O-Score proof

Police in Western Australia scanned 1.38 million faces with live facial recognition vans in five months

10O-Score10 · Fully overlooked0 of 13 major U.S. outlets as of Nov 2 · See proof →

The math

Outlets checked: 13 major U.S. national outlets.
Confirmed reports of this story: 0.
0 found → O-Score 10 (Fully overlooked). Higher means more overlooked.

Score	Meaning	Major U.S. outlets that covered it
10	Fully overlooked ← this story	0 of 13 outlets
8	Barely covered	1 outlet
6, 5	Lightly covered	2 outlets (6) · 3 outlets (5)
4, 3	Covered	4 outlets (4) · 5 outlets (3)
2, 1, 0	Widely covered	6–7 outlets (2) · 8–10 outlets (1) · 11–13 outlets (0)

Provisional: AP, Reuters and CBS News block direct site search, and the other 10 outlets’ site search only loads in a live browser, so all 13 were checked through Google News and Bing News instead. Those checks were complete for every outlet.

Checked Nov 2, 2026, 12:41 PM ET · coverage window: 2026-10-26 to 2026-11-03 (8 days, built around this story’s publish date of 2026-11-02). Scored after publication.

Every outlet

Outlet	Result	Searches run
AP apnews.com	Not found	google-news: "Western Australia facial recognition police site:apnews.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "Western Australia facial recognition police site:apnews.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) google-news: "WA police facial recognition vans site:apnews.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "WA police facial recognition vans site:apnews.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) google-news: "Western Australia live facial recognition site:apnews.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "Western Australia live facial recognition site:apnews.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) 10 search hit(s) read and rejected as not about this story Saamaka tribe protects Amazon amid illegal cutting and mining - AP News Spooky-looking Dracula orchids at UK zoo recognised as nationally important conservation collection - AP News After 65 years, Freedom Riders finally complete their journey to New Orleans - AP News Prince Jackson hopes Jaafar Jackson gets awards recognition for ‘Michael’ - AP News NADJA LOVADINOV - AP News Maryland - AP News How AP prepares for its election night live show Over 40% of names on DOJ list of alleged noncitizens are not on Calif. voter rolls, analysis finds - AP News For many, striped bass fishing is a way of life. But the iconic species could face collapse - AP News Suriname’s Saamaka tribe hope they can protect forest by mapping and documenting them - AP News Own site search: HTTP 403 (could not use)
Reuters reuters.com	Not found	google-news: "Western Australia facial recognition police site:reuters.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "Western Australia facial recognition police site:reuters.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) google-news: "WA police facial recognition vans site:reuters.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "WA police facial recognition vans site:reuters.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) google-news: "Western Australia live facial recognition site:reuters.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "Western Australia live facial recognition site:reuters.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) 4 search hit(s) read and rejected as not about this story 'Wonder Woman' stumbles, 'Get Out' surprises at Oscar nominations - Reuters 'He is L.A.': Fans mourn death of Kobe Bryant - Reuters Focus: China is back in the bull semen market, but only the best will do - Reuters Articles sitemap of 2026-10-29 - Reuters Own site search: HTTP 401 (could not use)
The New York Times nytimes.com	Not found	google-news: "Western Australia facial recognition police site:nytimes.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "Western Australia facial recognition police site:nytimes.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) google-news: "WA police facial recognition vans site:nytimes.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "WA police facial recognition vans site:nytimes.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) google-news: "Western Australia live facial recognition site:nytimes.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "Western Australia live facial recognition site:nytimes.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) 17 search hit(s) read and rejected as not about this story Opinion \| Elon Musk’s Endgame - The New York Times Video: Opinion \| Elon Musk’s Endgame - The New York Times The Learning Network A Plan for Two Dans: How Democrats Manipulated Alaska’s Ballot Is Running From Trump Enough to Save Republicans on Tuesday? Putin Breaks Down His Isolation, With a Big Assist From Trump - The New York Times A Damning Account Alleges Jared Kushner Conducted Diplomacy for Profit - The New York Times Opinion \| Europe Is Aflame, and It’s Not Going to Stop - The New York Times The story of Great Britain’s first Black captain, who dared to cross a divide yet united a city - The New York Times Video: Opinion \| Nate Silver Predicts a ‘Momentous’ Midterm - The New York Times The Surprise Tossups - The New York Times Want to Get Stronger Without the Male Gaze? There’s a Gym for That. - The New York Times In Israel’s Election, It’s Nationalism vs. Founding Ideals - The New York Times Stella Raine Chu - Page 4 - The New York Times Teenager Guns Down 3 Children and a Teacher at an Oregon Elementary School - The New York Times The New York Times Magazine - The New York Times Becerra and Hilton Tangle Over Taxes and Trump in California Governor Debate - The New York Times Own site search: search page renders by JavaScript, no static results (could not use)
The Washington Post washingtonpost.com	Not found	google-news: "Western Australia facial recognition police site:washingtonpost.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "Western Australia facial recognition police site:washingtonpost.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) google-news: "WA police facial recognition vans site:washingtonpost.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "WA police facial recognition vans site:washingtonpost.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) google-news: "Western Australia live facial recognition site:washingtonpost.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "Western Australia live facial recognition site:washingtonpost.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) Own site search: search page renders by JavaScript, no static results (could not use)
The Wall Street Journal wsj.com	Not found	google-news: "Western Australia facial recognition police site:wsj.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "Western Australia facial recognition police site:wsj.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) google-news: "WA police facial recognition vans site:wsj.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "WA police facial recognition vans site:wsj.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) google-news: "Western Australia live facial recognition site:wsj.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "Western Australia live facial recognition site:wsj.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) 3 search hit(s) read and rejected as not about this story VF Signals Slow Sales as Vans Wholesale Rebound Stalls Latin America’s Right-Wing Surge Suddenly Seems Vulnerable - WSJ EU, Canada Leaders Set Out Path to ‘Associate Membership’ Arrangement - WSJ Own site search: search page renders by JavaScript, no static results (could not use)
CNN cnn.com	Not found	google-news: "Western Australia facial recognition police site:cnn.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "Western Australia facial recognition police site:cnn.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) google-news: "WA police facial recognition vans site:cnn.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "WA police facial recognition vans site:cnn.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) google-news: "Western Australia live facial recognition site:cnn.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "Western Australia live facial recognition site:cnn.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) Own site search: search page renders by JavaScript, no static results (could not use)
Fox News foxnews.com	Not found	google-news: "Western Australia facial recognition police site:foxnews.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "Western Australia facial recognition police site:foxnews.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) google-news: "WA police facial recognition vans site:foxnews.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "WA police facial recognition vans site:foxnews.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) google-news: "Western Australia live facial recognition site:foxnews.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "Western Australia live facial recognition site:foxnews.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) Own site search: search page renders by JavaScript, no static results (could not use)
NBC News nbcnews.com	Not found	google-news: "Western Australia facial recognition police site:nbcnews.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "Western Australia facial recognition police site:nbcnews.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) google-news: "WA police facial recognition vans site:nbcnews.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "WA police facial recognition vans site:nbcnews.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) google-news: "Western Australia live facial recognition site:nbcnews.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "Western Australia live facial recognition site:nbcnews.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) Own site search: search page renders by JavaScript, no static results (could not use)
CBS News cbsnews.com	Not found	google-news: "Western Australia facial recognition police site:cbsnews.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "Western Australia facial recognition police site:cbsnews.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) google-news: "WA police facial recognition vans site:cbsnews.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "WA police facial recognition vans site:cbsnews.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) google-news: "Western Australia live facial recognition site:cbsnews.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "Western Australia live facial recognition site:cbsnews.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) 1 search hit(s) read and rejected as not about this story Notable Deaths in 2026 - CBS News Own site search: HTTP 406 (could not use)
ABC News abcnews.go.com	Not found	google-news: "Western Australia facial recognition police site:abcnews.go.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "Western Australia facial recognition police site:abcnews.go.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) google-news: "WA police facial recognition vans site:abcnews.go.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "WA police facial recognition vans site:abcnews.go.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) google-news: "Western Australia live facial recognition site:abcnews.go.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "Western Australia live facial recognition site:abcnews.go.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) Own site search: search page renders by JavaScript, no static results (could not use)
NPR npr.org	Not found	google-news: "Western Australia facial recognition police site:npr.org after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "Western Australia facial recognition police site:npr.org" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) google-news: "WA police facial recognition vans site:npr.org after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "WA police facial recognition vans site:npr.org" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) google-news: "Western Australia live facial recognition site:npr.org after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "Western Australia live facial recognition site:npr.org" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) Own site search: search page renders by JavaScript, no static results (could not use)
USA Today usatoday.com	Not found	google-news: "Western Australia facial recognition police site:usatoday.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "Western Australia facial recognition police site:usatoday.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) google-news: "WA police facial recognition vans site:usatoday.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "WA police facial recognition vans site:usatoday.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) google-news: "Western Australia live facial recognition site:usatoday.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "Western Australia live facial recognition site:usatoday.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) 2 search hit(s) read and rejected as not about this story Washington Football to Face OC-less Oregon In Regular Season Finale Angel Reese, Atlanta Dream force first Game 7 in WNBA Finals history: Highlights Own site search: search page renders by JavaScript, no static results (could not use)
Bloomberg bloomberg.com	Not found	google-news: "Western Australia facial recognition police site:bloomberg.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "Western Australia facial recognition police site:bloomberg.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) google-news: "WA police facial recognition vans site:bloomberg.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "WA police facial recognition vans site:bloomberg.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) google-news: "Western Australia live facial recognition site:bloomberg.com after:2026-10-26 before:2026-11-03" bing-news: "Western Australia live facial recognition site:bloomberg.com" (dates filtered 2026-10-26–2026-11-03) Own site search: search page renders by JavaScript, no static results (could not use)

First pickup

We published: Nov 2, 2026 (ET).

No major-outlet article with a verified date yet.

Check history

Checked (ET)	Check	O-Score	Confirmed outlets	What changed
Nov 2, 2026, 12:41 PM ET	initial	10 Fully overlooked	0	No change
Nov 2, 2026, 2:45 PM ET	recheck	10 Fully overlooked	0	No change

Search terms

“Western Australia facial recognition police”, “WA police facial recognition vans”, “Western Australia live facial recognition”

Method

Back-scored after publication: coverage window 2026-10-26 to 2026-11-03, built around the story’s publish date (2026-11-02), 7 days before to 21 days after (or to the check date)
google-news site: search with after:/before: dates (3 term variants)
bing-news site: search, results filtered to the window (3 term variants)
Google News wire search (terms + “Reuters” / “Associated Press”) to catch wire copies; only articles on each outlet’s own site count
editor read of every candidate headline; each counted match was opened, or the block recorded

A match counts only if the outlet’s own article is about this story, not a passing mention. “Not found” means not found by these methods; search engines index only part of each site. Scores are rechecked at 24 hours, 3 days, 7 days and 30 days.