A nest of England's rarest ant species is stolen from a Devon nature reserve

Devon Wildlife Trust says a nest of narrow-headed ants, England's rarest ant species, was dug up with a spade and taken from its Chudleigh Knighton Heath reserve in south Devon, the species' last English stronghold. One nest can hold 1,000 to 5,000 ants. The theft has been reported to Devon and Cornwall Police.

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L 25% · C 25% · R 50% · 8 outlets

Left 0 · Centre-left 2 · Centre 2 · Centre-right 1 · Right 3

Context Sources by lean Video Deep dive Follow the money More coverage

How each side framed it

Left-leaning outlets

'Nest of England's rarest ant species 'stolen'' (BBC News); 'A nest containing up to 5,000 of England's rarest ant species has been stolen' (The Guardian).

Centre outlets

Centre-rated outlets headline it: “Nest containing England's rarest ant species 'stolen' in Devon” (BBC News); “Rare ant colony stolen from nature reserve in Devon” (Sky News).

Right-leaning outlets

'Colony of England's rarest ants stolen from nature reserve' (The Telegraph); 'Thieves steal rare ant colony from last stronghold in England' (Daily Express).

Context

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Sources by lean

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Video

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Deep dive

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What each side may be protecting: Rare species and habitats.

A question to hold: Shared question: how should rare-species sites be protected from collectors?

Try it: open one left and one right article in Sources by lean and note what each takes for granted.

Follow the money

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Who owns or funds the outlets covering this story (8 outlets)

Outlet	Lean	Ownership & funding (MBFC)
The Guardian	Centre-left	The Guardian and its companion publication, the Sunday newspaper The Observer, are owned by Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). Scott Trust Limited was created in 1936 to ensure the editorial independence of the publications and owns Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). source
The Independent	Centre-left	The Independent is owned by Independent Print Limited, a company owned by the Lebedev family (Alexander Lebedev and his son Evgeny Lebedev). In 2017, Saudi Businessman Sultan Muhammad Abuljadayel bought a 30% stake in the Independent online newspaper. Advertising and subscription generate revenue for the paper..push({}); source
BBC News	Centre	The BBC operates under a Royal Charter. Oversight is managed by the BBC Board, and regulatory authority rests with Ofcom. source
Sky News	Centre	Sky News is owned by Comcast as of November 2018 and is funded through advertising. Rupert Murdoch is no longer affiliated with Sky News UK; however, Newscorp still has a share of Sky News Australia, which reports with a right-leaning bias. source
The Times	Centre-right	The Times and Sunday Times is owned by News UK (News Corp UK & Ireland Limited), which American News Corp owns. The owner and Executive Chairman of News Corp are Rupert Murdoch. Revenue is derived from advertising and subscription fees. source
Daily Express	Right	The Daily Express is owned by Reach plc (formerly known as Trinity Mirror), a British newspaper, magazine, and digital publisher. Subscriptions, newsstand sales, and advertising generate revenue. source
GB News	Right	GB News lacks transparency as they do not disclose ownership. A search reveals that London-based ALL Perspectives Ltd owns GB News. According to Reuters, the television channel “secured millions of dollars from investors such as Discovery Inc, Legatum and hedge fund manager Paul Marshall. source
The Telegraph	Right	Telegraph Media Group (TMG) owns The Telegraph, which is owned by Press Acquisitions Ltd., which in turn is owned by Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay. In 2004, Twin Brothers Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay acquired the Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Telegraph from the Canadian media company Hollinger Inc. for £665 million. For a complete list of Board members, see here. source