CenterHigh
Portland Press HeraldNews report · Aug 15, 7:46 PM
Kennebunk police searching for missing man
missing man
Jacob Jackson was last seen around Summer Street in Kennebunk.
← Today's headlines
6 sources checked · Left, Center, and Right included · 1h ago
Different Spin
Kennebunk police searching for missing man
Headlines vary significantly in identifying the missing person as a "man," "hiker," or "pilot," and in specifying the search location.
1 Left4 Center1 Right
DIFFERENT SPIN
HOW EACH SIDE WORDED IT
Left-leaningCenter-leftSearch for missing hiker continues
The Age (Australia)Mostly Factual
missing hikercontinues
Right-leaningSearch on for missing pilot in cottage country
Toronto SunMixed
missing pilotcottage country
Center baseline · 
Portland Press HeraldHighKennebunk police searching for missing man
As of August 15, 2026 at 10:05 PM, this is how Optics News reads the wording differences in this story.
What happened Jacob Jackson was last seen around Summer Street in Kennebunk.
The headline split The left frames it as "Search for missing hiker continues". The right frames it as "Search on for missing pilot in cottage country".
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 confidenceModerate
70/99 — meaningful wording shift across the spectrum.
WHAT EACH SIDE EMPHASIZED
Left / center-leftSearch for missing hiker continues
The Age (Australia) · Center-left · News report
CenterKennebunk police searching for missing man
Portland Press Herald · Center · News report
Right / center-rightSearch on for missing pilot in cottage country
Toronto Sun · Right · News report
SEE THE HEADLINES
Open source
CenterHigh
WISN12 Milwaukee (Hearst)News report · Aug 15, 10:05 PM
Wauwatosa police search for suspect in Saturday bank robbery
The Wauwatosa Police Department is searching for a male suspect in a Saturday afternoon bank robbery.
CenterHigh
The Sydney Morning HeraldNews report · Aug 15, 9:25 PM
Search for missing hiker continues
missing hikercontinues
The search for an 18-year-old hiker who went missing south-west of Sydney will continue today despite challenging conditions.
Center-leftMostly Factual
The Age (Australia)News report · Aug 15, 9:25 PM
Search for missing hiker continues
missing hikercontinues
The search for an 18-year-old hiker who went missing south-west of Sydney will continue today despite challenging conditions.
RightMixed
Toronto SunNews report · Aug 15, 6:55 PM
Search on for missing pilot in cottage country
missing pilotcottage country
David, 73, took off from Oshawa Airport in a small 'home-built aircraft' on Friday morning and his last known location was near Balsam Lake
CenterHigh
WGAL8 (Hearst, Lancaster)News report · Aug 15, 6:07 PM
Police search for suspect in Harrisburg triple shooting
According to Harrisburg police, a call came in at 7:20 p.m. Friday for a shooting at the intersection of North 4th and Woodbine Streets.
Details70/99 Wording Gap · High confidence · 6 sources
70/99 Wording GapHigh confidence6 sources · 3 bias bucketsStable · 6 sources · all three buckets · comparable news formatFormats: News report
SOURCE MAP CHANGES
Aug 15, 6:07 PM: WGAL8 (Hearst, Lancaster) joined the source map.
Aug 15, 6:55 PM: Toronto Sun joined the source map.
Aug 15, 7:46 PM: Portland Press Herald joined the source map.
Aug 15, 9:25 PM: The Sydney Morning Herald joined the source map.
Now: Wording Gap is 70/99 and story health is stable · 6 sources · all three buckets · comparable news format.