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O'Leary: "he wasn't partially out the window". Wife and witnesses: his head and shoulders were

Two disputes in one Dublin day — what Ryanair's chief called rival airlines, and whether a passenger was partly pulled through a broken window in July.

O'Leary doubles down on comparing competitors to rapists
O'Leary doubles down on comparing competitors to rapists as published by RTÉ News · seen at RTÉ News
Anglosphere Ireland

Two disputes, one morning in Dublin. Michael O'Leary called rival airlines "high-fare rapists" before Ryanair's annual general meeting on 10 September. Hours later he told reporters that a passenger hurt on a July flight was never partly outside a broken window. We hold seven reports on the day. Not one carries both.

The remark. RTÉ has O'Leary saying it was "absolutely" appropriate to compare other airlines to rapists. TheJournal.ie prints "high-fare rapists" in its headline. The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre asked him to apologise and said helpline calls rose afterwards. Eight critics are named in RTÉ's fullest report. No report we hold carries a reply from the airline.

The window.

Whose account What it says How it is put
O'Leary, after the meeting "He wasn't partially out the window" stated flat
Karovic's wife and witnesses his head and shoulders were pulled out; she held his legs attributed
The US safety board fragments from a broken fan blade shattered the window preliminary, one report only

Both Independent reports name Ljubisa Karovic, 61, and his neck and shoulder injuries. Both open on the denial.

Not settled. Whether any part of him left the window. The safety board investigation is open and no report we hold closes it. O'Leary says the focus is why the engine failure was not contained. No report records an apology, a withdrawal, or anything the airline has changed since July.

What this is about: Ryanair's chief executive is caught up in two disputes at once. One is over whether a passenger was partly pulled through a shattered window in July. The other is over calling rival airlines "rapists".

How it got here

  • The airline. Ryanair is a low-cost airline based in Dublin and one of Europe's largest. It flies Boeing 737s. Michael O'Leary has run it since 1994 and is known for provocative public remarks.
  • 10 July 2026. A window broke on a Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki in Greece to Memmingen in Germany. The Independent reports that Ljubisa Karovic, 61, a Serbian businessman, suffered neck and shoulder injuries. His wife told the Guardian that another passenger pulled him back and blocked the window.
  • The engine. O'Leary says the investigation is focused on the engine. Aircraft engines are built so that a broken fan blade stays inside the engine casing. When pieces escape, they can hit the fuselage. This has happened before: in April 2018 a fan blade on a Southwest Airlines 737 broke, a window shattered, and a passenger was killed after being partly pulled out.
  • 10 September 2026. O'Leary spoke to reporters around Ryanair's annual shareholder meeting in Dublin. He made the "rapists" remark, and he denied that Karovic had been partly out of the window.

Who is involved

  • The US National Transportation Safety Board. It investigates accidents involving American-built aircraft and engines. The Independent says it is leading this investigation, with Boeing and GE taking part.
  • Karovic and his lawyer. O'Leary accepts that Karovic is owed "some compensation" but says there is no basis for a payout of "millions and millions".
  • The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre. It is an Irish charity that runs a helpline for survivors of sexual violence. It has asked O'Leary to apologise.

What is at stake: how much the airline owes Karovic, and what the investigation says went wrong with the engine. If parts can escape an engine casing, that matters for every aircraft using that engine. There is also the question of whether the head of a listed company pays any price for language like this.

Where it stands: The investigation is still open. We hold no report of an apology from O'Leary or of any change Ryanair has made since July.

The story so far

Earlier stories The AI Times filed on this thread.

What is being argued about

  • What Michael O'Leary said about competing airlines, and who asked him to apologise
  • Whether part of Ljubisa Karovic's body was pulled out of a broken window on 10 July
  • What the US safety board has and has not established about the engine and the window
  • That no report we hold covers both disputes
Two arguments, no overlapChart
Counted across the seven reports we hold on the day.
Sources R RTÉ News
Centre estimate · not a score
RTÉ News 🇮🇪IE · digital · PUBLIC O'Leary doubles down on comparing competitors to rapists Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RTÉ News → What we have measured Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1 from 2370 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → R RTÉ News
Centre estimate · not a score
RTÉ News 🇮🇪IE · digital · PUBLIC Calls for O'Leary to apologise over 'rapist' comments Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RTÉ News → What we have measured Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1 from 2370 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → T TheJournal.ie
Centre estimate · not a score
TheJournal.ie 🇮🇪IE · digital · 'Deeply offensive': Michael O'Leary criticised for calling other airlines 'high-fare rapists' Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at TheJournal.ie → What we have measured Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1 from 2228 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → T TheJournal.ie
Centre estimate · not a score
TheJournal.ie 🇮🇪IE · digital · The 5 at 5: Thursday Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at TheJournal.ie → What we have measured Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1 from 2228 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → The Independent
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Independent 🇬🇧UK · digital · independent Ryanair boss ‘disputes’ claim passenger was partially sucked out of window Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Independent → What we have measured Accused party response Russia's side is reported as no comment. ×1A company statement about itself, taken as a "reveals" rather than "says", for a company's account of its own product ×1A count stated flat four crimes is given as a settled number in the headline, with no court, charge or jurisdiction attached ×1Actor named No actor named for the cut-short or for the clashes ×1 from 20399 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → The Independent
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Independent 🇬🇧UK · digital · independent Ryanair CEO disputes report that an injured passenger was partly sucked out a shattered window Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Independent → What we have measured Accused party response Russia's side is reported as no comment. ×1A company statement about itself, taken as a "reveals" rather than "says", for a company's account of its own product ×1A count stated flat four crimes is given as a settled number in the headline, with no court, charge or jurisdiction attached ×1Actor named No actor named for the cut-short or for the clashes ×1 from 20399 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → The Independent
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Independent 🇬🇧UK · digital · independent Michael O’Leary denies claim passenger was sucked out of Ryanair window Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Independent → What we have measured Accused party response Russia's side is reported as no comment. ×1A company statement about itself, taken as a "reveals" rather than "says", for a company's account of its own product ×1A count stated flat four crimes is given as a settled number in the headline, with no court, charge or jurisdiction attached ×1Actor named No actor named for the cut-short or for the clashes ×1 from 20399 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →
From the engine to the denialTimeline
  1. 2026-07-10— no time published Thessaloniki to Memmingen flight A window shatters shortly after takeoff. Ljubisa Karovic, 61, is hurt — neck, shoulder, friction burns. The plane returns to Greece. 1 passenger injuredThe safety board later attributes the shattering to fragments from a broken fan blade in the Boeing 737-800's right engine.
  2. 2026-09-1010:13 RTÉ News, published time RTÉ News Reports that O'Leary has been accused of trivialising rape after comparing other airlines to rapists, before the Dublin meeting. —No accuser is named in the sentence.
  3. 2026-09-1011:40 TheJournal.ie, published time Michael O'Leary The phrase "high-fare rapists" is printed in a headline, with the criticism "deeply offensive" attached to it. —He had said it was "absolutely" appropriate to compare other airlines to rapists.
  4. 2026-09-1014:19 The Independent, published time (BST) Michael O'Leary After the meeting he says the airline will dispute that any part of Karovic's body left the window: "He wasn't partially out the window." —He accepts the man was injured and entitled to "some compensation", and says "we're not trying to downplay it".
  5. 2026-09-1016:14 RTÉ News, published time Dublin Rape Crisis Centre Its chief executive asks O'Leary to apologise, offers him training, and says calls to the national helpline rose after the remarks. 8 critics namedNo reply from the airline appears in any report we hold.
  6. 2026-09-1016:43 The Independent, published time (BST) The Independent, wire report Sets the wife's and witnesses' account — head and shoulders pulled out, she held his legs — beside the denial, and gives the safety board's cause. —The only report we hold that carries both accounts of the window.
Times as each outlet published them.
Sources R RTÉ News
Centre estimate · not a score
RTÉ News 🇮🇪IE · digital · PUBLIC O'Leary doubles down on comparing competitors to rapists Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RTÉ News → What we have measured Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1 from 2370 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → T TheJournal.ie
Centre estimate · not a score
TheJournal.ie 🇮🇪IE · digital · 'Deeply offensive': Michael O'Leary criticised for calling other airlines 'high-fare rapists' Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at TheJournal.ie → What we have measured Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1 from 2228 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → R RTÉ News
Centre estimate · not a score
RTÉ News 🇮🇪IE · digital · PUBLIC Calls for O'Leary to apologise over 'rapist' comments Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RTÉ News → What we have measured Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1 from 2370 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → The Independent
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Independent 🇬🇧UK · digital · independent Ryanair boss ‘disputes’ claim passenger was partially sucked out of window Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Independent → What we have measured Accused party response Russia's side is reported as no comment. ×1A company statement about itself, taken as a "reveals" rather than "says", for a company's account of its own product ×1A count stated flat four crimes is given as a settled number in the headline, with no court, charge or jurisdiction attached ×1Actor named No actor named for the cut-short or for the clashes ×1 from 20399 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → The Independent
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Independent 🇬🇧UK · digital · independent Ryanair CEO disputes report that an injured passenger was partly sucked out a shattered window Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Independent → What we have measured Accused party response Russia's side is reported as no comment. ×1A company statement about itself, taken as a "reveals" rather than "says", for a company's account of its own product ×1A count stated flat four crimes is given as a settled number in the headline, with no court, charge or jurisdiction attached ×1Actor named No actor named for the cut-short or for the clashes ×1 from 20399 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →
The bias in this coverageBias

Two events, one news conference, and almost no overlap

Four reports cover the remark about competitors and three cover the disputed window; not one covers both. The reports on the remark quote campaigners and politicians at length and give the airline no reply beyond the remark. The reports on the window quote the chief executive first and at greater length than the injured passenger or his wife.

4 reports on the remark 3 reports on the window 0 reports covering both 2 reports naming the injured passenger

"He said" against "witnesses said"

One report on the window sets the chief executive's denial beside what the passenger's wife and other witnesses say happened. Another gives his denial without that counter-account. Only one report says what broke the window, and attributes it to the investigators' preliminary report.

1 window reports carrying the witnesses' version 1 window reports naming the mechanical cause
Scored without the mastheads. Where the two passes differ, both are kept.
Sources R RTÉ News
Centre estimate · not a score
RTÉ News 🇮🇪IE · digital · PUBLIC O'Leary doubles down on comparing competitors to rapists Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RTÉ News → What we have measured Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1 from 2370 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → R RTÉ News
Centre estimate · not a score
RTÉ News 🇮🇪IE · digital · PUBLIC Calls for O'Leary to apologise over 'rapist' comments Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RTÉ News → What we have measured Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1 from 2370 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → T TheJournal.ie
Centre estimate · not a score
TheJournal.ie 🇮🇪IE · digital · 'Deeply offensive': Michael O'Leary criticised for calling other airlines 'high-fare rapists' Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at TheJournal.ie → What we have measured Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1 from 2228 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → T TheJournal.ie
Centre estimate · not a score
TheJournal.ie 🇮🇪IE · digital · The 5 at 5: Thursday Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at TheJournal.ie → What we have measured Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1 from 2228 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → The Independent
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Independent 🇬🇧UK · digital · independent Ryanair boss ‘disputes’ claim passenger was partially sucked out of window Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Independent → What we have measured Accused party response Russia's side is reported as no comment. ×1A company statement about itself, taken as a "reveals" rather than "says", for a company's account of its own product ×1A count stated flat four crimes is given as a settled number in the headline, with no court, charge or jurisdiction attached ×1Actor named No actor named for the cut-short or for the clashes ×1 from 20399 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → The Independent
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Independent 🇬🇧UK · digital · independent Ryanair CEO disputes report that an injured passenger was partly sucked out a shattered window Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Independent → What we have measured Accused party response Russia's side is reported as no comment. ×1A company statement about itself, taken as a "reveals" rather than "says", for a company's account of its own product ×1A count stated flat four crimes is given as a settled number in the headline, with no court, charge or jurisdiction attached ×1Actor named No actor named for the cut-short or for the clashes ×1 from 20399 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → The Independent
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Independent 🇬🇧UK · digital · independent Michael O’Leary denies claim passenger was sucked out of Ryanair window Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Independent → What we have measured Accused party response Russia's side is reported as no comment. ×1A company statement about itself, taken as a "reveals" rather than "says", for a company's account of its own product ×1A count stated flat four crimes is given as a settled number in the headline, with no court, charge or jurisdiction attached ×1Actor named No actor named for the cut-short or for the clashes ×1 from 20399 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →

Claims and verdicts

true Michael O'Leary called rival airlines "high-fare rapists" and said it was "absolutely" appropriate to compare other airlines to rapists.
RTÉ and TheJournal.ie both carry the remarks, made before the Dublin annual general meeting, with the same wording. No report we hold records any retraction or denial by O'Leary.
Checked against 4 sources:
R RTÉ News
Centre estimate · not a score
RTÉ News 🇮🇪IE · digital · PUBLIC O'Leary doubles down on comparing competitors to rapists Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RTÉ News → What we have measured Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1 from 2370 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → R RTÉ News
Centre estimate · not a score
RTÉ News 🇮🇪IE · digital · PUBLIC Calls for O'Leary to apologise over 'rapist' comments Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RTÉ News → What we have measured Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1 from 2370 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → T TheJournal.ie
Centre estimate · not a score
TheJournal.ie 🇮🇪IE · digital · 'Deeply offensive': Michael O'Leary criticised for calling other airlines 'high-fare rapists' Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at TheJournal.ie → What we have measured Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1 from 2228 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → T TheJournal.ie
Centre estimate · not a score
TheJournal.ie 🇮🇪IE · digital · The 5 at 5: Thursday Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at TheJournal.ie → What we have measured Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1 from 2228 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →
disputed Part of Ljubisa Karovic's body was pulled out of the broken window during the 10 July Thessaloniki–Memmingen flight.
The Independent's wire report says Karovic's wife and witnesses described his head and shoulders being pulled out and his wife holding his legs; O'Leary, in the same report and in the Independent's own account of the AGM, says "he wasn't partially out the window" and that Ryanair will dispute it. The US safety board investigation is still open, so no report we hold settles it.
Checked against 3 sources:
The Independent
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Independent 🇬🇧UK · digital · independent Ryanair CEO disputes report that an injured passenger was partly sucked out a shattered window Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Independent → What we have measured Accused party response Russia's side is reported as no comment. ×1A company statement about itself, taken as a "reveals" rather than "says", for a company's account of its own product ×1A count stated flat four crimes is given as a settled number in the headline, with no court, charge or jurisdiction attached ×1Actor named No actor named for the cut-short or for the clashes ×1 from 20399 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → The Independent
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Independent 🇬🇧UK · digital · independent Ryanair boss ‘disputes’ claim passenger was partially sucked out of window Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Independent → What we have measured Accused party response Russia's side is reported as no comment. ×1A company statement about itself, taken as a "reveals" rather than "says", for a company's account of its own product ×1A count stated flat four crimes is given as a settled number in the headline, with no court, charge or jurisdiction attached ×1Actor named No actor named for the cut-short or for the clashes ×1 from 20399 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → The Independent
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Independent 🇬🇧UK · digital · independent Michael O’Leary denies claim passenger was sucked out of Ryanair window Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Independent → What we have measured Accused party response Russia's side is reported as no comment. ×1A company statement about itself, taken as a "reveals" rather than "says", for a company's account of its own product ×1A count stated flat four crimes is given as a settled number in the headline, with no court, charge or jurisdiction attached ×1Actor named No actor named for the cut-short or for the clashes ×1 from 20399 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →
unverified The window shattered after being struck by fragments from a broken fan blade in the Boeing 737-800's right engine.
Only the Independent's wire report attributes this to a preliminary safety board report; the Independent's own AGM report quotes O'Leary saying the focus is on why the engine failure was not contained, but gives no cause. One account, uncontradicted, and the investigation has not reported.
Checked against 2 sources:
The Independent
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Independent 🇬🇧UK · digital · independent Ryanair CEO disputes report that an injured passenger was partly sucked out a shattered window Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Independent → What we have measured Accused party response Russia's side is reported as no comment. ×1A company statement about itself, taken as a "reveals" rather than "says", for a company's account of its own product ×1A count stated flat four crimes is given as a settled number in the headline, with no court, charge or jurisdiction attached ×1Actor named No actor named for the cut-short or for the clashes ×1 from 20399 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → The Independent
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Independent 🇬🇧UK · digital · independent Ryanair boss ‘disputes’ claim passenger was partially sucked out of window Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Independent → What we have measured Accused party response Russia's side is reported as no comment. ×1A company statement about itself, taken as a "reveals" rather than "says", for a company's account of its own product ×1A count stated flat four crimes is given as a settled number in the headline, with no court, charge or jurisdiction attached ×1Actor named No actor named for the cut-short or for the clashes ×1 from 20399 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →

Who wrote it

V Via AP news wire The Independent
What the bias passes found in their reporting
Cause stated only report giving the mechanical cause, sourced to the investigators×1
Gap named The report states flatly that the evidence behind the claim was not given.×1
Gap named Says in its own words that no evidence for the Iran claim was given.×1
Headline against body headline says three paintings; the body names the two that are missing×1
Claims we checked that rest on their reporting
1 misleading3 disputed4 unverified5 true
From 516 reports we hold under this byline, at The Independent. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →
M Mairead Maguire TheJournal.ie
What the bias passes found in their reporting
Attributed wording The armbands' purpose is given in quotation marks as 'the conflict', with no party named×1
Cost barrier named Only this report says households must pay up front before the grant is paid back. The explainer leaves this out.×1
Cost measure A range, whose top is twice its bottom. This is not the same bill as the point figure given elsewhere.×1
Figure unattributed household cost figures stated flat, with no source×1
Claims we checked that rest on their reporting
5 unverified4 true
From 91 reports we hold under this byline, at TheJournal.ie. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →
C Cillian Sherlock The Independent · 2 reports on this story
What the bias passes found in their reporting
Anyone hurt is named passenger named, aged and his injuries listed×1
What is hedged the dispute is scare-quoted in the headline and the denial leads the report×1
Claims we checked that rest on their reporting
1 disputed1 unverified
From 23 reports we hold under this byline, at The Independent, The Irish Times. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →
D David MacRedmond TheJournal.ie
What the bias passes found in their reporting
Headline choice the phrase reprinted in the headline, criticism attached without an accuser×1
Headline frame The headline leads with what the deal gave the Orange Order. The condition that the march would not happen comes only in the body.×1
Naming of event This report names the event after the nationalist residents' road and calls it a protest. It names only Sinn Féin attendees.×1
Stated flat States the condition attached to the deal as fact, with no source named.×1
Claims we checked that rest on their reporting
1 unverified3 true
From 77 reports we hold under this byline, at TheJournal.ie. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →
The bylines on the reports this story is built from. Hover one for what our passes have measured on their reporting. · 2 reports we hold carry no byline — we do not invent one.

Coverage, outlet by outlet

The Independent
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Independent 🇬🇧UK · digital · independent Ryanair CEO disputes report that an injured passenger was partly sucked out a shattered window Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Independent → What we have measured Accused party response Russia's side is reported as no comment. ×1A company statement about itself, taken as a "reveals" rather than "says", for a company's account of its own product ×1A count stated flat four crimes is given as a settled number in the headline, with no court, charge or jurisdiction attached ×1Actor named No actor named for the cut-short or for the clashes ×1 from 20399 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → — independent
The Independent's wire report is the only one to give a cause for the shattered window, and the only one to set the wife's and witnesses' account against the denial: friction burns, a metal box used to block the hole
News Ryanair CEO disputes report that an injured passenger was partly sucked out a shattered window Ryanair's CEO disputes claims that a passenger was partly sucked out of a window during a July flight Via AP news wire Thursday 10 September 2026 17:43 BST Bookmark Bookmark popover Removed from bookmarks Close popover Ryanair Dislodged Window (Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) Your support helps us to tell the story Read more Support Now From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's inv
The disputed account attributed: witnesses' version set against the chief executive's — “Karovic's wife and witnesses said the pressure drop caused his head and shoulders to be pulled out the window.”
Cause stated: only report giving the mechanical cause, sourced to the investigators — “The window shattered after being struck by fragments from a broken fan blade in the Boeing 737-800’s right engine that damaged the fuselage and other parts of the plane, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said in a preliminary report.”
What is stated flat: cause of the shattered window stated from the safety board's preliminary report — “The window shattered after being struck by fragments from a broken fan blade in the Boeing 737-800’s right engine”
Whose account is given first: wife and witnesses put before the chief executive's denial — “Karovic's wife and witnesses said the pressure drop caused his head and shoulders to be pulled out the window.”
Read it at The Independent → https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ceo-ryanair-michael-o-leary-london-g…
R RTÉ News
Centre estimate · not a score
RTÉ News 🇮🇪IE · digital · PUBLIC Calls for O'Leary to apologise over 'rapist' comments Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RTÉ News → What we have measured Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1 from 2370 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → — PUBLIC
RTÉ's fullest report is the only one carrying the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre's offer of training, its chief executive's account of a rise in calls to the national helpline, and named criticism from the Tánaiste, two
Calls for Ryanair's Michael O'Leary to apologise over 'rapist' comments Updated / Thursday, 10 Sep 2026 17:44 The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre has called on Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary to apologise for using the term "rapists" when speaking about the airline's competitors. In remarks ahead of his airline's annual general meeting in Dublin, Mr O'Leary said it was "absolutely" appropriate to compare other airlines to "rapists". The comments have been heavily criticised by victims' campaigners and politicians. The chief executive of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre called for him to apologise and "set
Whose voice is quoted: eight named critics; the company answers only through the remark itself — “The comments have been heavily criticised by victims' campaigners and politicians.”
Whose voice is quoted: eight named critics, no reply from the airline — “The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre has called on Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary to apologise for using the term "rapists" when speaking about the airline's competitors.”
Read it at RTÉ News → https://www.rte.ie/news/2026/0910/1591085-call-apology-oleary-ryanair/
T TheJournal.ie
Centre estimate · not a score
TheJournal.ie 🇮🇪IE · digital · The 5 at 5: Thursday Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at TheJournal.ie → What we have measured Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1 from 2228 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → —
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more. 1. #JASON HUTCH The government jet has taken off from Lanzarote in Spain as it carries a Dublin man home to face organised crime charges. 2. #OFFENSIVE Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has been criticised for making “completely inappropriate and deeply offensive” comments after he called his rival airlines “high-fare rapists”. 3. #INTEREST RATES The European Central Bank (ECB) has raised interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point to 2.5%. 4. #CLAMP DOWN Residents in a new-build housing development in Dublin are furious
Read it at TheJournal.ie → https://www.thejournal.ie/the-5-at-5-thursday-122-7158587-Sep2026/
The Independent
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Independent 🇬🇧UK · digital · independent Michael O’Leary denies claim passenger was sucked out of Ryanair window Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Independent → What we have measured Accused party response Russia's side is reported as no comment. ×1A company statement about itself, taken as a "reveals" rather than "says", for a company's account of its own product ×1A count stated flat four crimes is given as a settled number in the headline, with no court, charge or jurisdiction attached ×1Actor named No actor named for the cut-short or for the clashes ×1 from 20399 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → — independent
Read it at The Independent → https://www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/news/ryanair-michael-o-leary-pla…
The Independent
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Independent 🇬🇧UK · digital · independent Ryanair boss ‘disputes’ claim passenger was partially sucked out of window Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Independent → What we have measured Accused party response Russia's side is reported as no comment. ×1A company statement about itself, taken as a "reveals" rather than "says", for a company's account of its own product ×1A count stated flat four crimes is given as a settled number in the headline, with no court, charge or jurisdiction attached ×1Actor named No actor named for the cut-short or for the clashes ×1 from 20399 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → — independent
The Independent's own account of the meeting is the only one with O'Leary at length on money — the passenger is entitled to "some compensation" but not "millions and millions" — and on his claim that there is nothing
Travel News & Advice Ryanair boss ‘disputes’ claim passenger was partially sucked out of window Ljubisa Karovic, 61, suffered neck and shoulder injuries after the window broke during a Ryanair flight Cillian Sherlock Thursday 10 September 2026 15:19 BST Bookmark Bookmark popover Removed from bookmarks Close popover Ryanair plane after passenger was partially sucked out of broken plane window Your support helps us to tell the story Read more Support Now From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigati
Anyone hurt is named: passenger named, aged and his injuries listed — “Ljubisa Karovic, 61, suffered neck and shoulder injuries after the window broke during the flight from the Greek city of Thessaloniki to Memmingen near Munich, Germany, on July 10.”
What is hedged: the dispute is scare-quoted in the headline and the denial leads the report — “The boss of Ryanair has said the airline will be “disputing” the claim that any part of a passenger’s body was sucked out of a window midflight.”
Read it at The Independent → https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/ryanair-flight-win…
T TheJournal.ie
Centre estimate · not a score
TheJournal.ie 🇮🇪IE · digital · 'Deeply offensive': Michael O'Leary criticised for calling other airlines 'high-fare rapists' Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at TheJournal.ie → What we have measured Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1 from 2228 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → —
TheJournal.ie puts the phrase "high-fare rapists" in its headline and dates the remarks to before the Dublin meeting that morning.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more. O’Leary made the remarks ahead of his airline’s annual general meeting in Dublin this morning, where he claimed that rising air travel prices at other airlines would see passengers switch to Ryanair. He told reporters at the company’s headquarters: “You might find some people will choose not to fly with Ryanair – but you know they’ll be overrun with the people abandoning Aer Lingus, Lufthansa, BA and others desperate to get to Ryanair’s low fares because they can’t afford to fly with the high-fare rapists around Europe.” H
The words printed: the phrase reproduced in full in the headline — “'Deeply offensive': Michael O'Leary criticised for calling other airlines 'high-fare rapists'”
Headline choice: the phrase reprinted in the headline, criticism attached without an accuser — “'Deeply offensive': Michael O'Leary criticised for calling other airlines 'high-fare rapists'”
Read it at TheJournal.ie → https://www.thejournal.ie/michael-oleary-rapists-7158248-Sep2026/
R RTÉ News
Centre estimate · not a score
RTÉ News 🇮🇪IE · digital · PUBLIC O'Leary doubles down on comparing competitors to rapists Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at RTÉ News → What we have measured Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1 from 2370 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → — PUBLIC
RTÉ's first report is the only one that says O'Leary doubled down — and it says he "has been accused" of trivialising rape without naming who accused him.
Ryanair boss doubles down on comparing other airlines to rapists Updated / Thursday, 10 Sep 2026 11:13 Michael O'Leary made the remarks ahead of his airline's annual general meeting in Dublin today Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has said it is "absolutely" appropriate to compare other airlines to "rapists". Mr O'Leary made the remarks ahead of his airline's annual general meeting in Dublin today. The billionaire businessman claimed rising air travel prices at other airlines would see passengers switch to Ryanair. He told reporters at the company's headquarters: "You might find some people will c
Who is named as acting: accusers dropped; only the accused is named — “Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has been accused of "trivialising" rape after comparing other airlines to rapists.”
Who is named as acting: accusation with no accuser in the sentence — “Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has been accused of "trivialising" rape after comparing other airlines to rapists.”
Read it at RTÉ News → https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2026/0910/1591027-ryanair-oleary-commen…
Checked, didn’t cover
T The Irish Times
Centre estimate · not a score
The Irish Times 🇮🇪IE · digital · No report held from this outlet on this story. What we have measured Actor framing The release is framed as a joint agreement, with no pressure mentioned ×1Actor named Names the residents as the ones who blocked the road ×1Actor named killers named as 'loyalist gunmen'; verb 'shot dead' ×1With no actor named construction no actor named for the theft or the driving in the standfirst ×1 from 1361 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → R RNZ
Centre estimate · not a score
RNZ 🇳🇿NZ · digital · PUBLIC No report held from this outlet on this story. What we have measured Headline against body headline claims a 20-year decline reversed; the first line of the body reports a new low in reading ×1Headline against body headline claims a turnaround; the text carries a record low and puts it on boys ×1 from 2329 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → ABC News (Australia)
Centre estimate · not a score
ABC News (Australia) 🇦🇺AU · public broadcaster · public-service No report held from this outlet on this story. What we have measured Actor label and hedge The same man is called 'far-right' and named by his legal name. The act is hedged with 'allegedly', where the longer report states it flat. ×1A different count, stated flat one dead and 140 missing, unattributed, earliest of the four ×1Affected counted The only report to count the local people affected ×1Are the dead named one of the dead named, through a relative at the hospital ×1 from 4667 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → The Guardian
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Guardian 🇬🇧UK · newspaper · independent No report held from this outlet on this story. What we have measured Actor named Denial in the passive voice, with no one named as the person who dismissed it ×1Actor named names Israel as acting and states the death toll flat, with no source ×1Actor named Ireland named as the side that ended the conference ×1Allegation omitted the police statement is cut with an ellipsis where the other two reports carry the controlling or coercive behaviour allegation ×1 from 10585 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → C CBC News
Centre-left estimate · not a score
CBC News 🇨🇦CA · public broadcaster · public-service No report held from this outlet on this story. What we have measured Asserted vs attributed the measure is attributed to the three governments; the territory is called occupied in the outlet's own voice ×1Attribution kept in the headline the sourcing travels with the claim into the headline ×1Figure rounded in the headline more than 600 in the headline; the body sources it to a flight-tracking site ×1How the sourcing is hedged the claim is hedged to an unnamed newspaper in both headline and body; the reporting is not held by this report ×1 from 2739 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Silence is recorded, not inferred — each of these was read when we built this story and carried nothing on this event.
We could not read these
BBC News
Centre estimate · not a score
BBC News 🇬🇧UK · public broadcaster · public-service No report held from this outlet on this story. What we have measured Dating and attribution 'It was not until Tuesday' is a judgement about delay, not a date. No other report we hold comments on how long the German finding took. ×1How hard the claim is stated Headline says the UN voted to adopt and replace; the last sentence of the report says the vote is non-binding ×1How hard the claim is stated The qualification arrives in the last sentence and is immediately overridden by an effect the report gives no source for. ×1Which figure is used States the replacement as done — the Assembly voted to replace the map — where the resolution urges states to use a different projection. ×1 from 473 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → The Daily Telegraph
Right estimate · not a score
The Daily Telegraph 🇬🇧UK · newspaper · independent No report held from this outlet on this story. What we have measured Nothing scored yet. We do not carry a rating for any outlet — only what we have measured from published text. Outlet profile in The AI Times → The Times
Centre-right estimate · not a score
The Times 🇬🇧UK · newspaper · independent No report held from this outlet on this story. What we have measured Nothing scored yet. We do not carry a rating for any outlet — only what we have measured from published text. Outlet profile in The AI Times →
These are must-cite outlets for this desk that we did not manage to read when we built this story. That is a gap in our reach, not a silence on their part, and it is not evidence of anything about this story.

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