News coverage of Jose Ibarra’s conviction for the murder of Laken Riley demonstrated media bias and how outlets use sensational and tragic news to reinforce partisan agendas.
Ibarra, a 26-year-old unauthorized immigrant, was convicted on Nov. 20 of murdering Riley in February 2024 and sentenced to life in prison.
Right-rated sources such as Fox News (Right bias) and New York Post (Lean Right bias) emphasized the emotional reactions of Riley’s family to the verdict, and focused on the nature of the murder with charged language like “monster” and “Tren de Aragua gangster.” People Magazine (Lean Left) also highlighted an emotional moment, noting Riley’s “last ever journal entry” was read in court.
Headlines from left-rated sources were typically less emotional, though one from CNN (Lean Left bias) highlighted a “heart-wrenching moment” from Riley’s family in court.
Many sources across the spectrum noted Ibarra’s unauthorized entrance into the U.S. as a key detail prominently in their coverage.
A notable exception was this article from the Associated Press (Left bias). The article initially describes Ibarra as a “Venezuelan man” and doesn’t mention that he entered the U.S. illegally until the 15th paragraph, when most outlets mentioned it in the first two or three paragraphs.
Additionally, the AP reports that “federal authorities said Ibarra illegally entered the U.S. in 2022.” When most other sources reported the detail as fact, the AP attributed it to a third party, leaving readers to question its verity.
RELATED: AllSides Moves Associated Press Bias From Lean Left to Left
Since the murder, sources on the right have been more likely than left- or center-rated outlets to highlight this story prominently on their homepages and social media.
RELATED: Media Bias Alert: Laken Riley’s Murder, Biden’s SOTU Comments Spark Divided Coverage
Partisan Media Use Tragedy to Advance Agendas
Following the May 2020 killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, AllSides highlighted slant, emotionalism, and sensationalism in reporting on police brutality and the riots that followed Floyd’s death. At the time, outlets on the left emphasized a few heinous examples of police brutality toward civilians, even though there are over a thousand fatal police shootings each year. They also used anecdotes instead of data to reinforce the perception that racism plays a major role in police killings, using emotionalism and sensationalism to advance the left’s favored criminal justice policies.
In the case of Laken Riley, the right is emphasizing a sexual homicide by an unauthorized immigrant to advance its policy agenda of tightening the border and cracking down on unauthorized immigration. In 2022, the CDC reported 24,849 homicides in the United States and research estimates between 1% and 4% are sexual homicides. None were covered in national news nearly as much as Riley’s.
Furthermore, research by the Justice Department estimated that unauthorized immigrants in Texas “are arrested at less than half the rate of native-born U.S. citizens for violent and drug crimes.” If this statistic is true, it’s highly unlikely that immigrants are both perpetrating more murders and being caught less often than native-born citizens. The emphasis on Riley’s case, and use of emotionalism and sensationalism around the perpetrator’s identity as an unauthorized immigrant, implies a more widespread problem with immigrant crime in order to drive public opinion toward the right’s favored immigration policies.
Whether on the left or right, news outlets often highlight stories that advance a political agenda. Keep up with the AllSides balanced newsfeed to avoid this type of media manipulation and think for yourself.
Contributors:
Krystal Woodworth, Executive Assistant and Project Manager, Center bias
Evan Wagner, News Editor and Product Manager, Lean Left bias
Julie Mastrine, Director of Marketing and Bias Ratings, Lean Right bias
Henry A. Brechter, editor-in-chief, Center bias
