India

Story gist: Elections commenced in Bihar, India’s poorest state, for 121 assembly seats in the first phase. Candidates including Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap are contesting, with the polls serving as a test for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.

Bias summary: Left-leaning outlets like The Washington Post frame the story with emphasis on the challenge to Modi’s party in Bihar’s poverty context, using a tone of scrutiny. Center outlets such as Times of India provide neutral, detailed coverage focusing on candidates, seats, and phase specifics without political testing narrative. Right-leaning perspectives are absent, potentially omitting defenses or positive spins on Modi’s party’s prospects.

Story gist: Zohran Mamdani won a Democratic primary in New York for a state assembly seat. Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar warned against attempts to ‘impose a Khan’ in political leadership.

Bias summary: Left-leaning outlets like NDTV frame Mamdani’s win through an opinion piece criticizing NRIs’ opposition as a threat to progressive ideals, emphasizing ideological tensions. Center outlets like BBC highlight positive parallels to Nehru’s legacy, focusing on democratic echoes. Right-leaning perspectives are absent, omitting potential defenses of the BJP warning or critiques of Mamdani’s socialist policies.

Story gist: Rahul Gandhi released ‘H files’ alleging theft of over 25 lakh votes in the 2024 Haryana elections. The announcement occurred on the eve of Bihar polls.

Bias summary: Left-leaning outlets like The Hindu frame the story prominently as top news, emphasizing Rahul Gandhi’s ‘vote theft’ allegation with quotes and integrating it into broader headlines. Center outlets like The New Indian Express report neutrally, mirroring the factual title without added emphasis. Right-leaning coverage is absent, suggesting potential omission or disinterest in opposition critiques of the ruling party’s electoral integrity.

Story gist: The US Supreme Court is reviewing President Trump’s tariff imposition powers. A potential ruling to limit these powers could lead to a $500 million refund and affect trade deals involving India.

Bias summary: Left-leaning Vox frames tariffs as damaging to US foreign policy, emphasizing broad negative impacts. Center outlet Yahoo! Finance UK highlights market gains alongside the Supreme Court’s tariff scrutiny, focusing on economic implications. Right-leaning perspectives are absent, leaving out potential defenses of Trump’s trade strategies or criticisms of judicial overreach.

Story gist: At least 11 people died when a passenger train collided with a cargo train in Chhattisgarh, India. The incident involved a toddler who survived while his parents perished.

Bias summary: Left-leaning Al Jazeera frames the story factually, emphasizing the death toll and collision details without emotional depth. Center outlet The Hindu highlights human interest, focusing on a surviving toddler, his orphaned status, and family concerns for his future, adding pathos. Right-leaning coverage is absent, leaving no conservative perspective on potential infrastructure failures or government response.