2026-09-13

Iranian commercial vessel struck near Strait of Hormuz

3 outlets covered the same story. Here's how their headlines landed on the −5 (Far Left) to +5 (Far Right) spectrum — a 0.0-point gap between the most-left and most-right framing.

Far LeftCenterFar Right

How the coverage framed it

Coverage of this story was largely uniform across all three outlets, with a bias spread of just 0.0 points. Each headline employed the neutral verb "struck" and attributed claims to named sources — CNN to "Iran reports," AP to "Iranian media say," and CNBC to "UKMTO" — reflecting consistent wire-service discipline rather than editorializing. No outlet characterized responsibility, assigned blame, or used charged language. The only meaningful structural difference was that CNBC added diplomatic context with the clause "as prospects for U.S.-Iran diplomacy appear elusive," which broadens the story's geopolitical frame slightly, though this addition was scored as neutral rather than ideologically weighted. AP's inclusion of the casualty detail "with 1 dead" added specificity without framing. Overall, the three headlines present a rare example of cross-outlet framing alignment on a sensitive international incident.

Scores are AI estimates of headline language, not factual ratings. Each headline is scored 0 (neutral) outward to Far Left / Far Right by Claude and Grok.