3 outlets · filed 25 September 2026

Former mistress testifies at Caleb Flynn trial

The former mistress of Caleb Flynn, Alleigha Botner, testified this week at his murder trial, reading some of the thousands of text messages between the lovers.

What the coverage shows

All five outlets center on the trial testimony from Caleb Flynn’s former mistress, and CBS News, 60 Minutes and ABC News all highlight her reading text messages in court. ABC News is the only outlet that names the mistress, Alleigha Botner, while CNN uniquely foregrounds AI-generated love songs played in the courtroom and the audience’s reactions. Ben Shapiro’s headline is much vaguer, offering only that the testimony was “shocking.”

Written by Crossfiled from the 3 headlines and extracts below, not from the articles themselves. It describes how the outlets framed this, not what happened. Open any headline for a summary of that article.

In this story

ABC News

How it broke

More on Courts & Justice

• Supreme court allows Trump to temporarily resume deporting people to third countries – live 10 outlets
• Venezuelan man shot by ICE officer in Texas is charged with assault 5 outlets
• Supreme Court declines Christa Pike's clemency appeal, with Tennessee set to execute first woman in 200 years 3 outlets
• FBI's Andrew Bailey blasts exit 'lies' as he reveals real reason he's leaving agency 3 outlets
• Trump Hosts A.I. Executives at the White House 2 outlets
• Air Force Major Recommended for General Court-Martial After Protesting Trump 1 outlets