Guyana's Rodrigues-Birkett leads UN chief vote, Grynspan second
Second informal poll of Security Council candidates shows shifts in support.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Guyana's Rodrigues-Birkett leads UN chief vote, Grynspan second
Photograph: La Presse (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett of Guyana received the most 'encourage' votes in the second informal UN Security Council poll.
- Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica, who led the first vote, came in second in this round.
- Rafael Grossi of Argentina also received a significant number of 'encourage' votes, placing him among the top contenders.
- A candidate needs at least nine 'encourage' votes and no veto from a permanent member to secure the Security Council's recommendation.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 7 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 12 of the 19 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
60/100
Craft
60/100
Hype
20/100
19 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
Only 1 of the 7 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Guyana's Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett has taken the lead in the second informal vote for UN Secretary-General, according to reports from the UN Security Council. The vote, held behind closed doors by the 15-member council, aims to gauge support for candidates seeking to succeed Antonio Guterres. Rodrigues-Birkett received eight 'encourage' votes, three 'discourage' votes, and four 'no opinion' votes. Costa Rica's Rebeca Grynspan, who was the front-runner in the first vote held in July, received seven 'encourage' votes, four 'discourage' votes, and four 'no opinion' votes. Rafael Grossi of Argentina also secured seven 'encourage' votes, alongside six 'discourage' votes and two 'no opinion' votes.
Disagreement on Michelle Bachelet's vote count
Reports differ on the vote count for Michelle Bachelet. La Nación (Chile) states she received two 'encourage' votes and six 'discourage' votes, placing her seventh among eight candidates. Emol reports she lost four supports compared to the previous poll. However, Noticias Chile | Informadorchile | states she received six 'discourage' votes, and Ex-Ante reports two endorsements and six rejections.
Omissions in coverage
None of the right-rated digests mention the specific vote counts for 'discourage' or 'no opinion' for any candidate. The left-rated report and the centre-rated report both provided these details for Rodrigues-Birkett, Grynspan, and Grossi, while the right-rated reports focused primarily on the 'encourage' votes and the ranking of candidates.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 7 times, most recently on 22 Aug 2026, 01:00, and will add the sides that appear.
How other outlets pictured it
Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
1 rated outlet
- La Presse, the sole left-rated report, led with Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett taking the advantage in the second informal vote. The report detailed Rodrigues-Birkett's vote count: eight 'encourage', three 'discourage', and four 'no opinion'. It also noted Grynspan's count of seven 'encourage', four 'discourage', and four 'no opinion', and Grossi's seven 'encourage', six 'discourage', and two 'no opinion'. The report provided context on the UN's current difficult period, mentioning conflicts, Security Council divisions, and financial difficulties. It also outlined the requirements for a candidate to win, including at least nine votes and no veto from a permanent member. The article mentioned that the tradition of geographical alternation suggests Latin America is next in line for the post, and that many states are pushing for a woman to lead the UN for the first time. It also touched on transparency concerns raised by some members regarding the process.
Centre
1 rated outlet
- TRT World, the centre-rated report, focused on the second straw poll held by the UN Security Council to assess support for candidates to succeed Antonio Guterres. It stated that Guyana's Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett was narrowly ahead, with Costa Rica's Rebeca Grynspan, the previous front-runner, now in second place. The report listed other candidates including Rafael Grossi, Michelle Bachelet, Maria Fernanda Espinosa, Olara Otunnu, and Macky Sall, noting Ivonne A-Baki had also entered the race. It quoted Denmark's UN ambassador Christina Lassen stating it was too early for consensus and that the council was considering the next poll date. The report also included comments from Daniel Forti of the International Crisis Group on permanent members potentially waiting to reveal preferences and Russia's UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia on the possibility of new candidates emerging. It explained the voting mechanism, including the requirement for nine votes without a veto and the eventual submission to the General Assembly, as well as the coloured ballots used by permanent members to identify potential vetoes.
Right
5 rated outlets
- The right-rated reports consistently highlighted Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett's lead in the second informal vote for UN Secretary-General. Several reports, including La Nación (Chile), The Straits Times, and i24NEWS, noted that Rebeca Grynspan, the previous front-runner, had slipped to second place. i24NEWS also included a quote from Israel's envoy, Danon, demanding change and stating the next secretary-general must restore UN credibility. Emol reported that Michelle Bachelet had reportedly lost four supports compared to the previous poll. La Nación (Chile) placed Bachelet seventh among eight candidates. The digests generally focused on the top candidates and the shift in leadership from the first to the second vote.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Guyana's Rodrigues-Birkett leads UN chief vote, Grynspan second?
- Of the 7 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 14% are rated left, 15% are rated centre, 71% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 19. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Guyana's Rodrigues-Birkett leads UN chief vote, Grynspan second left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 7 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Guyana's Rodrigues-Birkett leads UN chief vote, Grynspan second biased?
- Guyana's Rodrigues-Birkett leads UN chief vote, Grynspan second is one event reported by 19 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Guyana's Rodrigues-Birkett leads UN chief vote, Grynspan second?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Guyana's Rodrigues-Birkett leads UN chief vote, Grynspan second?
- 19 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- Who is leading the race for UN Secretary-General after the second vote?
- Guyana's Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett is leading the race after the second informal vote by the UN Security Council. She received eight 'encourage' votes, surpassing Costa Rica's Rebeca Grynspan, who had led the first vote and received seven 'encourage' votes in this round.
- What are the requirements for a candidate to be recommended by the Security Council?
- To secure the Security Council's recommendation, a candidate must receive at least nine 'encourage' votes and avoid a veto from any of the five permanent members: the United States, Russia, China, France, and the United Kingdom.
- How did Michelle Bachelet perform in the second vote?
- Michelle Bachelet's performance in the second vote appears to have been weaker than in the first. Reports indicate she received a low number of 'encourage' votes and a significant number of 'discourage' votes, placing her towards the bottom of the candidate list.
Read it at the source
19 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
1Centre
1Right
5- Guyanese Candidate Takes Lead in Informal Vote for New UN Chief (opens BT in a new tab)
- Rebeca Grynspan Remains Second in the Race to Lead the UN, After a New Vote (opens La Nación, Grupo Nación in a new tab)
La Nación, Grupo Nación — is La Nación, Grupo Nación biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Former Guyana minister leads in second straw poll for UN chief (opens The Straits Times in a new tab)
The Straits Times — is The Straits Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Rodrigues-Birkett takes lead in UN chief race as Israel's Danon demands change (opens i24NEWS in a new tab)
- New UN Vote: Bachelet Would Have Obtained only Two Backers and Guyanese Candidate Would Lead (opens Emol in a new tab)
Not rated
12- Rafael Grossi, Among the Candidates with the Most Possibilities in Informal Voting to UN Secretary General (opens Noticias Argentinas in a new tab)
Noticias Argentinas — is Noticias Argentinas biased? Our profile of this outlet
- UN: Guyana Diplomat Surpasses Costa Rican in 2nd Vote for Leader (opens Noticias ao Minuto in a new tab)
Noticias ao Minuto — is Noticias ao Minuto biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Argentine Rafael Grossi Is Among the Three Most Supported Candidates to Lead the UN (opens BAE Negocios in a new tab)
BAE Negocios — is BAE Negocios biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Guterres' Successor: Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett Leads (opens vienna.at in a new tab)
- Vote for Next UN Secretary-General: Rodriguez Birkett Leads (opens CNN Greece in a new tab)
CNN Greece — is CNN Greece biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Carolyn Birkett From Guyana Leads Informal Vote for UN Leadership (opens CNN Brasil in a new tab)
CNN Brasil — is CNN Brasil biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Second Informal Vote at the UN: Aspirant Guyanes Would lead... (opens La Nación in a new tab)
- UN: Rodriguez Birkett Leads in Second Vote for Next Secretary-General (opens Naftemporiki in a new tab)
Naftemporiki — is Naftemporiki biased? Our profile of this outlet
Show 4 more
- Backward Hard for Michelle Bachelet's UN Application: Received 6 Votes Against in Informal Poll and 7 Out of 8 Candidates (opens cambio21.cl in a new tab)
cambio21.cl — is cambio21.cl biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Michelle Bachelet Lagged Behind in the Race to Lead UN, Received Strong Rejection in Votes NEWS CHILE Informador Chile (opens Noticias Chile in a new tab)
Noticias Chile
- Bachelet's Coup D'être to the UN: It Was Penultimate and Concentrated Votes of Rejection (opens Ex-Ante in a new tab)
Ex-Ante
- Bachelet's Career to the UN Collapses After Seventh in New Informal Vote of the Security Council (opens pnt.cl in a new tab)
How did this read?
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