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Utah authorities link Ted Bundy by DNA to 1974 killing of 17-year-old Melissa Smith

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 10 outlets across the spectrum.

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

Uniformed sheriff speaks at podium before Utah County Sheriff's Office seal, flags, and audience.
Image via The Washington TimesHow images are chosenReport this image

Utah authorities say DNA evidence links serial killer Ted Bundy to the 1974 killing of 17-year-old Melissa Ann Smith, whose body was found by hunters near Salt Lake City. The case had long been listed as cold. Officials said the link came from evidence gathered in the case of Laura Ann Aime, which was solved in April. At a news conference on Tuesday, officials said the DNA evidence, considered with pattern, motive, means and opportunity, establishes that Bundy was responsible. Bundy was executed in 1989. The announcement came more than 50 years after Smith’s death.

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. Utah authorities say DNA evidence links serial killer Ted Bundy to the 1974 killing of 17-year-old Melissa Ann Smith, a cold case.

    Across the spectrumReported byFar Left1Left1Center3Right3See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Left
    CBS News
    Center
    BBC News, PBS NewsHour, Newsweek
    Right
    New York Post, The Washington Times, Washington Examiner

  2. Smith’s body was found by hunters in 1974, more than 50 years before the link was announced.

    Reported byCenter2Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    BBC News, Newsweek
    Right
    New York Post

  3. The link came from DNA testing of evidence in the Laura Ann Aime case, which was solved in April.

    Reported byFar Left1Center2Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Center
    BBC News, Newsweek
    Right
    Washington Examiner
    Far Right
    Fox News

  4. Officials said the DNA evidence, considered with pattern, motive, means and opportunity, establishes that Bundy was responsible.

    Reported byCenter1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    Newsweek
    Right
    Washington Examiner

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • A Summit County official said the DNA evidence establishes that Bundy was responsible for Smith’s murder.

    The Washington Examiner attributes the statement to Summit County Attorney Margaret Olson, while Newsweek attributes the same words to Summit County Sheriff Casey Bates.

How each side tells it

Compare views

All sides report that Utah authorities have linked serial killer Ted Bundy by DNA to the 1974 killing of 17-year-old Melissa Ann Smith, a cold case. Center and left headlines lead with the cold case, while right headlines foreground police attribution of the DNA link.

  • the left

    3 outlets

    Left headlines frame it as a cold-case murder solved through Bundy’s DNA link, and the Far Left Daily Beast calls it a chilling new twist.

    Serial killer Ted Bundy linked to another Utah girl's cold case murder
    CBS NewsLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    3 outlets

    Center headlines attribute the DNA link to authorities and stress the decades-long wait, and Newsweek adds Bundy’s victim count.

    Serial killer Ted Bundy linked to teenage girl's murder after 52 years
    BBC NewsCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    4 outlets

    Right headlines lead with police attribution and the victim’s age, and Far Right Fox News frames it as an expected link nearly 40 years after Bundy’s execution.

    Utah officials tie Ted Bundy to 1974 murder of 17-year-old Melissa Smith
    Washington ExaminerRightAll 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.

  • Left2

    Bundy’s true victim countChilling

  • Center1

    notorious

  • Right2

    notoriouspin another decades-old homicide on

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded modifier

    notoriousMore neutral: known for (describe)

    Judgement of reputation as fact.

    Utah authorities are expected to link notorious serial killer Ted Bundy to another decades-old homicide Tuesday, nearly 40 years…

    Used byFox News (Far Right)BBC News (Center)Newsweek (Center)

  • Loaded verb

    pin another decades-old homicide onMore neutral: link another decades-old homicide to

    Pinning a homicide on a person suggests blame before the evidence has been tested, while the authorities are only announcing a link.

    Authorities in Utah are holding a news conference Tuesday to pin another decades-old homicide on serial killer Ted Bundy.

    Used byThe Washington Times (Right)

  • Absolutist framing

    Bundy’s true victim countMore neutral: the number of Bundy’s victims

    The phrase presents a disputed or unknown number of victims as a settled fact.

    …DNA testing are confirming what investigators and criminologists believe is Bundy’s true victim count.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    ChillingMore neutral: New

    The adjective adds dread to a headline about a new fact in a criminal case, and the reported facts do not need it.

    Chilling New Twist in Ted Bundy Murder Mystery

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

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

  • cold case solved
  • Bundy’s DNA link
  • Aime case as lead-in
See the 3 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

3 outlets

Leads with

  • decades-long cold case
  • DNA technology
  • Bundy’s victim count
See the 3 headlines from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

4 outlets

Leads with

  • police DNA attribution
  • 17-year-old victim
  • timing after execution
See the 5 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • Washington ExaminerRight

    Utah officials tie Ted Bundy to 1974 murder of 17-year-old Melissa Smith

    Law enforcement officials in Utah linked the 1974 murder of 17-year-old Melissa Ann Smith to serial killer Ted Bundy on Tuesday, closing the cold case of the murder 52 years after her body was found. …

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

    Utah authorities say DNA links 17-year-old killed in 1974 to Ted Bundy

    A cold case involving a 17-year-old girl who died more than 50 years ago is being linked to serial killer Ted Bundy.

    Read at The Washington Times (opens in a new tab)
  • New York PostRightAssociated Press report

    Ted Bundy connected to 1974 murder of 17-year-old girl in Utah by DNA evidence: police

    DNA connects serial killer Ted Bundy to the death of a Utah teenager, authorities announced Tuesday, more than 50 years after her body was discovered by a hunter.

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

    Ted Bundy expected to be linked to another decades-old homicide nearly 40 years after his execution

    DNA evidence is expected to link Ted Bundy to another decades-old Utah homicide, months after the same technology tied him to Laura Ann Aime's killing.

    Read at Fox News (opens in a new tab)
  • The Washington TimesRightAssociated Press report

    Utah authorities are connecting serial killer Ted Bundy to another 1970s homicide

    Authorities in Utah are holding a news conference Tuesday to Loaded verb“pin another decades-old homicide on”Pinning a homicide on a person suggests blame before the evidence has been tested, while the authorities are only announcing a link.More neutral: link another decades-old homicide toDisagree with this highlight? serial killer Ted Bundy.

    Read at The Washington Times (opens in a new tab)

    Also published by ABC News. It counts once.

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

    43 min later

    Its first report, Oct 27, 12:13 PM EDT

  • Center

    4 hr 26 min later

    Its first report, Oct 27, 3:56 PM EDT

  • Right

    First to report

    The Washington Times, Oct 27, 11:30 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The Washington TimesRightOct 27, 11:30 AM EDT
  2. ABC NewsLeftOct 27, 12:13 PM EDT
  3. Fox NewsFar RightOct 27, 1:51 PM EDT
  4. CBS NewsLeftOct 27, 2:54 PM EDT
  5. New York PostRightOct 27, 3:25 PM EDT
  6. BBC NewsCenterOct 27, 3:56 PM EDT
  7. PBS NewsHourCenterOct 27, 4:01 PM EDT
  8. The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 27, 4:02 PM EDT
  9. Washington ExaminerRightOct 27, 4:32 PM EDT
  10. NewsweekCenterOct 27, 5:12 PM EDT

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

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