How media covered NYC subway murder suspect’s illegal status: Bias Breakdown

[Karah]

A HORRIFIC CRIME HAPPENED SUNDAY IN NEW YORK – A WOMAN SET ON FIRE ON THE SUBWAY WHILE SHE WAS SLEEPING.

THE SUSPECT IN THE KILLING – A MIGRANT FROM GUATEMALA WHO WAS IN THE COUNTRY ILLEGALLY.

BUT THE REPORTING OF THAT DETAIL DIFFERED AMONG NEWS OUTLETS WITH A LEFT AND RIGHT POLITICAL BIAS.

THAT’S THE FOCUS OF TODAY’S BIAS BREAKDOWN.

NEWS OUTLETS WITH A RIGHT-POLITICAL LEAN HIGHLIGHTED THE SUSPECT’S IMMIGRATION STATUS IN THEIR HEADLINES. 

FOX NEWS’ HEADLINE READS “Suspect accused of burning woman to death on NYC subway is previously deported illegal immigrant.”

THE NEW YORK POST – “Fiend accused of burning woman to death on NYC subway is illegal migrant from Guatemala”

AND THE DAILY WIRE “Illegal Arrested For Setting Woman On Fire On NYC Subway Was Already Deported By Trump.”

THESE NEWS OUTLETS REFERRING TO THE SUSPECT AS AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT, ILLEGAL MIGRANT, AND AN ILLEGAL.

MEANWHILE NEWS OUTLETS WITH A LEFT-POLITICAL LEAN LEFT THAT LABEL OUT OF THEIR HEADLINES – REFERRING TO HIM AS THE “MAN” OR “SUSPECT” ARRESTED INSTEAD OF MIGRANT.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS – “Man faces murder charges in the death of a woman who was lit on fire in New York City subway.”

CBS NEWS –NYC police charge man with murder of woman set on fire

AND THE NEW YORK TIMES – “SUSPECT Charged in Fatal Burning of Woman.”

THE MAN POLICE HAVE CHARGED FOR SETTING A WOMAN ON FIRE HAS BEEN CONFIRMED AS SOMEONE IN THE COUNTRY ILLEGALLY – AFTER PREVIOUSLY BEING DEPORTED IN 2018.

AUTHORITIES SAY IT’S UNCLEAR WHEN HE RE-ENTERED THE COUNTRY OR HOW LONG HE HAD BEEN IN NEW YORK –

BUT SOURCES PLACED HIM IN THE BIG APPLE BY APRIL OF 2023 STAYING IN CITY SHELTERS.

WHILE SOME LEFT-LEANING NEWS OUTLETS DIDN’T INCLUDE THE MAN’S IMMIGRATION STATUS IN THEIR HEADLINE – THEY DID INCLUDE IT IN THEIR REPORTING.

BUT THERE WERE EDITORIAL DIFFERENCES AGAIN AMONG LEFT AND RIGHT LEANING NEWSROOMS ON PLACEMENT OF IMMIGRATION DETAILS IN THEIR NEWS ARTICLES.

RIGHT-LEANING NEW YORK POST – LED WITH THE INFORMATION WHEN REPORTING THE MURDER CHARGES.

“An illegal Guatemalan immigrant was charged with first-degree murder Monday in the gruesome torching death of a sleeping Brooklyn straphanger — but told cops he was too boozed up to remember doing it.

SIMILARLY – OTHER RIGHT LEANING OUTLETS FOX NEWS AND THE DAILY WIRE HAD DETAILS ON THE SUSPECT’S IMMIGRATION STATUS IN THE FIRST PARAGRAPH.

WHEREAS LEFT-LEANING NEWS OUTLETS – PRIORITIZED OTHER INFORMATION IN THEIR REPORTS.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WROTE – A man is facing murder and arson charges in New York City for allegedly setting a woman on fire inside a subway train and then watching her die after she was engulfed in flames.

IN ITS THIRD PARAGRAPH – “Zapeta, 33, is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally after he had been previously removed in 2018.”

OTHER LEFT LEANING OUTLETS – THE NEW YORK TIMES AND CBS – NOTED ZAPETA’S IMMIGRATION STATUS IN THEIR FOURTH PARAGRAPHS.

THERE’S LONG BEEN AN EDITORIAL AND ETHICAL DEBATE IN JOURNALISM WHEN IT COMES TO CALLING SOMEONE AN UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANT, AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT, OR STAYING AWAY FROM IT ALTOGETHER.

LEFT-LEANING CBS NEWS AND THE A-P – REFER TO ZAPETA AS SOMEONE “IN THE COUNTRY ILLEGALLY” – THE WORD “MIGRANT” WAS NEVER USED.

THE NEW YORK TIMES – MAKES ONE REFERENCE OF THE SUSPECT AS AN “UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANT”.

RIGHT-LEANING NEWS OUTLETS LIKE THE NEW YORK POST AND DAILY WIRE – REFER TO ZEPETA AS “AN ILLEGAL GUATEMALAN MIGRANT” AND “ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT”.

DIFFERENT NEWS ORGANIZATIONS HAVE DIFFERENT RULES FOR WHAT’S BECOME A SENSITIVE ISSUE.

WE OFTEN WILL REFER TO A GROUP CALLED “ALLSIDES” ON THIS PODCAST.

IT’S A MEDIA WATCHDOG ORGANIZATION THAT IDENTIFIES MEDIA BIASES.

HERE’S THEIR EXPLANATION OF WHY BOTH “UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANT” AND “ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT” ARE BOTH FLAWED.

THEY WRITE “Undocumented Immigrant: This terminology is overly vague. It doesn’t clearly convey the illegal nature of the act in question.”

AND Illegal Immigrant: This terminology is technically imprecise because individuals themselves cannot be “illegal,” though their actions may be.

WHILE NEWS OUTLETS WITH A LEFT AND RIGHT BIAS DIFFERED IN THEIR EDITORIAL DISCRETION OVER HOW TO COVER ZAPETA’S IMMIGRATION STATUS –

THEIR COVERAGE OF THE GRUESOME SUBWAY MURDER ALSO TOOK DIFFERENT TURNS.

SOME RIGHT-LEANING NEWS OUTLETS – LINKING THE STORY TO A LARGER PICTURE OF WHAT THEY DESCRIBE AS AN INCREASE IN MIGRANT CRIME AND NEED FOR DEPORTATIONS.

WHILE SOME LEFT-LEANING NEWS OUTLETS – LINK THE STORY TO A LARGER PICTURE OF “CRIMES ON NEW YORK CITY SUBWAYS – BUT NOTE CRIME IS DOWN.

AND LEFT AND RIGHT OUTLETS – CRITICIZING EACH OTHER IN THEIR COVERAGE.

“I’m watching local coverage to see if they bring up his legal status and they don’t, it’s a main part of the story…when illegal immigrants come here many as criminals to commit more crimes, you say to yourself if the government did it’s job we wouldn’t be in this type of danger. And this plays into a bigger picture of why you need mass deportation.”

THE TIMES WROTE – “Republicans wasted little time linking the murder to Democrats’ immigration policies.”

“The attack was the latest in a string of crimes that have fed a persistent sense among some New Yorkers that the subways are unsafe.

AFTER LISTING RECENT HIGH-PROFILE SUBWAY CRIMES – THE TIMES NOTES – “According to the police, though, crime overall has been falling in the subway.

THIS STORY IS A HIGH-PROFILE ONE –

ONE THAT WILL LIKELY STAY IN THE NEWS CYCLE FOR SOME TIME DUE TO THE GRAPHIC NATURE OF THE CRIME **AND BECAUSE OF THE CRIMINAL’S BACKGROUND.

THE PURPOSE OF TODAY’S EPISODE –

WAS TO HIGHLIGHT THE CONTRASTING NATURE OF COVERAGE OF AN IMPORTANT STORY.  

AND HOW FACTS CAN BE FRAMED DIFFERENTLY BY NEWS OUTLETS – DEPENDING ON POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE.

AND THAT’S YOUR BIAS BREAKDOWN.