Minnesota grower wins Half Moon Bay pumpkin weigh-off with 2,389 lb entry
Travis Gienger, a Minnesota horticulture teacher, drove about 30 hours to the 53rd World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, California, and won with a 2,389 lb pumpkin, short of the 2,857 lb world record set in England.
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The story, neutrally told
Left · 1Giant pumpkin growers gathered in Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco, on Monday 12 October for the 53rd World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off, with at least 30 growers registered according to event spokesman Ronan Fowler. The IndependentLC “At least 30 growers have registered for the 53rd World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco, according to event spokesman Ronan Fowler.” Read at The Independent ↗ Mixed · 2Travis Gienger, a horticulture teacher from Minnesota, hauled his pumpkin to California; Fowler said last week that Gienger and his father planned to alternate driving during a 30-hour trip. The IndependentLC “Fowler mentioned last week that Gienger and his father intended to alternate behind the wheel during a 30-hour drive over the weekend” Read at The Independent ↗ BBC NewsN “Horticulture teacher Travis Gienger hauled his pumpkin from Minnesota to Half Moon Bay, California, for the annual pumpkin weighing event.” Read at BBC News ↗ Centre · 1The BBC reported that Gienger's pumpkin took the prize, weighing 2,389 pounds (1,083kg). BBC NewsN “His whopping gourd took home the prize, tipping the scales at 2,389 pounds (1,083kg).” Read at BBC News ↗
Mixed · 2Gienger is a four-time champion whose winning run was interrupted last year when his pumpkin split while still growing and he could not enter; the BBC describes this win as his fifth. The IndependentLC “four-time champion Travis Gienger, a horticulture teacher from Minnesota whose winning run ended last year when he couldn't enter because his pumpkin split while still growing” Read at The Independent ↗ BBC NewsN “A five-time US giant pumpkin contest winner” Read at BBC News ↗ Left · 1The world record was set the previous week by Ian Paton of Lymington, on England's south coast, with a 2,857 lb (1,296kg) pumpkin; Paton grows in a greenhouse, while Gienger grows in a backyard patch in Anoka, Minnesota, and coped with freezing temperatures this season. The IndependentLC “Ian Paton of Lymington, on the southern coast of England, set the existing world record with a giant squash weighing 2,857 pounds (1,296 kilograms).”“Paton raises his massive gourds in a greenhouse, while Gienger cultivates his entries in a backyard pumpkin patch in Anoka” Read at The Independent ↗ Mixed · 2Fowler had said Gienger's pumpkin had a circumference making it a potential record contender, but the winning weight of 2,389 lb fell short of Paton's mark; Gienger told the BBC he would "love" to break the record for a second time, having held it before. The IndependentLC “produced a pumpkin with a circumference large enough to make it a potential world-record contender, Fowler said.” Read at The Independent ↗ BBC NewsN “tells the BBC he'd "love" to break the world record for a second time.” Read at BBC News ↗
Left · 1Last year's winner, Brandon Dawson of Santa Rosa, California, whose pumpkin weighed 2,346 lb (1,064kg), was also due to compete. The winner earns $9 per pound, with a further $30,000 for beating the world record. The IndependentLC “Brandon Dawson, a resident of Santa Rosa, California, who won first place last year with a massive pumpkin weighing 2,346 pounds (1,064 kilograms), will also compete in the contest.”“Should the winning entry surpass the world record, the competitor will receive an additional $30,000 prize.” Read at The Independent ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- Light preview piece (Independent, AP-bylined text) on the journey and the record chase, with colour on the prizes and the event.
- Emphasis
- The 30-hour drive, comparisons such as pianos, prize money, grower backgrounds.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Written before the result, so it does not give the winner or final weight.
- Charged language
- “car-sized pumpkin”“colossal gourds”
- For example
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“Growers of giant pumpkins and their colossal gourds will gather on Monday in Northern California” — The Independent
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- Short video report after the contest, focused on Gienger's win and his record ambitions.
- Emphasis
- Winning weight and Gienger's wish to retake the world record.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Leaves out the prize money, the field size and the drive's length.
- Charged language
- “whopping gourd”
- For example
-
“His whopping gourd took home the prize, tipping the scales at 2,389 pounds (1,083kg).” — BBC News
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- Travis Gienger, a Minnesota horticulture teacher, took a pumpkin to the Half Moon Bay weigh-off in California.
- The world record is a 2,857 lb pumpkin set the previous week on England's south coast.
- Gienger is aiming at the world record.
Where accounts differ
-
Number of Gienger's contest wins
- Left
- The Independent calls him a four-time champion before this year's contest.
- Centre
- The BBC calls him a five-time winner after the result.
-
World record weight in metric
- Left
- The Independent gives 2,857 lb as 1,296kg.
- Centre
- The BBC gives 2,857 lb as 1,300kg (rounded).
Left2 articles
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Man drives 30 hours with car-sized pumpkin in bid to smash world record
Celebratory Earlier version of the same preview under a different headline, listing the same event.
-
Horticulture teacher drives 30 hours with car-sized pumpkin in bid to smash world record
Celebratory Playful preview of the weigh-off built around the long drive and record bid.
Centre1 article
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Watch: US man eyes pumpkin world record after fifth contest win
Celebratory Brief post-contest video item on Gienger's fifth win and ambition to break the record.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 12 Oct 11:30 First The IndependentLC Man drives 30 hours with car-sized pumpkin in bid to smash world record
- 12 Oct 12:53 +1h 23m The IndependentLC Horticulture teacher drives 30 hours with car-sized pumpkin in bid to smash world record
- 13 Oct 05:04 +17h 34m BBC NewsN Watch: US man eyes pumpkin world record after fifth contest win
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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