NBC News was criticized Tuesday for the way it framed a story about the tragic murder of Laken Riley allegedly at the hands of an illegal immigrant.
Conservatives often mock the "Republicans pounce" approach they accuse mainstream media outlets of using to frame news that is difficult for Democrats. NBC News slightly changed the formula Monday when it published a story headlined, "Republicans invoke Georgia student’s death in push for hard-line immigration policies," that put a spotlight on GOP reaction to Riley's murder.
Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student at Augusta University in Athens, was found dead on the University of Georgia campus last week. Police have charged Jose Antonio Ibarra with her murder, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since confirmed that Ibarra entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and had previously been arrested in New York City.
The NBC News story featured a subhead, "Former President Trump cited the killing of nursing student Laken Riley to bash President Joe Biden in his vow to ‘immediately seal the border’ if he returns to office."
The NBC News story also noted that prominent Republicans such as Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and House Speaker Mike Johnson have "used Riley’s death to criticize the Biden administration."
RealClearPolitics president Tom Bevan shared a screengrab of the NBC News headline, which was promptly criticized.
"We've moved past pouncing and now we are INVOKING," one follower reacted.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently took a similar approach when promoting coverage of the murder on social media.
"Top Georgia Republicans quickly tied the killing of a student on the University of Georgia campus to President Joe Biden’s immigration policies, decrying what they see as lax border controls after a suspect from Venezuela was charged with murder," the Atlanta Journal-Constitution posted on X.
ICE CONFIRMS GEORGIA STUDENT MURDER SUSPECT ENTERED US ILLEGALLY, WAS PREVIOUSLY ARRESTED IN NYC
Coverage of the Riley killing has been polarizing and an Associated Press story was ridiculed by conservatives over the weekend for appearing to categorize the murder more about the "fears of solo female athletes" rather than illegal immigration and weak crime laws. The AP published an article on Saturday that failed to mention Ibarra’s immigration or criminal record and instead focused on how Riley was murdered while jogging by herself; other reporting by the outlet did mention the suspect's immigration status.
The New York Post editorial board accused the AP of "sliding right up to the edge of victim-blaming" with its piece.
