DePaul University is launching a “racial justice” media institute tied to an anti-ICE initiative started by former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
This is a perfect example of why public trust in both media and higher education is underwater.
NewsBusters reports (emphasis theirs):
The supposedly Catholic DePaul — which sits comfortably on a roughly $1.15 billion endowment — announced that it was launching the cringely-named Institute for Journalism and Racial Justice (IJRJ) during a February 25 campus event, according to student newspaper The DePaulia.The announcement came following a “community briefing for a new Immigration and Customs Enforcement accountability platform led by” Lightfoot. Who held Lightfoot accountable? The Firearm Industry Trade Association panned Lightfoot’s tenure as Mayor in 2023 as being tainted by some of “the worst criminal and gang violence in memory.” Chicagoans reported a 43 percent crime increase in 2022 above pre-pandemic levels under her administration. But apparently, DePaul sees the former Democrat mayor as its guiding “Lightfoot.” “DePaul launches new journalism institute aligned with Lightfoot ICE initiative,” read the headline by DePaulia editor-in-chief Sofia Joseph and content managing editor Laura Vázquez David. Also telling was that the anti-ICE “community briefing” with Lightfoot was moderated by former ABC News Nightline correspondent Chris Bury, who has since become the senior journalist-in-residence at DePaul. Per The Depaulia, “In describing how racial justice comes into play at [her] ICE accountability project, Lightfoot” told Bury that “it is ‘fundamentally a part of where we are.’”
More from The DePaulia:
In describing how racial justice comes into play at the ICE accountability project, Lightfoot said it is “fundamentally a part of where we are.” McCray insisted on focusing on racial justice instead of broader social justice at the institute because of how certain groups are marginalized and negatively impacted by biases.“If there are actions that are happening that are about social change or about people of color or marginalized communities, we also have a responsibility to cover that as well, even if the counterargument is the authorities,” McCray said.Both the Report ICE Now project and the Institute for Journalism and Racial Justice rely heavily on community engagement.On the new platform, users can submit reports and footage of interactions with ICE on the Report ICE Now website. The information undergoes a verification process that includes cross-referencing with other reports, a two-level assessment by a review team and the use of an AI tool to evaluate the authenticity of video and audio information. There are currently 11 incidents available to view online.
The Left acts as if ICE was created by the Trump administration. They had little to no objections about the agency when Obama was directing it and carrying out deportations.
It makes their arguments now look partisan and weak.
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