On March 19th, Sheridan Gorman, an 18-year-old college student at Loyola University in Chicago, was allegedly shot and killed by Jose Medina, an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela. The coverage of this tragic event varied across networks, with CBS dedicating just two minutes, ABC giving 79 seconds, and NBC barely mentioning it for 23 seconds. I checked PBS and NPR, but found no coverage at all.
Interestingly, PBS had time to air a 90-minute documentary titled “White With Fear,” which critiques how Republicans purportedly utilize overtly racist tactics to win elections, citing examples like the 2015 murder of Kate Steinle in San Francisco.
It’s clear networks tend to shy away from reporting crimes linked to illegal immigrants, often arguing that such incidents are outliers. They promote the narrative that undocumented individuals generally commit fewer crimes than American citizens, yet this tends to sidestep the harsh reality for families like Gorman’s: if the alleged killer hadn’t entered the country, their loved one might still be alive.
The Gorman family expressed their anguish by stating that Sheridan’s death can’t be simplified as just another tragedy—not merely political fodder. They emphasized a need for accountability and directed their frustration toward Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, insisting all failures must be identified and addressed directly.
“Our daughter is not just a topic for policy discussions. She was a life taken; there needs to be accountability,” they added.
While media outlets could focus on this story empathetically, many seem more concerned with political implications, worrying about offending their liberal audience. They appear anxious to distance themselves from any notion that mass deportations might impact violent crime rates.
In a concerning twist for journalistic integrity, the editors of Loyola’s student newspaper apologized for calling the suspect an “immigrant man” in their headline, changing it to “male” instead and describing him as a “resident of Rogers Park.” They stated that the headline didn’t capture the article’s essential elements and was altered to avoid causing further distress to the community—rather than acknowledging the trauma caused by illegal immigration.
Gorman’s case isn’t isolated. For instance, Stephanie Minter was fatally stabbed at a bus stop in Northern Virginia by Abdul Jallow, an undocumented immigrant with more than 30 prior arrests. Despite the severity of that crime, major networks like ABC, CBS, and NBC didn’t provide any coverage.
Conversely, when immigration officers face difficulties, the media often rushes to their defense. A shooting incident involving an ICE agent garnered extensive news coverage, contrasting sharply with the underreported murders by undocumented individuals, like those of Laken Riley and Rachel Morin. In these cases, it’s been noted that the suspects were also illegal immigrants.
Last year, research revealed that the three leading networks spent over two hours defending an MS-13 gang member, while the trial of a different undocumented assailant who had attacked a mother was only mentioned for a mere 12 seconds on NBC.
The failure of networks to cover stories that reflect poorly on certain political affiliations raises questions about their objectivity. For example, despite Maryland legislation being scrutinized, victims’ families, like that of Dakara Thompson—a 19-year-old killed by an undocumented immigrant—found minimal media attention for their grief and frustrations. Thompson’s mother expressed disappointment upon learning her daughter’s alleged killer was released without being detained by ICE.
Such incidents indicate that the nightly news from these networks often does not provide an unbiased perspective but a selectively curated narrative that supports the politicians they favor. As we approach the midterm elections, it seems likely that immigration will continue to be portrayed negatively concerning Trump and the Republican Party, reinforcing a dismissive stance toward any claims of increased violence related to illegal immigration.
