Skip to content

Crime & JusticeBreaking

Video shows man allegedly trying to abduct 13-year-old girl at Florida gas station

By

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, mostly right-leaning (67%).

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

Blurry surveillance footage of a person in red and black on a gas station pavement, foreground blurred
Image via CBS NewsHow images are chosenReport this image

CBS News, Daily Mail and the New York Post report that surveillance video shows a man trying to abduct a 13-year-old girl outside a Shell gas station in Miramar, Florida, on Monday. Daily Mail says police named the suspect as Michael Polanco, 32, and that he grabbed the girl around the neck and walked her toward another area of the parking lot. The girl broke free and ran into the gas station, according to the reports. The New York Post says police arrested Polanco later that day and that he faces charges including kidnapping, citing a police report. Police describe the incident as an attempted kidnapping, and it is unclear whether the girl was injured.

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. Police said video captured a man approaching a 13-year-old girl at a Shell gas station in Miramar, Florida, on Monday.

    Reported byLeft1Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    CBS News
    Right
    Daily Mail, New York Post

  2. Police said Michael Polanco, 32, tried to kidnap the girl.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    Daily Mail, New York Post

  3. The girl broke free and ran into the gas station.

    Reported byLeft1Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    CBS News
    Right
    Daily Mail, New York Post

  4. According to a police report, Polanco was arrested later on Monday and faces charges including kidnapping.

    One outletNew York Post· Right

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three outlets report that surveillance video shows a man approaching a 13-year-old girl at a Miramar, Florida gas station and that she got away. The CBS report keeps to the video and the attempt, while the New York Post leads with the suspect’s alleged remarks and record.

  • the left

    1 outlet

    The left-side CBS headline reports the surveillance video and the attempted kidnapping in plain terms, naming neither the suspect nor any charges.

    Surveillance video captures kidnapping attempt of 13-year-old girl in Florida
    CBS NewsLeftAll 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

    2 outlets

    Both right-side headlines lead with the video and an attempted abduction; the New York Post goes further, calling the man a pervert and citing alleged sexual remarks.

    Stranger filmed trying to abduct girl, 13, outside gas station after grabbing her by her neck
    Daily MailRightAll 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.

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right4

    history of violencepervertShockingperv

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded modifier

    history of violenceMore neutral: A stranger

    Presents a past record as a background fact about the accused, which the supplied text does not document.

    A stranger with a history of violence allegedly tried to kidnap a 13-year-old girl by putting her in a headlock after…

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Dehumanizing label

    pervertMore neutral: man

    A contemptuous label that calls the accused a sex offender before the facts are established.

    Disturbing video shows a pervert trying to kidnap a 13-year-old girl in Florida after allegedly asking her to “give…

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Sensational language

    ShockingMore neutral: Video shows

    The word adds shock before the facts are established, where a neutral label would describe the video.

    Shocking moment perv tries to kidnap girl, 13, after telling her to ‘give him some kisses’

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Dehumanizing label

    pervMore neutral: man

    A contemptuous label that calls the accused a sex offender before the facts are established.

    Shocking moment perv tries to kidnap girl, 13, after telling her to ‘give him some kisses’

    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

  • surveillance video
  • the attempted kidnapping
  • the girl breaking free

Leaves out

  • the suspect’s name and age
  • the later arrest and charges

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

See the headline from the leftHide the headlines
  • CBS NewsLeft

    Surveillance video captures kidnapping attempt of 13-year-old girl in Florida

    Surveillance video captured the moment a Florida man attempted to kidnap a young girl in a gas station parking lot before she broke free, authorities said. The 13-year-old can be seen walking home when a man in biking gear approaches her.

    Read at CBS News (opens in a new tab)

From the center

0 outlets

No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the right

2 outlets

Leads with

  • the video footage
  • the attempted abduction
  • the suspect’s alleged sexual remarks
  • the suspect’s record
See the 2 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • New York PostRight

    Sensational language“Shocking”The word adds shock before the facts are established, where a neutral label would describe the video.More neutral: Video showsDisagree with this highlight? moment Dehumanizing label“perv”A contemptuous label that calls the accused a sex offender before the facts are established.More neutral: manDisagree with this highlight? tries to kidnap girl, 13, after telling her to ‘give him some kisses’

    A stranger with a Loaded modifier“history of violence”Presents a past record as a background fact about the accused, which the supplied text does not document.More neutral: A strangerDisagree with this highlight? allegedly tried to kidnap a 13-year-old girl by putting her in a headlock after telling her to "give him some kisses," according to a report.

    Read at New York Post (opens in a new tab)
  • Daily MailRight

    Stranger filmed trying to abduct girl, 13, outside gas station after grabbing her by her neck

    Michael Polanco, 32, tried to kidnap a 13-year-old girl in broad daylight on Monday outside of a Shell gas station in Miramar Florida, and the moment was captured on camera, police said.

    Read at Daily Mail (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

    1 hr 25 min later

    Its first report, Oct 21, 7:28 PM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    First to report

    Daily Mail, Oct 21, 6:03 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Daily MailRightOct 21, 6:03 PM EDT
  2. CBS NewsLeftOct 21, 7:28 PM EDT
  3. New York PostRightOct 22, 9:27 AM 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