Laken Riley’s Killer Is Convicted, But Media Must Protect The Narrative

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An illegal immigrant from Venezuela was convicted on Wednesday for the brutal murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, but a number of major media outlets left one key word — “illegal” — out of their coverage of the verdict.

After the defense opted for a bench trial rather than a jury trial, Judge H. Patrick Haggard found Jose Ibarra, 26, guilty on all ten counts including “malice murder.” But despite the fact that Ibarra’s immigration status — he entered the country illegally in 2022 — is well known, it was left out of a number of reports.

John Hasson shared screenshots from The Washington Post, The Associated Press, and The New York Times where Ibarra was referred to as a “Venezuelan national,” a “man,” and a “Venezuelan migrant” respectively.

“[They] all refuse to describe Laken Riley’s murderer as an illegal immigrant,” Hasson noted. “Simply infuriating.”

From The Washington Post: “Breaking news: Venezuelan national Jose Ibarra was found guilty of murdering Laken Riley, a 22-year-old University of Georgia nursing student. Ibarra was found guilty on all charges, including the most serious counts of malice murder and felony murder.”

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In a follow-up post, the outlet raised the point that Riley’s death had sparked a national argument about illegal immigration — particularly under President Joe Biden’s administration — but did not go so far as to accurately label Ibarra an illegal immigrant.

“A Venezuelan national was found guilty of murdering Laken Riley, a 22-year-old Augusta University nursing student whose February killing inflamed the immigration debate that became a central theme of this year’s presidential election,” the second post read.

The Associated Press also noted that the case had sparked debate over illegal immigration, but gave no indication as to how that was connected to “a man” being convicted for Riley’s murder.

“BREAKING: A man was convicted of murder in the killing of Georgia student Laken Riley, a case that fueled the national immigration debate,” the post read.

The New York Times offered a similarly-disconnected framing, posting, “Breaking News: A Venezuelan migrant was convicted of murdering Laken Riley, a Georgia nursing student whose killing became a flashpoint in the immigration debate.”

The push to hide Ibarra’s immigration status is nothing new — even President Biden was forced to walk it back after he told the truth during his 2024 State of the Union Address. In an interview shortly after the address — during which he also mispronounced Riley’s name — Biden said he regretted calling Ibarra “illegal.”



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