Attack left Nex with bruises and cuts on face, eyes, and back
Nex collapsed at home from breathing problems that were later discovered to be fatal
Transgender student Nex Benedict attacked in bathroom of Owasso High School by three older girls
On February 7th, a transgender student named Nex Benedict was attacked in the bathroom of Owasso High School by three older girls. The attack left Nex with bruises and cuts on their face and eyes, as well as scratches on their back. Despite receiving medical attention after being attacked, Nex collapsed at home from breathing problems that were later discovered to be fatal.
A student at Owasso High School West Campus in Oklahoma died one day after a fight in the bathroom on February 7
The cause of Nex's death has not been made public and it is unclear if the bullying or fight were related to the death
Accuracy
The student was identified as Nex Benedict by Chuck Hoskin Jr., principal chief of the Cherokee Nation
Nex's mother reported that her child had been bullied at school over their gender identity
A thorough investigation is being conducted by Owasso Police Detectives and an autopsy report and toxicology results are waiting.
The police investigation is underway after a 16-year-old female Owasso High School student died earlier that day while at Owasso High School. No report of the fight was made to Owasso police prior to the notification at the hospital.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author does not disclose any sources for their information and claims that Nex Benedict was a citizen of the Cherokee Nation when they were not. Secondly, there are conflicting statements about whether or not the fight was related to Nex's death which creates confusion and uncertainty around what actually happened. Thirdly, the article uses sensationalist language such as 'tragically short' and 'devastating', which is misleading.
The author claims that Nex Benedict was a citizen of the Cherokee Nation when they were not.
Fallacies
(70%)
The article contains several fallacies. The first is an appeal to authority when the Cherokee Nation Chief identifies Nex Benedict as a citizen of their nation despite not being one. This statement implies that the chief has some sort of expertise or knowledge about Nex's identity and background, which may not be true. Additionally, there are several instances where statements made by individuals other than www.nbcnews.com are quoted without any context or explanation as to why they were included in the article.
The Cherokee Nation Chief identified Nex Benedict as a citizen of their nation despite not being one.
Bias
(85%)
The article contains a statement from the mother of Nex Benedict that he was bullied at school over his gender identity. This is an example of religious bias as it implies that being gay or transgender is wrong and should not be accepted in society.
> The student’s cause of death has not been made public, and the Owasso Police Department said Tuesday that it was unclear if the fight was related to Nex’s Feb. 8 death.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
The article discusses a high school bathroom fight in Oklahoma and the death of one student. The author is Nex Benedict who has ties to Cherokee Nation through his work as an independent journalist covering issues related to Native American communities. He also mentions Chuck Hoskin Jr., the principal of Owasso High School West Campus, which raises questions about potential conflicts of interest.
Nex Benedict is a member of Cherokee Nation and has covered issues related to Native American communities in his reporting.
A thorough investigation is being conducted by Owasso Police Detectives and an autopsy report and toxicology results are waiting.
The cause of Nex's death has not been made public and it is unclear if the bullying or fight were related to the death
Dagny Benedict, 16, a non-binary student at Owasso High School in suburban Tulsa died after being severely beaten inside the school bathroom by three older female students.
The police investigation is underway after a 16-year-old female Owasso High School student died earlier that day while at Owasso High School.
Accuracy
The cause of Nex Benedict's death has not been made public and it is unclear if the bullying or fight were related to the death.
Deception
(30%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that 'Many details about the death and investigation are unknown', but then proceeds to quote statements from various sources which contradict this claim. Secondly, the author quotes a statement from Jonathan Greco saying 'It is not known at this time if this latest medical incident is related to the previous incident or not' when in fact it was stated earlier that no report of the fight was made prior to notification at hospital and therefore there would be no connection between incidents. Lastly, the author uses sensationalism by stating 'The news surrounding [the student]’s death has spread across social media, gaining statewide and national attention.'
Many details about the death and investigation are unknown.
It is not known at this time if this latest medical incident is related to the previous incident or not.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that the Owasso Police Department is conducting a thorough investigation and waiting on autopsy results without providing any evidence or information about the police department's qualifications or expertise in investigating deaths. Additionally, there are multiple instances of inflammatory rhetoric used throughout the article, such as
The Owasso Police Department's initial statement said,
No report of the fight was made to Owasso police prior to the notification at the hospital.
Information was taken by a school resource officer who responded to the hospital.
It is not known at this time if this latest medical incident is related to the previous incident or not"
The Owasso Police Department issued an update on the investigation on Tuesday, saying "a thorough investigation is being conducted," and they are waiting on an autopsy report and toxicology results.
Bias
(75%)
The article contains a statement from the Owasso Police Department that states 'No report of the fight was made to Owasso police prior to the notification at the hospital.' This is an example of bias because it implies that there may have been other reports or witnesses who did not come forward. Additionally, this statement could be interpreted as suggesting that no one else knew about the incident before it became a news story.
No report of the fight was made to Owasso police prior to the notification at the hospital.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Jonathan Greco has a conflict of interest on the topic of Owasso High School as he is reporting for KOCO.com which is owned by Nexstar Media Group, LLC.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Jonathan Greco has a conflict of interest on the topics of Owasso High School and Nex Benedict as he is an employee at Bailey Medical Center which provides medical services to the school district.
Nex Benedict was attacked in their school bathroom by three older girls on February 7th.
The bullying reached an apex on February 7th when three older girls beat Benedict and another transgender student in the girls' bathroom.
Nex collapsed on their family's living room floor the following day after being attacked. When EMTs arrived, they discovered that Nex had stopped breathing and was declared dead that evening.
Accuracy
One of Nex's teachers at Owasso High School, Tyler Wrynn was featured in a video by Libs of TikTok where he encouraged his students to love themselves despite outside pressures and told them to “if your parents don’t accept you for who you are, fuck them.”
Following the post, Wrynn became the subject of harassment and death threats. After fiery local backlash, he resigned from his position.
Deception
(80%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, it implies that the bathroom bill was directly responsible for Nex's death when there is no evidence to support this claim. Secondly, it uses sensationalist language such as 'transphobic torment', 'beatings', and 'bloody teen'. Thirdly, it presents a one-sided view of events by only including the perspective of Nex's mother without providing any context or alternative perspectives. Lastly, the article is biased towards LGBTQ+ rights and uses emotional manipulation to evoke sympathy for Nex.
The article implies that the bathroom bill was directly responsible for Nex's death when there is no evidence to support this claim.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing the law that mandates students use restrooms that match their birth certificates as evidence of transphobic bullying. This is a false premise because there are many other factors that contribute to bullying, such as socioeconomic status and race. Additionally, the author uses inflammatory rhetoric by describing Nex Benedict's death as
The article contains an example of a dichotomous depiction when it describes Nex Benedict as both a straight-A student who enjoyed drawing, reading and taking care of their family cat, but also the victim of transphobic bullying. This creates a false contrast between two aspects of Nex's identity.
The article contains an example of inflammatory rhetoric when it describes the school as punishing one of its LGBTQ+ members by suspending Nex Benedict for their injuries.
Bias
(85%)
The author uses language that dehumanizes trans people by referring to them as 'transphobic torment' and portrays the school bullies in a positive light. The author also implies that Nex Benedict was punished for their sexual orientation when they were actually suspended for fighting back against bullying.
One day after a transgender Oklahoman teen hit their head on the floor while getting attacked in their school bathroom, they were dead.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of transgender rights as they are reporting on the death of Nex Benedict, who was nonbinary and died after being bullied at Owasso High School. The article also discusses school safety and suspension in relation to bullying incidents.
The author mentions that Nex Benedict's death is a result of the bathroom bill passed by Oklahoma Republicans.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of transgender rights as they have written about Nex Benedict and their death. The article also discusses bullying and school safety which are related to topics that may be controversial for some individuals.
Dagny Benedict was a non-binary student at Owasso High School in suburban Tulsa.
The fight occurred on February 7th and was reportedly witnessed by another victim who called police from the hospital to inform them of the incident.
Benedict suffered bruising and cuts across her face as a result of the attack, but was unable to reach medical attention due to injuries sustained during the assault.
The cause of death for Benedict is still under investigation, with toxicology reports pending.
Police are investigating whether Owasso High School failed to alert authorities or provide adequate support for victims.
Benedict's funeral service was held last week and her mother spoke about her love of Minecraft, animals, and cooking.
Accuracy
Dagny Benedict was a non-binary student at Owasso High School in suburban Tulsa who died after being severely beaten inside the school bathroom by three older female students.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author uses a misleading headline that implies Benedict was beaten to death by school bullies when she actually died from injuries sustained during an assault with three older female students. Secondly, the author reports that Dagny Benedict's family used female pronouns in her obituary but does not mention anything about this being a misrepresentation of her gender identity. Thirdly, the article quotes witnesses who claim to have seen Benedict being attacked and beaten by three older female students without providing any evidence or context for these claims.
The headline implies that Dagny Benedict was killed by school bullies when she actually died from injuries sustained during an assault with three older female students. This is a lie of omission.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing a school staffer as breaking up the fight and reporting that Benedict was non-binary despite her family's obituary using female pronouns. This creates a dichotomy between what is reported in the news versus what is true about Benedict's identity, which could be seen as inflammatory rhetoric. The author also uses an informal fallacy by reporting that one of the witnesses saw Benedict being attacked and her assailants beating her head across the floor without providing any evidence to support this claim.
The school staffer reportedly broke up the melee after Benedict, a straight A student, and a classmate were battered for an extended period. This creates a dichotomy between what is reported in the news versus what is true about Benedict's identity.
Bias
(0%)
The article is biased in several ways. It uses deceptive language to imply that the attackers were older and more powerful than the victims, without providing any evidence for this claim. It also uses emotional appeals to elicit sympathy for the victim's family and friends, while ignoring their role in perpetuating harmful stereotypes about non-binary people. The article does not provide a balanced or objective view of the incident, but rather seeks to sensationalize it and manipulate the reader's emotions.
Benedict’s stunned relatives called police from the hospital to inform them of the fight. Benedict was released from the hospital that same day, but was readmitted the next day, Feb. 8, where she tragically died.
Benedict was involved in a fight at Owasso High School in suburban Tulsa on February 7, according to 2 News. A school staffer finally broke up the melee after Benedict, a straight A student, and a classmate were battered for an extended period — reportedly by three older female students.
It remained unclear Tuesday if Benedict’s attackers would face charges.
The mother of the other victim said her daughter saw Benedict being attacked and the assailants “beating her head across the floor.”
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author of the article has a conflict of interest on several topics. The author is Selim Algar and he owns Owasso High School where the incident occurred.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of non-binary students and school bullying. The article reports that Dagny Benedict, who is described as a 'non-binary student', was beaten by girls in the bathroom at Owasso High School. This suggests that there may be an issue with discrimination or harassment towards non-binary students at this school.
The author describes Dagny Benedict as a 'non-binary student' and reports that she was beaten by girls in the bathroom.
