Luigi Mangione’s supporters are back in court – this time with press credentials

On Monday morning, a judge overseeing the New York state case heard the case UnitedHealthcare CEO killed It ruled that some of the evidence collected by the police He cannot appear before the jury.

This wasn’t the only news to come out of the hearing. Outside the courtroom, Molly Crane Newman, A New York Daily News reporter, Captured on video Many of those present made incendiary statements to the press. One attendee, Lena Weisbrot, said the children of Brian Thompson, who was shot dead in December 2024, were “better off without him” and that they “need to learn not to be like their father.” The other attendee who They knew themselves Only when Ashley interjects, “I’m standing at work. Fuck Brian Thompson. I don’t care that he’s dead.” They went on to discuss the for-profit health care industry in the United States and people who died without necessary medical care.

This would normally be a minor tabloid story, similar to previous coverage of Luigi Mangione, the man accused of Thompson’s murder. I saw – and interviewed – the attendees involved In previous sessions while covering the case. They, like other Mangione supporters, have become regulars at the courthouse in lower Manhattan. But this time the comments produced a different kind of news cycle: This small group of attendees had press credentials dangling from their necks.

Local reporters criticized the fact that the city appeared to distribute press passes to the three fans, who operate social media accounts under the moniker “The Mangionistas.” Former New York City Mayor Eric Adams Describe them As “reporters” they accused the current administration of being “reckless” in how they accredit journalists.

Pass the press issued by the city requires Applicants must submit six examples of field reports, which can include traditional formats such as a written story or radio broadcast – but the application leaves room for more non-traditional formats as well. The city defines a member of the press as someone who “gathers and reports news, by publishing, broadcasting, or broadcasting articles, commentaries, books, photographs, video, film, or audio via electronic, print, or digital media, such as radio, television, newspapers, magazines, wire, books, and the Internet.” What separates a reporter from someone who witnessed something and reported on it? Is the Substack article on par with the reported story? How do you ask a reporter to separate their personal opinions or feelings from the story they are covering? (I would argue that this is almost impossible.) It’s a definitional quagmire that could impact news gathering beyond the Mangione case and lead to the closure of small outlets or independent journalists.

At the same time, there are practical reasons why the city might need to be more stringent in its adoption. A press pass is required to cross police and fire lines and attend city-sponsored press events. Even before the Mangionesta concert, some local reporters did just that Raised concerns On the city’s credentialing practices: A local right-wing anti-vaccine political candidate known as “Sperminator” managed to get a press pass at some point during the Adams administration. the New York Post I mentioned The city prevented him from renewing his credentials in 2025 after he was accused of impersonating a journalist. If everyone could theoretically become “media,” then credentials would be useless.

By the end of the day, New York Times I mentioned The administration of Mayor Zahran Mamdani is reviewing the press accreditation process, and Tuesday Mamdani said the three Manguyistas should not have been issued press passes to begin with. (Reached via email, Mangionistas declined to comment.) The city council noted Edge In response to Mamdani’s comments earlier in the week, in which he said the three fans were “not part of (the discussion)” about who should be able to get a press pass. Weissbrot appears to have begun posting messages from Mangione’s September court hearings on a blog called Bicoastal winalthough her direct involvement in Mangione’s organization has not been revealed; Message to the author Bicoastal win Email address not returned.

“These individuals do not represent the views of Luigi, nor do the tens of thousands who have shown their support from around the world,” Mangione’s attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said in an email. “The only people who speak for Luigi are his lawyers. We condemn these vile and irresponsible statements that have no place in the discourse on these issues.”

The incident is strange on several levels. On the one hand, it has become increasingly difficult to clearly distinguish between journalist, influencer, flyer, fan, and activist. Who gets to decide what is and is not reported, and who might be denied access if stricter rules are put in place? The situation also reveals the fault lines within Luigi Mangione’s larger world, and the chaos inherent in having a famous person stand trial for murder.

This situation may be an emergency, but the questions it raises intersect with broader changes in the information ecosystem and evolving media consumption habits. Some of this comes from the way people consume news: through vertical video, Through clipsor through “News influencers“Who do not do their own reporting but instead summarize or respond to the news. Institutions and those in power have also grown closer to figures who He does Delivering news and information to their audiences, despite their lack of journalistic standards or accuracy: Donald Trump and his administration used content from influencers aligned with MAGA Justification for carrying out immigration raids. Influencers get Exclusive White House briefings. Mamdani has too Host only impactful events And press conferences where creators can interact with him and create content. It’s probably reasonable to expect a basic level of decency from everyone, whether they hold press passes or not — but if the Mangionistas hadn’t made those statements this week, would it still be a problem that they, as a kind of influential Mangione group, had been given credentials? Suddenly the mayor’s office finds itself having to determine what opinions or viewpoints are acceptable to members of this undefined press. Also, canceling a press pass is not that easy requires Hearing with the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings.

It’s appropriate to debate whether Mangione’s fans should have press credentials — his case is about controlling the narrative. From the beginning, it was Thompson’s murder It wasn’t so much about the individuals involved as what they represented: The health insurance industry in the United States versus everyone else. Mangione’s supporters have long expressed frustration with the way the “media” writes about them (they usually point to the more sensationalized coverage describing them as… ghoulish and Idiot). Many of Mangione’s supporters insist they do not condone this specific violence, and are instead using the case to advocate for health care reform and a fair trial for the accused.

But there are also tensions within the broader community of people who follow the case closely. When I spoke with supporters in December outside the courthouse, some complained about other attendees — those who appeared dressed “like they were going to Comic-Con,” or those who seemed more interested in the spotlight. The discomfort stems from the belief that it makes all supporters look bad, and it also takes the focus away from the man who is actually on trial. (Me too He spoke with Weissbrot that day; I attended many of the pretrial hearings in New York v. Mangione.)

In fact, some of the loudest condemnations of Mangionesta statements came from within Mangione’s support network. People Over Profit NYC, a health care reform group that has become a mainstay outside the courtroom, Issue a statement Condemning the comments. Some of Mangione’s supporters questioned whether his legal team could bar Mangione’s family from court, or whether Mangione could obtain restraining orders against them. Others accused the three women of deliberately sabotaging Mangione by saying extremely controversial things to stir up negative public opinion. It speaks to the broader challenge of how to talk about this issue: If you ask supporters, Mangione is a combination of a folk hero, a symbol of the failure of the US health care system, an innocent man, and someone who is literally guilty. But it should not be according to legal standards.

Threading that needle is impossible in a state where public engagement has been a hallmark of its notoriety. Supporters have sent more than $1.5 million to Mangione’s Legal Defense Fund. He was reportedly inundated with letters in prison. The upcoming jury selection will be a spectacle, and potential jurors are sure to be asked if they’ve shared some Luigi memes in the past year and a half. That’s the problem with being the Internet’s favorite defendant, with support so intense that it becomes a recurring feature on Fox News or… Daily Mail cliche. Eventually someone will put their foot in their mouth and you will have to answer for them.