A judge ruled Wednesday, Nov. 20, that Jose Ibarra is guilty of murdering Georgia college student Laken Riley.

Reuters

Karah Rucker Anchor/Reporter

U.S.

How media highlighted or omitted illegal status of Laken Riley murderer

Nov 20, 2024

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Karah Rucker Anchor/Reporter

By Karah Rucker (Anchor/Reporter), Jack Henry (Video Editor)

A judge ruled Wednesday, Nov. 20, that Jose Ibarra is guilty of murdering Georgia college student Laken Riley. The case gained national attention due to the brutal nature of the crime and Ibarra’s status as an undocumented migrant from Venezuela. Ibarra was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

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Key moments from the trial included DNA evidence, including traces found under Riley’s fingernails and a jacket with her hair linked to Ibarra. Prosecutors argued that Ibarra attacked Riley while she was jogging on the University of Georgia campus in February, dragging her into the woods, beating her with a rock and leaving her partially naked and covered in leaves.

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Ibarra’s defense claimed the evidence was circumstantial and suggested his brothers were responsible for the crime. During the trial, a recorded prison phone call was played where Ibarra’s wife questioned why a person would not call 911 if they saw someone dying.

Despite the defense’s claims, the judge ruled there was sufficient evidence to convict Ibarra. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Ibarra crossed into the United States through El Paso, Texas, in September 2022. His illegal status became a focal point in media coverage, adding to the national debate over immigration laws, especially during an election year.

Some media outlets chose to emphasize Ibarra’s legal status in their headlines, while others did not.

News outlets with a left-leaning bias, such as NBC and CBS, omitted this detail in the headline, while others like ABC and CNN referred to him by his name or as “suspect.”

Right-leaning outlets, including the New York Post and Fox News, led with Ibarra’s status as an undocumented immigrant. The Wall Street Journal, rated by media watchdog group AllSides as having no political bias, included his migrant status in its top line.

Across all outlets, regardless of political bias, Ibarra was described as an undocumented immigrant or as having entered the country illegally. The importance of highlighting this detail varied, with NBC mentioning it in the ninth paragraph and Fox News in the first sentence.

Tags: ABC, CBS News, CNN, Fox News, Georgia, ICE, Immigration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Media Bias, NBC, news media, Texas, Wall Street Journal

A JUDGE RULED WEDNESDAY THAT JOSE IBARRA IS GUILTY OF THE MURDER OF GEORGIA STUDENT LAKEN RILEY.

THE CASE GRABBED NATIONAL ATTENTION – DUE TO THE NATURE OF THE CRIME –

AND THE SUSPECT’S STATUS AS A MIGRANT FROM VENEZUELA IN THE COUNTRY ILLEGALLY.

THE JUDGE SENTENCED IBARRA TO LIFE BEHIND BARS.

WE’LL TELL YOU ABOUT KEY MOMENTS FROM TRIAL.

BUT WE’LL ALSO SHOW YOU WHILE THE FACTS OF THE CASE ARE LARGELY BEING REPORTED THE SAME ACROSS MEDIA OUTLETS –

EDITORIAL DECISIONS ON HOW TO CLASSIFY THE SUSPECT IN HEADLINES WIDELY DIFFERED DEPENDING ON THE NEWS OUTLET’S LEFT OR RIGHT POLITICAL BIAS.

IBARRA HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY ON 10 CHARGES RELATED TO THE MURDER OF LAKEN RILEY – WHO WAS JOGGING ON THE GEORGIA CAMPUS IN FEBRUARY – WHEN PROSECUTORS SAY SHE WAS DRAGGED INTO THE WOODS IN BROAD DAYLIGHT, BEATEN WITH A ROCK, AND LEFT FOR DEAD PARTIALLY NAKED AND COVERED IN LEAVES.

AT TRIAL – PROSECUTORS PRESENTED DNA EVIDENCE – INCLUDING TRACES FOUND UNDER RILEY’S FINGERNAILS AND A JACKET LINKED TO IBARRA WITH RILEY’S HAIR.

IBARRA’S DEFENSE CLAIMED IT WAS CIRCUMSTANITAL –

AND BLAMED IBARRA’S BROTHERS FOR THE CRIME.

A RECORDED PHONE CALL FROM PRISON WAS PLAYED IN COURT –

WHERE IBARRA’S WIFE QUESTIONED THE LACK OF OTHER DNA AND SAID SHE DOESN’T UNDERSTAND HOW SOMEONE CAN SEE SOMEONE DYING AND NOT CALL 911.

ULTIMATELY, THE JUDGE RULING THERE WAS ENOUGH EVIDENCE PRESENTED TO CONVICT IBARRA – AND SENTENCED HIM TO LIFE IN PRISON WITHOUT PAROLE.

ACCORDING TO ICE – IBARRA CROSSED INTO THE US THROUGH EL PASO TEXAS IN SEPTEMBER 2022.

THE ILLEGAL STATUS OF IBARRA OFFERED ANOTHER LAYER TO RILEY’S DEATH –

CATAPULTING THE DEBATE OVER BORDER LAWS TO THE NATIONAL POLITICAL ARENA DURING AN ELECTION YEAR.

IN THE MEDIA’S COVERAGE OF THE TRIAL –

SOME NEWSROOMS FELT THIS DETAIL WAS IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO THE CASE TO HIGHLIGHT IBARRA’S LEGAL STATUS IN THE HEADLINE.

WHILE OTHER NEWS OUTLETS – DECIDED NOT TO.

SOME NEWS OUTLETS WITH A LEFT-WING BIAS – LIKE NBC AND CBS –

LEFT OUT THE LEGAL STATUS OF THE PERPETRATOR – AND HIS NAME.

WHILE OTHER LEFT-LEANING OUTLETS LIKE ABC AND CNN –

REFERRED TO HIM BY HIS NAME OR AS THE SUSPECT IN THE CASE.

MEANWHILE – SOME NEWS OUTLETS WITH A RIGHT POLITICAL LEAN –

LIKE THE NEW YORK POST AND FOX NEWS – LED WITH IBARRA’S STATUS AS AN UNDOCMENTED IMMIGRANT.

SOME NEWS OUTLETS THAT HAVE BEEN RATED AS HAVING NO POLITICAL BIAS BY MEDIA WATCHDOG GROUP ALLSIDES –

LIKE THE WALL STREET JOURNAL –

HIGHLIGHTED THAT IBARRA IS A VENEZUELAN MIGRANT IN THEIR TOP LINE.

ALL OF THESE NEWS OUTLETS NO MATTER THE POLITICAL BIAS – DID IN THE BODIES OF THEIR STORIES REFER TO IBARRA AS EITHER AN UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANT, OR AS SOMEONE WHO ENTERED COUNTRY ILLEGALLY.

THE IMPORTANCE OF REPORTING ON THAT DETAIL DIFFERED DEPENDENT ON THE BIAS OF THE OUTLET.

NBC NOTED IBARRA ENTERED THE COUNTRY ILLEGALLY IN ITS NINTH PARAGRAPH –

WHILE FOX NOTED IT IN ITS FIRST SENTENCE.

THANKS FOR WATCHING OUR NEWS UPDATE.

WE’LL HAVE MORE ON THE TRIAL INCLUDING VICTIM IMPACT STATEMENTS ON OUR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS MOBILE APP –

OR FIND MORE STORIES LIKE THIS ONLINE AT SAN DOT COM.