Video Shows Arizona State Cheerleader Shoved by Police
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Center 50%
Right 50%
0 left · 1 center · 1 right
What happened
On the early morning of July 19 in Tempe, Arizona, Arizona State University senior Eryn Bonner approached bicycle officers who were arresting another person and yelled for them to let him go. Video shows an officer shoving her to the ground and then restraining her on a bicycle, appearing to strike her before she was handcuffed. Police allege she punched an officer; prosecutors declined felony charges, and she faces two misdemeanors for disorderly conduct and hindering or interfering with police. Tempe Police said the incident is under internal administrative review.
Sourcing check · Fully on the record · 4 articles
3 of 3 articles cite a named source for the story. It was on the record from the first report. Benjamin Taylor denied part of it on the record.
What these terms mean and how they're counted
- On the record · names a source 3 of 3
- On the record means the article cites a source by name for the story's main claim: a person, or an institution speaking officially, such as a company statement or a named agency's spokesperson. The opposite is an unnamed source. The count is how many of the counted articles cite at least one such source; the names are everyone named across them, each once however the articles spell it. Here: Tempe Police Department, Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, Maricopa County prosecutors, Benjamin Taylor and Eryn Bonner
- Primary evidence · cites a document or data 1 of 3
- Primary evidence means the article cites a record you could check yourself: a court filing or ruling, a dataset or report, a recording or transcript, an official statement or press release, market data. A quote is not a document. The count is how many articles cite one. Here: video
- Credits another outlet 0 of 3
- The article says the story comes from another outlet's reporting (“first reported by Reuters”). Those articles relay the story; they are not independent confirmation. Here: Each article presents its own reporting.
- Unnamed sources 0 of 3
- The main claim is attributed to people who are not identified: “people familiar with the matter”, “officials said”. The count is how many articles do this.
- On-record denial 1
- A named person or institution says the claim, or part of it, is not true. It is on the record — someone signed their name to it — but it is not confirmation, so it never counts toward On the record. Criticizing or dissenting from a decision is not a denial. The count is how many people or institutions deny it; each is listed with the first article that carried the denial. Here: Benjamin Taylor (Breitbart, Oct 5, 18:26 UTC)
- How it developed
- When the first report landed and whether it named anyone; when the first named source and the first document appeared. Here: First report Oct 5, 04:00 UTC by New York Post, naming its source. First document 14 hours later, from Breitbart (video).
- Not counted 1
- Opinion, analysis and video pieces, and articles too short to assess. Every count above is out of the counted articles. An article republished under a new headline is one article.
This is about who is cited, not whether the story is true. Each source below says what it names. How we count
BLINDSPOT.
Only right-leaning outlets are covering this story
— the other side's media is silent.
Omitted — what each side leaves out
Unpacked
Left-leaning coverage has not reported this arrest. Right-leaning coverage says Arizona State cheerleader Eryn Bonner was shoved to the ground and held against a bicycle after she yelled at Tempe officers during another person's arrest. Felony charges were declined and she faces misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and interfering, NY Post reports. A reader of left-leaning outlets would not know the viral video or the department's administrative review exists.
Right-leaning outlets disagree on the lead-up. One account, in Fox News, is surveillance of a sidewalk argument and officers arresting her friends. Another, in Breitbart, has her coming at police again after being pushed away, with the chief saying full cameras justified the arrest.
Did the complete footage show Bonner striking an officer, as police claim, or only the takedown that spread online?
Bottom line
Left-leaning outlets have not covered the viral Tempe takedown of ASU cheerleader Eryn Bonner, so only right-leaning readers are seeing NY Post's account of her being pummeled onto a bicycle after prosecutors declined felonies.
The receipts — 5 facts one side's coverage lacks
- Maricopa County prosecutors declined felony charges against Eryn Bonner, who faces misdemeanor disorderly conduct and hindering or interfering with police.
- Family attorney Benjamin Taylor said that at the end of the video the officer's hand went on Bonner's buttocks.
- Former officer Josh Logan said that if a subject reaches active aggression, closed fist strikes to the face are within policy.
- Police Chief Kenneth McCoy said cameras captured the whole incident, not just the 30-second clip that was seen by most.
- The City Attorney’s Office dismissed a prior charge to refile a misdemeanor along with any additional appropriate charges.
The Right View
New York Post, Fox News, and Breitbart have reported on viral and bodycam video of Bonner being shoved or thrown to the ground and struck while she tried to stop an arrest. They report police claims that she punched or assaulted an officer, the two remaining misdemeanor charges after Maricopa County declined felonies, and Tempe Police’s statement that an administrative review is underway. Coverage includes the Bonner family’s statement that she was hurt by someone entrusted to protect the community, attorney Benjamin Taylor’s call for the officer to be fired and his claims of excessive force and odd touching, and a former officer’s comment that closed-fist strikes can be within policy if she was actively aggressive.
Our Take (balanced)
The story is substantive: it names a student, a police department, a date and place, cites released video, charging decisions, and on-the-record statements from family, counsel, and police. Established are the July 19 Tempe arrest, video of Bonner being taken down and restrained on a bicycle, two misdemeanor charges, the declined felonies, and an open internal review. Whether she punched officers, whether the force was excessive, and whether there was inappropriate contact remain disputed. No left-leaning outlet has reported this. Watch for the administrative-review findings, any further charging decisions, fuller video releases, and whether a lawsuit is filed.
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