage here is a single report.

    Tornado rips through Sicilian town and city
    BBC NewsCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    2 outlets

    Fox News uses the most vivid wording of the four headlines, pairing cars flipped and a devastated school with a violent twister ripping through a popular city.

    Wild video shows tornado rip through Sicilian city, injuring 11, destroying a school, flipping cars
    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.

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right1

    TERRIFYING

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    TERRIFYINGMore neutral: Six Flags storm-toppled tree sends 4 guests to hospital

    The capitalized word is a teaser for an unrelated story and adds drama that the tornado report does not need.

    TERRIFYING SCENE UNFOLDS AT SIX FLAGS AS STORM-TOPPLED TREE SENDS 4 GUESTS TO HOSPITAL The…

    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

2 outlets

Leads with

  • injuries and hospitalizations
  • damage to buildings including a school
  • force of the storm

Leaves out

  • officials calling it the worst storm in living memory

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

See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • The GuardianLeft

    Dozens injured and buildings damaged as tornadoes hit Sicily

    Marsala on island’s west coast badly affected after powerful storm approached from Mediterranean Two tornadoes have struck the coastal town of Marsala in western Sicily, injuring dozens of people, damaging buildings including a school, and overturning cars. …

    Read at The Guardian (opens in a new tab)
  • Al Jazeera EnglishLeft

    Powerful tornado rips through western Sicily

    A powerful tornado tore through western Sicily, causing destruction across the cities of Marsala and Petrosino.

    Read at Al Jazeera English (opens in a new tab)

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • dramatic footage
  • damage to buildings and cars
See the headline from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

2 outlets

Leads with

  • overturned vehicles
  • damage to a school
  • officials calling it the worst storm in living memory

Leaves out

  • number of people injured and hospitalized

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

See the 2 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • New York PostRight

    Wild video shows tornado rip through Sicilian city, injuring 11, destroying a school, flipping cars

    A powerful tornado wreaked havoc in a Sicilian city -- injuring 11, including some critically, hitting a school with 272 children inside, and flipping cars into the air.

    Read at New York Post (opens in a new tab)
  • Fox NewsFar Right

    Cars flipped, school devastated as violent twister rips through popular city

    Dramatic footage captures the Marsala tornado overturning vehicles and destroying a school as officials call it the worst storm in living memory.

    Read at Fox 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

    13 min later

    Its first report, Oct 9, 12:37 PM EDT

  • Center

    First to report

    BBC News, Oct 9, 12:25 PM EDT

  • Right

    5 hr 12 min later

    Its first report, Oct 9, 5:37 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. BBC NewsCenterOct 9, 12:25 PM EDT
  2. Al Jazeera EnglishLeftOct 9, 12:37 PM EDT
  3. Fox NewsFar RightOct 9, 5:37 PM EDT
  4. The GuardianLeftOct 10, 7:00 AM EDT
  5. New York PostRightOct 10, 10:34 AM EDT

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

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