Letters: Politicization Of The Laken Riley Case
To The Editor;
I can think of no more shameful act than to try and make political hay out of a person’s murder – but that is what is happening in regard to the truly heartbreaking taking of Georgia college student Laken Riley’s life.
For those not in the know Laken was 22, an Augusta University nursing student and a bright light for all who knew her. She was murdered while jogging at the University of Georgia, apparently by a Venezuelan migrant who entered this country illegally and killed Laken during an apparent rape attempt. It was successfully argued he used a rock to stun and then kill her.
Her killer was tried and sentenced this week to life in prison, a relatively favorable outcome for a man believed to be a member of the Tren de Aragua prison gang. Given the evidence presented at trial I believe that to be a fair outcome for Laken’s murderer. What I find abhorrent is the open cheerleading by some media “personalities” – mainly Fox talking heads – calling for the death penalty and sensationalizing the obvious trauma this case has brought to the Riley family. If they could indict President Biden for the crime I get the sense they would.
That whole Fair and Balanced thing goes out the window when your hosts and guests are openly opining and emoting over every last painful detail of a case that has brought great pain to a family and the many people who knew Laken Riley. Memory of a nearly $800 million lawsuit against them for lying to viewers appears to have vanished. I feel as if they would hand the executioner his rope or needle themselves if given half the chance.
Did I expect better from them? No. I’m just surprised at how low American journalism has sunk.
Respectfully,
Karla Vermette/Walnut Creek
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Get off your liberal high horse. I followed this case closely on Ashley Banfield and Nancy Grace, and this SOB DESERVES the death penalty.
Think you just proved the author’s point for her.
Nancy Disgrace is the worst at of the bunch.
Agree. Surprised she still has a program.
Yes, I too am shocked at American journalism, except 24/680, for how many months and years did they assure us that President Biden was as sharp as ever and was capable of handling any responsibility, shameful.
Firestone 11R
Well, nice to be excluded so thank you but we run afoul of folks for one reason or another fairly regularly…
Non-enforcement of immigration law was a causal factor, just as non-enforcement against shoplifters was a factor in last year’s Home Depot murder: https://news24-680.com/2023/04/18/pleasanton-home-depot-employee-shot-wounded-two-detained-in-oakland/
Not the only factor, but a crucial factor. Both parties always use the most extreme examples to advance their arguments. It’s up to voters to make sense through the exaggeration and posturing.
Radical progressive DA Deborah Gonzalez made it political. She stated she’s against the death penalty and will not seek the death penalty in any case. Some cases deserve the death penalty, and this is one of them.
A Georgia senator is calling for the death penalty and so are local newspapers.
I wonder how many innocent men and women have been executed because senators and newspapers were calling for the death penalty.
We should just forget it and move on.
It’s unfortunate anytime a person passes away.
Thankfully Newsom has said we will not change and go back. Hopefully California will accept any & all immigrants. We gladly pay more in taxes and overlook any “wrong doing “ in their past.
Yes Gavin Newsom will accept every criminal and every prison releasee from another country and give them gashelter here. But the rest of us will end up suffering.
I used to be a liberal Democrat but I saw that so many have lost their minds and no longer have common sense. So yes I’m actually doing the ‘Trump Dance’ now.
Legal immigrants yes! Criminals and gang members , NO!
What does one even begin to say to this?
How many of these illegals will you take in, coco?
A lot of Fox news is not journalism by their own account, just editorializing to throw red meat to get the base lathered up to push the ratings and keep the prices high for the advertising.
Sean Hannity, a prominent Fox News host, has explicitly stated, “I’m not a journalist. I’m a talk show host.”
The morning program Fox & Friends has been described by Fox News as an entertainment show that “does not pretend to be straight news.”
Journalism: Focuses on reporting facts and events objectively, providing verified information without personal bias. Its aim is to inform the audience so they can form their own opinions.
Editorializing: Occurs when personal opinions, interpretations, or biases are inserted into what is presented as factual reporting. It is often found in opinion pieces or editorials, where the purpose is to persuade or express a viewpoint, rather than to provide impartial information.
And people wonder why Trump won. Get out of your msnbc bubble. Deport all the illegal immigrants. Start with the criminals. Every congressional democrat voted against the Laken Riley bill. And until they are actually victimized by crime, they’ll pretend they have some ridiculous moral high ground.
I don’t watch msnbc or cnn and it always cracks me up when MAGATS assume I do. And we don’t wonder why your fearful leader won – it’s because FOX peddled his lies and the sheep hung onto every word.
Bill Maher said it best as to why Trump won. “Look in the mirror losers. Americans want common sense policies not woke ones.” Keeping in mind he’s a liberal, the truth hurts.
Americans don’t know the difference.
EVERY immigrant group has had a criminal element that managed to slip past customs. Movies have been made about the result. I have no problem with deporting known criminals and think the pending administration will try to do that because it excites their followers and will at least signal that something is being done especially after cases like this. BUT the people REALLY running the country will not allow the cheap labor they depend on to make their money for them to be forced onto a plane back to Honduras.
We’ve had multiple major political upheavals in this country over the past 12 or so years, precipitated by the deaths of criminal suspects in police custody or while involved in fights with police officers or armed private citizens.
We saw politicians and prominent community members using those deaths — some of which led to criminal convictions, others of which were found to have been justifiable — to advance changes to our laws and our whole society. Tell me, Letter Writer, did you object then to the “politicization” of those incidents?
But we now have the death of a total innocent, attacked and killed by a criminal who should not have been in our country in the first place, let alone released from detention and given free flights around the country by politicians enacting a public policy that a strong majority of our citizens vehemently disagree with. But according to your letter, to use that death (among other similar examples, see e.g. the murder of Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston) as an example of the negative consequences of that policy and to advocate for different ones is somehow an inappropriate, even “shameful,” “politicization” of the crime.
Ms. Letter Writer, I submit that I do not believe that your stance against “politicization” is taken in good faith.