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

On Monday morning, the judge in charge of the New York case on the assassination of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare ruled that some evidence taken by the police could not be shown to the jury.

It was not the only news that came out of the ears. Outside the courtroom, Molly Crane-Newman, a New York Daily News reporter, recorded on video A number of attendees are making statements criticizing the media. One of the attendees, Lena Weissbrot, said the children of Brian Thompson, who was shot and killed in December 2024, “were better off without him” and that they “need to learn not to be like their father.” Another attendee who they identified themselves As Ashley put it, “I stand for business. Fuck Brian Thompson. I’m not ashamed that he’s dead.” He went on to discuss the US medical industry and people dying without the necessary medical care.

Usually this would be a small news story, along the lines of previous stories about Luigi Mangione, who is accused of murdering Thompson. I saw – and asked – the attendees in question in previous hearings to explain the case. They, like some of Mangione’s supporters, have become regulars at the courthouse in lower Manhattan. But this time the comments brought a different kind of story: These few attendees had documents hanging around their necks.

Local media criticized the city’s issuance of licenses to the three followers, who run social media accounts under the moniker “The Mangionistas.” Former New York City Mayor Eric Adams he explained as “journalists” and criticize the current administration for being “reckless” in the way they accept journalists.

City-provided printers pass through they want Applicants must submit six examples of ground-breaking reports, which may include traditional forms such as a written or broadcast report – but the task also leaves open the possibility of other forms as well. The city says that a journalist is a person who “gathers and reports, by publishing, broadcasting, or broadcasting news, reviews, books, photos, videos, films, or audio using modern media such as radio, television, newspapers, magazines, wires, books, and the Internet.” What is the difference between a journalist and a person who saw something and wrote a story? Is the Substack story on par with the reported story? How do you want a reporter to distract their thoughts or feelings from the story they are writing? (I’d say that’s unlikely.) It’s a well-known mudslinger that will affect news gathering beyond the Mangione case and shut out the outlet or independent press.

At the same time, there are good reasons why the city would want to remain steadfast in its certification. A press pass is required to cross police and fire stations and attend city-sponsored press events. Even before the Mangionistas, some local journalists said he raised concerns about the city’s legal system: A right-wing anti-vax politician known as the “Sperminator” was able to access the media at some point during the Adams administration. The New York Post report that the city prevented him from renewing his licenses in 2025 after accusing him of being a journalist. If anyone can be “media,” verification becomes irrelevant.

At the end of the day, The New York Times report that the administration of Mayor Zohran Mamdani was reviewing the press confirmation process, and the second Mamdani said the three Mangionistas should not have been given press licenses in the first place. (Reached by email, the Mangionistas declined to comment.) City Hall pointed out Seaside to Mamdani’s comments earlier in the week, where he said the three fans “will not fall into the conflict” over who should receive a press pass. Mr. Weissbrot appears to have begun publishing excerpts from Mangione’s trial in September on a blog Bicoastal Beatalthough it is not revealed that he is involved in the Mangione plot; message to the author Bicoastal Beat The email address was not returned.

“These people do not represent Luigi’s views, or the thousands who have shown support around the world,” Karen Friedman Agnifilo, Mangione’s attorney, said in an email. “The only people who represent Luigi are his representatives.

The event is remarkable on several levels. First, it has become very difficult to distinguish between a journalist, an influencer, a fly, a philanthropist, and an activist. Who gets to decide what is and what isn’t said, and who will be denied access if strict laws are put in place? This also shows the flaws in the larger universe of Luigi Mangione, and the difficulties involved in creating a celebrity from a man accused of murder.

This can be very difficult, but the questions it raises involve major changes in natural resources and changes in food systems. Some of this comes from the way people consume news: through static video, through picturesor through “news promoters” who do not make their own reports but only summarize or respond to issues.” Organizations and people who have authority have also joined the people who to do provide news and information to their audience, even if they do not have journalistic principles or maturity: Donald Trump and his administration have used the information that comes from those who are affiliated with MAGA such as reasons for committing crimes against immigrants. Influencers are getting it special White House interview. Enemies too interesting events only and press conferences where producers can interact with him and create content. Perhaps it is reasonable to expect jewelry from everyone, licensed or not – but if the Mangionistas had not said this this week, would it have been a problem that they, like the Mangione group, received credit? All of a sudden the mayor’s office will find itself having to monitor opinions or views that are acceptable to members of the media without regard. Returning a press pass is also not easy – it they want consultation with the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings.

It’s fair to say we’re debating whether Mangione fans should get press coverage — his entire story is about media manipulation. From the beginning, Thompson’s execution was less about the people involved than what they represented: the US health insurance industry against everyone else. Mangione’s fans have been expressing frustration with the way the “media” has written about him (often based on the most sensational stories that mention him. ghoulish and loony). Many of Mangione’s supporters are determined not to condone the actual violence, and instead use the case to advocate for health reform and justice.

But there is also controversy among many people who follow the story closely. When I spoke to supporters in December outside the courthouse, some complained about some of the attendees — those who appeared dressed “like they were going to Comic-Con,” or who seemed overly concerned with appearance. The outrage comes from the belief that all of this makes all of their supporters look bad and takes away from the person being prosecuted. (Me too spoke to Weissbrot that day; (he attended many of the trials against Mangione in New York.)

Indeed, some of the strongest criticism of the Mangionistas’ claims has come from within Mangione’s support group. People Over Profit NYC, a health care reform group that has gained significant traction outside of court, issued a statement to challenge the comments. Some of Mangione’s supporters wondered if his legal team could hold off the Mangionistas in court, or if Mangione could get restraining orders against them. Some have accused the three women of deliberately undermining Mangione by saying things that are too controversial to make people feel bad. It speaks to the central problem of how to talk about this case: If you ask the supporters, Mangione is another group of heroes, a symbol of US health care failures, an innocent person, and a person who is actually guilty. but it doesn’t have to be legal.

Threading that needle is impossible if public participation has been a hallmark of his history. Supporters have sent more than $1.5 million to Mangione’s legal defense fund; he is said to be inundated with letters in prison. The selection of the upcoming judges will also be interesting, and the candidates will be asked if they have shared a Luigi meme in the last year and a half. That’s the problem with being a popular critic on the Internet, having support that’s as consistent as Fox News or the like Daily Mail cliche. Eventually someone will put their foot in their mouth and you will have to answer.