CenterMostly Factual
ABC7chicago.comNews report · Oct 9, 9:32 PM
Chicago, NFL react to death of Bears legend Mike Ditka
Reaction is pouring in from Chicago and around the NFL world after the death of Bears legend Mike Ditka.
← Today's headlines
6 sources checked · Left, Center, and Right included · 9m ago
Different Spin
Chicago, NFL react to death of Bears legend Mike Ditka
Chicago Sun-Times and Western Journal describe the same event in different terms.
1 Left3 Center2 Right
DIFFERENT SPIN
HOW EACH SIDE WORDED IT
Left-leaningCenter-leftBears fans mourn Mike Ditka, the man who unified city sports fans and 'taught Chicago to hate Green Bay'
Chicago Sun-TimesMostly Factual
Right-leaningNFL legend Mike Ditka has passed away at the age of 86...
The Political InsiderLow
Center baseline · 
ABC7chicago.comMostly FactualChicago, NFL react to death of Bears legend Mike Ditka
As of October 9, 2026 at 9:32 PM, this is how Optics News reads the wording differences in this story.
What happened Reaction is pouring in from Chicago and around the NFL world after the death of Bears legend Mike Ditka.
The headline split The left frames it as "Bears fans mourn Mike Ditka, the man who unified city sports fans and 'taught Chicago to...". The right frames it as "NFL legend Mike Ditka has passed away at the age of 86...".
Match confidence High confidence. 6 sources checked, Left/Center/Right all represented. Best read as a clear framing signal — not a fact-check.
Same-event confidenceHigh
6 sources across Left, Center, and Right all describe the same event.
Framing confidenceStrong
90/99 — headlines create a clearly different first impression.
WHAT EACH SIDE EMPHASIZED
Left / center-leftBears fans mourn Mike Ditka, the man who unified city sports fans and 'taught Chicago to hate Green Bay'
Chicago Sun-Times · Center-left · News report
CenterChicago, NFL react to death of Bears legend Mike Ditka
ABC7chicago.com · Center · News report
Right / center-rightNFL legend Mike Ditka has passed away at the age of 86...
The Political Insider · Right · News report
SEE THE HEADLINES
Open source
CenterHigh
WDSU New Orleans (Hearst)News report · Oct 9, 9:16 PM
Legendary coach, Hall of Fame tight end Mike Ditka dies at age 86
Mike Ditka, a legendary tight end in the NFL and the former head coach of the 1985 Super Bowl-winning Chicago Bears, has died at 86.
CenterMostly Factual
NewsweekNews report · Oct 9, 9:13 PM
Lions HC Dan Campbell's Immediate Reaction to Hearing About Mike Ditka's Death
Lions head coach Dan Campbell learned about Mike Ditka's death during a press conference and shared his immediate reaction.
Center-leftMostly Factual
Chicago Sun-TimesNews report · Oct 9, 8:41 PM
Bears fans mourn Mike Ditka, the man who unified city sports fans and 'taught Chicago to hate Green Bay'
To Christopher Bartolini, Mike Ditka was the man who gathered his South Side neighborhood around his dad’s television in his family’s tiny living room — which had an antenna that still caug...
RightLow
The Political InsiderNews report · Oct 9, 8:16 PM
NFL legend Mike Ditka has passed away at the age of 86...
Mike Ditka has passed away at the age of 86, his family announced. making his passion for football analysis his full-time job. In 2021 WWL made Detillier a...
RightMixed
Western JournalNews report · Oct 9, 7:06 PM
Watch: Walter Payton's Son Gets Emotional as He Learns of Mike Ditka's Death During Live Broadcast
Jarrett Payton, the son of Chicago Bears legend Walter Payton, was overcome with emotion Friday when he learned on air that former Bears coach Mike Ditka had died. Ditka was […]
Details90/99 Wording Gap · High confidence · 6 sources
90/99 Wording GapHigh confidence6 sources · 3 bias bucketsStable · 13 sources · all three buckets · comparable news formatFormats: News report
SOURCE MAP CHANGES
Oct 9, 7:06 PM: Western Journal joined the source map.
Oct 9, 8:16 PM: The Political Insider joined the source map.
Oct 9, 8:41 PM: Chicago Sun-Times joined the source map.
Oct 9, 9:13 PM: Newsweek joined the source map.
Now: Wording Gap is 90/99 and story health is stable · 13 sources · all three buckets · comparable news format.