Crime & JusticeBreaking
Wisconsin Police Investigate Hazing After 30 Men Found in Frat Basement
By Mantle News
Coverage spectrum
Covered by 8 outlets, mostly left-leaning (63%).
8 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias
Police in Madison, Wisconsin responded to an anonymous tip about a hazing incident at Alpha Epsilon Pi, an unaccredited fraternity near the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. Officers found about 30 partially clothed young men in a basement covered in food, condiments and other liquids, with the thermostat set to 81 degrees. Police said several of the men had visible injuries consistent with being physically assaulted, and that the “vast majority” were 18 years old. Two 20-year-olds, identified as fraternity president Brayden Klein and vice president Samuel Vane, were arrested on suspicion of hazing and disorderly conduct and taken to Dane County Jail. Police said the pair were present and spoke with responding officers.
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.
About 30 partially clothed young men were found in a basement covered in food, condiments and other liquids.
Reported byLeftRight
The basement thermostat was set to 81 degrees.
Reported byLeftRight
Some of the men had visible injuries consistent with physical assault, according to police.
Reported byLeftRight
Two 20-year-olds, identified as fraternity president Brayden Klein and vice president Samuel Vane, were arrested on suspicion of hazing and disorderly conduct.
Reported byLeftRight
Police said the fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi, is unaccredited and was terminated by the University of Wisconsin more than a decade ago.
Reported byLeftRight
Show 2 more pointsShow fewer points
Police received an anonymous tip about the event.
Reported byLeftRight
The 'vast majority' of the men found were 18 years old, according to police.
Reported byLeftRight
How each side tells it
Compare views
the left
5 outlets
Left-leaning outlets largely use factual, descriptive headlines centered on the number of men found and the condiments/liquids detail, with some outlets (Daily Beast) using more colorful language like 'bizarre discovery.'
30 College Students Splattered With Condiments and Liquids in Hazing, Police Say
The New York TimesLeftAll 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
3 outlets
Right-leaning outlets emphasize dramatic details of the scene, with Daily Mail's headline notably longer and more descriptive of conditions ('sweltering, garbage-covered basement') and Fox highlighting 'sweltering' conditions during 'rush week.'
Wisconsin Police Find 30 Young Men 'Partially Clothed,' 'Covered in Food, Condiments' in Basement of Frat House
Breitbart 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.
Left4
filthy basementkicked off the University of Wisconsin campusBizarre Discoverysweltering basement
Center
Has not covered this story.
Right4
alleged horrific hazing incidentunderground University of Wisconsin frathalf-naked pledgestrapped in sweltering, garbage-covered basement
In the outlets’ own words
Loaded modifier
filthy basementMore neutral: basement
An evaluative description of the room that goes beyond the police statement's wording.
…incident in Madison, Wisconsin, discovered about 30 shirtless young men in a filthy basement covered in food and liquids, with several showing signs of physical assault.
Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)
Loaded verb
kicked off the University of Wisconsin campusMore neutral: removed from campus recognition
Informal, dramatic phrasing for the fraternity's loss of recognition.
…an event at Alpha Epsilon Pi, an unaccredited fraternity that was kicked off the University of Wisconsin campus more than a decade ago.
Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)
Sensational language
Bizarre DiscoveryMore neutral: Find About 30 Students in Basement
Characterizes the scene as strange rather than describing it, adding drama beyond the facts.
Police Called to Frat Hazing Incident Make Bizarre Discovery
Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)
Sensational language
alleged horrific hazing incidentMore neutral: alleged hazing incident
'Horrific' passes judgment on an incident still under investigation rather than describing it neutrally.
…of a banned University of Wisconsin fraternity, were arrested for an alleged horrific hazing incident.
Used byDaily Mail (Right)
Show 4 more phrasesShow fewer
Loaded modifier
underground University of Wisconsin fratMore neutral: unaccredited University of Wisconsin fraternity
Describing the fraternity as 'underground' implies illicit secrecy beyond the reported fact that it is simply unaccredited by the university.
Leaders of underground University of Wisconsin frat arrested after dozens of students found half-naked pledges trapped in…
Used byDaily Mail (Right)
Sensational language
half-naked pledgesMore neutral: partially clothed pledges
This phrasing is more graphic than the police description of 'partially clothed' individuals, adding drama beyond the reported facts.
…University of Wisconsin frat arrested after dozens of students found half-naked pledges trapped in sweltering, garbage-covered basement
Used byDaily Mail (Right)
Loaded verb
trapped in sweltering, garbage-covered basementMore neutral: found in a sweltering, food-covered basement
'Trapped' suggests the pledges were physically confined against their will, a detail not established in the reporting.
…frat arrested after dozens of students found half-naked pledges trapped in sweltering, garbage-covered basement
Used byDaily Mail (Right)
Loaded modifier
sweltering basementMore neutral: basement where the thermostat was set to 81 degrees
Characterizes the temperature in dramatic terms rather than citing the reported 81 degrees.
…of suspicion of hazing in the episode, which happened on Wednesday in a sweltering basement, officials said.
Used byThe New York Times (Left)
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
5 outletsLeads with
- number of men found
- condiments and liquids detail
- arrests of fraternity leaders
See the 5 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
Wisconsin police investigating fraternity for hazing after men found in basement
Pledges found covered in food in heated basement of fraternity house near University of Wisconsin-Madison Police are investigating suspected illegal hazing after about 30 partially clothed young men covered in food, condiments and other liquids were found recently in the …
30 College Students Splattered With Condiments and Liquids in Hazing, Police Say
Two University of Wisconsin-Madison students face charges of suspicion of hazing in the episode, which happened on Wednesday in a Loaded modifier“sweltering basement”Characterizes the temperature in dramatic terms rather than citing the reported 81 degrees.More neutral: basement where the thermostat was set to 81 degreesDisagree with this highlight?, officials said.
Police investigating for hazing after men covered in food found in Wisconsin frat
Police are investigating suspected hazing after about 30 partially-clothed young men covered in food, condiments and other liquids were found in the basement of a fraternity house near the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus this week
- CBS NewsLeft
30 partially clothed men found in frat basement in alleged hazing incident
Two 20-year-olds have been arrested and charged with hazing and disorderly conduct in relation to the incident.
- The Daily BeastFar Left
Police Called to Frat Hazing Incident Make Sensational language“Bizarre Discovery”Characterizes the scene as strange rather than describing it, adding drama beyond the facts.More neutral: Find About 30 Students in BasementDisagree with this highlight?
Police officers responding to reports of a hazing incident in Madison, Wisconsin, discovered about 30 shirtless young men in a Loaded modifier“filthy basement”An evaluative description of the room that goes beyond the police statement's wording.More neutral: basementDisagree with this highlight? covered in food and liquids, with several showing signs of physical assault. …
From the center
0 outletsNo center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
From the right
3 outletsLeads with
- sweltering/heated conditions
- partially clothed pledges
- arrests of leaders
See the 3 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
- Breitbart NewsFar Right
Wisconsin Police Find 30 Young Men 'Partially Clothed,' 'Covered in Food, Condiments' in Basement of Frat House
Police found 30 "partially clothed males" in the basement of an unaccredited frat house located near the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
- Daily MailRight
Leaders of Loaded modifier“underground University of Wisconsin frat”Describing the fraternity as 'underground' implies illicit secrecy beyond the reported fact that it is simply unaccredited by the university.More neutral: unaccredited University of Wisconsin fraternityDisagree with this highlight? arrested after dozens of students found Sensational language“half-naked pledges”This phrasing is more graphic than the police description of 'partially clothed' individuals, adding drama beyond the reported facts.More neutral: partially clothed pledgesDisagree with this highlight? Loaded verb“trapped in sweltering, garbage-covered basement”'Trapped' suggests the pledges were physically confined against their will, a detail not established in the reporting.More neutral: found in a sweltering, food-covered basementDisagree with this highlight?
Police found 30 partially clothed teens covered in 'food, condiments, and other liquids' in a grungy, sweltering basement.
- Fox NewsFar Right
Dozens of pledges found covered in food in sweltering frat basement as police investigate alleged hazing
Roughly 30 partially clothed young men were found in a sweltering basement during rush week at the Alpha Epsilon Pi house in Madison, Wisconsin.
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
First to report
The Daily Beast, Sep 25, 11:20 AM EDT
Center
No report yet
From the outlets Mantle follows
Right
31 min later
Its first report, Sep 25, 11:51 AM EDT
See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
- The Daily BeastFar LeftSep 25, 11:20 AM EDT
- Fox NewsFar RightSep 25, 11:51 AM EDT
- CBS NewsLeftSep 25, 1:12 PM EDT
- ABC NewsLeftSep 25, 2:48 PM EDT
- Daily MailRightSep 25, 5:12 PM EDT
- The New York TimesLeftSep 25, 7:39 PM EDT
- The GuardianLeftSep 26, 12:57 PM EDT
- Breitbart NewsFar RightSep 26, 4:12 PM EDT
Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.
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