Steve Cortes, president of the League of American Workers, said on X that Politico misrepresented the killing of a Ukrainian refugee in North Carolina by downplaying the crime and shifting focus away from the perpetrator and the victim.
“She wasn’t “dragged into politics,” she was brutally murdered,” said Cortes. “Also, why a pic of Pres Trump and not the perp and/or victim? Perhaps a convict black killer and pretty white female victim doesn’t fit the narrative, Politico?”
Media coverage of violent crime often exceeds its actual frequency and fuels political narratives about safety. According to the Pew Research Center, about one-third of Americans report seeing local news about violent crime at least weekly, even though violent crimes occur less often than property crimes. This creates a perception gap that can heighten fear and partisanship in policy debates.
Violent crime rates in the U.S. have shown stability in recent years with some demographic variation. The Bureau of Justice Statistics’ 2023 National Crime Victimization Survey indicates that the violent victimization rate was 22.5 per 1,000 people aged 12 or older, nearly unchanged from 2022. Male victimization excluding simple assault declined from 9.5 to 6.9 per 1,000, providing context often missing from headlines.
Studies highlight how media framing of crime reflects racial disparities. A report by Color of Change and USC Annenberg titled “Normalizing Injustice” states that crime television shows often underrepresent Black victims, overrepresent white officers, and downplay systemic bias, reinforcing distorted public perceptions of violence, race, and the justice system.
Cortes is a conservative commentator, former Trump campaign adviser, and leader of the League of American Workers. According to Wikipedia, he has appeared on CNBC, CNN, Fox News, and Newsmax where he promotes “America First” positions on immigration, labor, and trade. He has been a prominent Hispanic outreach figure within Republican politics.
The League of American Workers is a conservative advocacy group founded by Cortes to advance “patriotic populism.” According to the organization’s website, its mission is to push for higher wages, fairer trade, and stricter immigration enforcement using research and media strategies to shape national debates over labor and immigration.
