New Report: Obscuring the Truth
Today, we are excited to release a new report outlining how opponents of pretrial justice reforms in Illinois have weaponized misinformation and spread fear among Illinoisans about the end of money bond. The report includes recommendations to anyone reporting on the pretrial legal system, knowing that opponents will attempt to manipulate data and outright lie about proposed reforms.
Read the Executive Summary
Misinformation about pretrial justice reform in Illinois began spreading in 2017 when General Order 18.8a was put into place requiring judges to set money bail at a rate that was affordable to accused people and their families and they continued when changes were made to electronic monitoring by the Pretrial Fairness Act. Lies perpetuated by public officials, including Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, have only intensified since the passing of the Pretrial Fairness Act, with conservative billionaires using Willie Horton style tactics to spread fear.
To control the spread of misinformation, the report highlights the following recommendations for anyone covering pretrial justice, or public safety more broadly:
- Get background information on how the pretrial legal system has traditionally functioned and how reforms are intended to impact the system.
- Review case information before publishing details about cases, especially when a case is being invoked by a public official as “proof” of something.
- Diversify sources so that the community perspective is represented, and stories about opposition to reform also represent input from reformers. Too often stories that introduce the public to reforms tend to ensure that the perspective of opponents is included, whereas stories about challenges to reform simply explain the reforms in lieu of including reformers’ perspectives on the attacks.
- Consult experts to verify the validity of attacks on reforms or data being cited before amplifying it. Be it legal experts with knowledge of the legislation or academic researchers–consulting experts will help slow the spread of misinformation.
