The ‘Mangionistas’: Journalists or cheerleaders for violence? The case putting press accreditation in New York under fire

The December 2024 murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson didn't just shock the country for his calculated execution in the middle of a Midtown Manhattan street. Months later, the case of accused killer Luigi Mangione has spawned a troubling phenomenon: a group of supporters who not only admire him, but publicly justify the murder and have obtained press credentials in New York.

This Monday, during a hearing for Mangione at the Manhattan, three women self-described as "Mangionistas"—Abril Rios, Ashley Rojas and Lena Weissbrot—showed up with city-issued press credentials. Instead of reporting neutrally, they openly celebrated the crime. The New York Post (NYP) reported that Rojas stated nonchalantly, "I’m standing on business, f*** Brian Thompson. I don’t give a flying f*** he died." Weissbrot compared the executive to Osama bin Laden and defended the idea of "heroic violence." Both accused him of "mass social murder."

How press credentials were downgraded in New York

The New York Post revealed that these statements came not from anonymous protesters, but from people carrying official press passes issued by the Mayoral Press Office, under the administration of leftist Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The executive director of that office, Samer Nasser, has been singled out for validating these accreditations.

Historically, the New York Police Department (NYPD) was responsible for granting credentials through a rigorous process. However, Mamdani has maintained the loosening of criteria established during the Bill de Blasio administration, when this responsibility shifted to the mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment.

Today, anyone with a Substack, Instagram or networking presence can apply for the pass if they demonstrate "journalistic activity." Unfortunately, these women met this criteria thanks to their posts in favor of Luigi Mangione, where they present him as some sort of anti-establishment hero. According to The New York Post, Abril Rios, for example, describes herself in her profile as "formerly: child model, actress, and influencer. currently: female rage encourager, abolitionist, and socialist fascism resister weaponizing my masters degree."

The laxity has generated outrage. New York Post columnist Kirsten Fleming argues that these women are not journalists, but Mangione’s "murder cheer squad" who deserve psychiatric evaluation at Bellevue rather than credentials. Their presence does not seek to inform the public, but to legitimize violence and gain media prominence.