Wild horses sold for slaughter despite federal protection, reports say

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Wild horses sold for slaughter despite federal protection, reports say?

Of the 10 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 50% are rated left, 40% are rated centre, 10% 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 Wild horses sold for slaughter despite federal protection, reports say left or right?

Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 10 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 Wild horses sold for slaughter despite federal protection, reports say biased?

Wild horses sold for slaughter despite federal protection, reports say 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 Wild horses sold for slaughter despite federal protection, reports say?

When we first saw this story, outlets rated right 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 Wild horses sold for slaughter despite federal protection, reports say?

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.

How are wild horses rounded up?

Wild horses are rounded up by helicopter. The animals are then herded towards a pen or trap. This method is used by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) when it determines that horse populations on public lands are too high for the environment to support.

What is the BLM's Sale Authority program?

The Sale Authority program allows the BLM to sell certain 'excess' wild horses and burros. These typically include animals that are more than 10 years old or have been unsuccessfully offered for adoption multiple times. Ownership transfers immediately upon purchase.

Does the BLM sell horses for slaughter?

The BLM states it does not sell wild horses or burros for slaughter. Its sale agreements prohibit purchasers from knowingly transferring animals to someone intending to slaughter them. However, the agency does not track sold horses after they become private property.

How much can wild horses be sold for?

According to reports citing a New York Times investigation, wild horses can be sold through the BLM's Sale Authority program for as little as $25. This low price has raised concerns that the animals are being purchased by individuals who intend to send them to slaughterhouses.