Stop the press passes.<\/p>\n
A baffling decision by City Hall media officials to give three murder-minded Luigi Mangione fangirls<\/a> press passes drew wide condemnation Monday.<\/p>\n Exactly how the self-proclaimed \u201cMangionistas\u201d were granted their city credentials was unclear, but critics blamed a reform shepherded under former Mayor Bill de Blasio that relaxed rules for handing out press credentials.<\/p>\n Three self-proclaimed Mangionistas who spouted calls for violence received official city press passes. Lone Pine Press for NY Post<\/p>\n \u201cThis is America \u2014 people have the freedom to say or write whatever awful, bats\u2013t crazy things they want. But these deranged homicide-fan girls should never be allowed access to courtrooms or official press events with the imprimatur of the City of New York,\u201d said David Carr (R-Staten Island), the City Council\u2019s minority leader.<\/p>\n \u201cThey aren\u2019t reporters \u2014 they\u2019re ghouls.\u201d<\/p>\n New York City press credentials \u2014 which help journalists cross police and fire lines, as well as attend certain government-sponsored events \u2014 had been long issued by the NYPD.<\/p>\n But the responsibility was stripped from the NYPD after 2020\u2019s protests over the murder of George Floyd, during which cops arrested several journalists.<\/p>\n De Blasio backed a 2021 bill pushed by former city councilman and current state Assemblyman Keith Powers (D-Manhattan) that gave the Mayor\u2019s Office of Media and Entertainment the duty of issuing press passes.<\/p>\n MOME officials eventually required press pass applicants to submit six or more articles, photos, videos or other media published or broadcast in the past two years. <\/p>\n The applicants\u2019 submissions must also be in-person coverage of events, emergency and otherwise, in which the city set up barriers or restrictions such as police or fire lines. <\/p>\n Luigi Mangione\u2019s case has drawn a slew of twisted fans. Stephen Yang for the NY Post<\/p>\n The vague rules seemingly let posts by \u201cMangionistas\u201d Abril Rios, Ashley Rojas and Lena Weissbrot about attending court hearings for UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson\u2019s alleged killer count toward press passes \u2014 issued to them this year by Mayor Zohran Mamdani\u2019s administration.<\/p>\n The decision to award press passes to the Mangionistas was widely criticized.<\/p>\n \u201cThe only difference between Luigi Mangione\u2019s followers and Charlie Manson\u2018s followers are that Manson\u2019s followers weren\u2019t issued a press pass by the city of New York,\u201d one X user snarked.<\/p>\n City Council Speaker Julie Menin, who had previously served as the MOME\u2019s commissioner, called on City Hall to look into significantly reforming the media credentialing process.<\/p>\n \u201cAs journalists and others have rightfully highlighted today, media credentials exist for a reason,\u201d she said. \u201cThe ability of just about anyone to receive them without an appropriate vetting process presents real journalistic, public safety, and logistical concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n Even Powers, who had sponsored the bill to change credentialing rules, criticized giving the fans passes.<\/p>\n The trio\u2019s receipt of press passes drew widespread condemnation. Robert Mecea for New York Post<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a privilege to have a New York City press pass,\u201d he said. \u201cAnyone promoting or condoning violence is clearly not deserving of one \u2014 no matter what agency is issuing the passes.\u201d<\/p>\n At least two other Mangione superfans have obtained press passes. Several of the accused assassin\u2019s supporters also attended court hearings for disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, which would presumably allow them to try to apply for press passes.<\/p>\n Beyond the Mangione superfans, the city has issued passes to a struggling YouTuber<\/a> who jubilantly sprayed baby oil on supporters of depraved music mogul Sean \u201cDiddy\u201d Combs after he was acquitted of sex trafficking charges<\/a>.<\/p>\n