Though entirely predictable, one of the most maddening things surrounding the brutal murder of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on the Charlotte light rail system has been the corporate media's belated coverage of the crime.
As we've discussed here, the murder happened on Friday night, August 22nd, shortly before 10 pm, after Zarutska had gotten off her shift at Zepeddie's Pizzeria on Nation's Crossing Road and was headed home. Obviously, it would be a story of interest to residents, considering the numerous past crimes that have occurred on the transit system, as well as persistent complaints from riders about feeling fearful on the train (and the buses).
In the days immediately after her death, local media outlets were all over it, uncovering more about the suspect, 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr. We learned he was homeless, had mental health issues and multiple run-ins with the law, and was a repeat violent offender who had been in and out of jail.
As those details emerged, RedState was one of the few sites covering it - and the unacceptable responses of "city leaders" - early on.
The only reason the national media took interest in it was when CATS (the Charlotte Area Transit System) released a video last Friday showing what happened. Predictably, they ran with a "Republicans pounce and seize" angle while simultaneously trying to cover for the Democrat politicians, including NC Senate candidate and former Gov. Roy Cooper, who are rightly being blamed for enabling this horrifying and preventable scenario to play out.
As happened after then-President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race, and also after the books that have come out in 2025 about the cover-up, a media reckoning of sorts has commenced related to media outlets that have had to be dragged into covering the story because the victim and alleged perpetrator didn't fit their (political) criteria for amplification.
Fox News national correspondent Bill Melugin was one who ripped into the press for flooding the zone, for example, in their 24-7 fawning coverage of illegal immigrant, suspected MS-13 gang member, and accused domestic abuser Kilmar Abrego Garcia, while having to be goaded into reporting on Zarutska's murder:
"Where are the press conferences for this young Ukrainian woman? It's been CRICKETS."
[...]
"Look how much coverage Kilmar Abrego Garcia got! How many press conferences were there for him? How many people flew to El Salvador to visit him?"
[...]
"The media had to be GOADED into covering it once the video came out."
Watch:
🚨 BREAKING: Bill Melugin just NUKED the Democrat Party and media for wall-to-wall support of MS-13 alien Kilmar Garcia, yet IGNORING Iryna Zarutska 🫳🎤
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 9, 2025
"Where are the press conferences for this young Ukrainian woman? It's been CRICKETS."
"Look how much coverage Kilmar Abrego… pic.twitter.com/H5dAzLXktt
His colleague, anchor Trace Gallagher, was another, shredding CNN media figures for their biased "murders happen every day" takes on the push for more coverage of the crime:
Erin Burnett says ‘Trump is now seizing on the video of Zerutska’s murder.’ But shouldn’t somebody seize on it? Shouldn’t somebody seek a solution? Shouldn’t somebody point out the accused killer was arrested 14 times, walked free 14 times, was diagnosed with mental illness while walking free 14 times?
Another CNN anchor, Abby Phillip, says ‘People are murdered every single day. I’m trying to understand why this has become such a flashpoint on the right.’ Is she saying murders are so dime-a-dozen that it doesn’t warrant coverage?
Or is it this murder that doesn’t warrant coverage? Because if somebody tried to stop this killer, CNN would have demanded a trial and covered it gavel to gavel.
Watch:
🚨 WATCH: Fox News’ Trace Gallagher slams CNN anchors:
— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) September 10, 2025
“Erin Burnett says ‘Trump is now seizing on the video of Zerutska’s murder.’ But shouldn’t somebody seize on it? Shouldn’t somebody seek a solution? Shouldn’t somebody point out the accused killer was arrested 14 times,… pic.twitter.com/9ZpqsjXzVt
These guys are 100 percent spot on, and it's good to see them and others in the profession calling out bad-faith actors in the MSM for cynically and callously deciding whether a story of this nature is worthy of bare minimum (much less extensive) coverage based primarily on whose "team" they think it benefits the most.
A lot of times in these instances, news outlets that face this type of criticism default to "it's just a local story," while leaving out the fact that Big Media has no issues whatsoever covering a "local story" and promptly, if it fits into a woke narrative they're trying to spin, which we saw in the Jordan Neely case.
Though many in the press will never learn, it's still important to highlight their dereliction for the record. That said, some, it would seem, are slowly catching on as to why these things should be given more sunlight even when it shines unflatteringly on their chosen political party, like POLITICO's Rachael Bade:
The full video of Iryna Zarutska's murder is so difficult to watch -- how does this happen in this country? How? This should never happen to anyone.
— Rachael Bade (@rachaelmbade) September 9, 2025
I hate to bring politics into this -- but this video could be a game-changer for a lot of Americans when it comes to perceptions…
You're really close to figuring it out, Rachael, really close, so here's another clue: The first step starts with listening to your critics instead of lecturing.
Editor's Note: President Trump isn't going to allow lawlessness to reign in America. We will not have a repeat of 2020's "Summer of Love."
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