MSNBC Backlash: Outlet Changes Title Sympathizing with Laken Riley’s Killer

MSNBC changed the title of one of its opinion articles late last week after readers accused the network of sympathizing with Laken Riley’s killer. The controversy bodes ill for the floundering outlet, which Comcast has announced it will spin off into a different company.

A Georgia judge convicted Jose Ibarra Wednesday for the murder of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley, finding Ibarra guilty of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault with intent to rape, aggravated battery, hindering a 911 call and tampering with evidence.

Ibarra was subsequently sentenced to life without parole.

In response, MSNBC legal analyst Danny Cevallos penned an opinion piece entitled, “Laken Riley’s killer never stood a chance — For all the political controversy surrounding Jose Ibarra, the outcome of this trial was never in doubt.”

Readers subsequently accused the defense lawyer of implying Ibarra had been railroaded.

The backlash was warranted. Cevallos’ use of the phrase “never stood a chance” suggests Ibarra was unfairly deprived of the chance to be acquitted. His assertion that “the outcome of this trial was never in doubt” likewise implies Judge Patrick Haggard found Ibarra guilty before hearing the evidence.

This insinuation is not based in fact. The prosecution presented nigh irrefutable evidence tying Ibarra to Riley’s brutal murder, including,

• Ibarra’s fingerprints on Riley’s phone, presumably from when he ended her call to 911.
• Ibarra’s DNA under Riley’s fingernails, corresponding to scratches on Ibarra’s hands, arms and neck.
• Surveillance footage showing Ibarra throw a jacket in a dumpster. Investigators found Riley’s hair and blood on the jacket.
• Surveillance footage showing Ibarra trying to break into another student’s apartment just two hours before he attacked Riley.

MSNBC found Cevallos’ original title similarly indefensible. It quickly replaced it with, “The guilt of Laken Riley’s killer was never in doubt — For all the controversy surrounding Jose Ibarra, the case against him was always a simple one.”

The new title is marginally better, but still bizarrely ambiguous. It could imply that the prosecution’s evidence was insurmountable. It could also imply what the original title did — that Jose Ibarra did not receive a fair trial. 

Cevallos’ equivocation clouds an otherwise simple piece. He posits that the defense waived Ibarra’s right to a jury trial because the case couldn’t be won. At times, Cevallos seems to acknowledge that the evidence against Ibarra made the case unwinnable. He addresses Laken Riley as a victim. He commends the defense for conserving the state’s resources.

But he also includes several comments seeming to impugn Judge Haggard’s decision to sentence Ibarra to life in prison.

Acknowledging the defense’s case had little chance against a jury, Cevallos wrote, “But apparently [the case] had no chance with the judge, either, since he was convicted anyway.” This sentence implies, as the original title did, that Haggard had decided to convict Ibarra before he analyzed the evidence.

If Cevallos had agreed with the sentencing, he wouldn’t have included a comment about Haggard “cutting [Ibarra] no breaks.” Similarly, if Cevallos believed the judge was on the up-and-up, he wouldn’t have started a description of Haggard’s narrow sentencing options with, “In fairness” — a phrase that signals a coming counterargument to an initially negative assessment.

It bears repeating — Cevallos’ veiled insinuations are not based in fact. The prosecution presented a preponderance of evidence tying Ibarra to Riley’s murder. The brutality of the crime and Ibarra’s criminal record and gang affiliations explain Haggard’s sentencing choices.

Cevallos is certainly entitled to his point of view, but journalistic outlets generally don’t platform unsupported opinions — or hire their writers as legal analysts.

Regardless, MSNBC can’t afford another controversy following Comcast’s decision to spin them into a new company, along with USA Network, CNBC, Oxygen, E!, SYFY and the Golf Channel. Comcast maintains the move will allow the ousted networks more room to grow, but staffers aren’t so sure. The spin off effectively de-links MSNBC from NBC, giving showrunners freedom to change the network’s editorial direction.

Comcast has not yet announced how NBC’s resources will be split among the departing affiliates. Nor has the cable juggernaut signaled willingness to sell MSNBC, despite high-profile offers from billionaires like Elon Musk.

MSNBC’s fate may be up in the air, but one thing’s for sure — sympathizing with a convicted killer won’t win them any public support. The network must seriously evaluate the analysis it chooses to platform, or risk losing the platform altogether.

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