The following was a letter Committeeman T.J. Brown wrote to the Journal & Topics following news coverage the week of Sept. 8.

Sept. 9:  ICE Uses Glenbrook Grad Killed In DUI As Face Of ‘Operation Midway Blitz’
Sept 10:  Conservative Activist Who Grew Up In Area Shot, Killed At Campus Event In Utah

Dear Tom,

I have respected your work and valued our cordial relationship. However, I am beyond frustrated and disappointed by the Journal & Topics coverage of two stories this week. In both cases, your reporting omitted critical perspectives that were readily available, and the result was coverage that came across as unbalanced, misleading, and dismissive of large portions of our community.

First, on the DHS decision to dedicate Operation Midway Blitz to the memory of Katie Abraham. Katie’s tragic death at the hands of a drunk driver who was in this country illegally is a wound still raw in our community. Yet your article relied almost entirely on far-left activists like Cathy Wilson and Davis Borris, giving them ample space to frame the DHS action as “political exploitation.” Not one voice from the other side was included, not even Katie’s father, Joe Abraham.

Joe has been speaking publicly for months. A simple search would have shown that he consented to DHS using his daughter’s name, and just this week he was featured on the Channel 7 news after the Bears game. He has told me directly that he was angry (his word, not mine) at the way your story portrayed his daughter’s memory as something cynically “used” by DHS. Instead of capturing the reality of the Abraham family’s wishes, your piece amplified the voices of activists who had no connection to Katie and ignored the voice of the man who lost his daughter. That is not fair nor accurate reporting.

Beyond Joe, there are relatively recent local stories that highlight why immigration enforcement resonates so strongly here. The Sunset Ridge Middle School custodian who placed a hidden camera in a girls’ bathroom in 2020 had been arrested previously with multiple fraudulent permanent resident IDs. Still, he was never referred to federal authorities and he was able to get a job at the Northfield school. Then there was the murder at the Michael Todd apartments in which at least one perpetrator was here illegally. These are not abstract political talking points; they are local tragedies tied directly to failures of enforcement. Your article failed to even nod toward that reality. Instead, it left readers with the impression that Glenview and its surrounding communities reject immigration enforcement outright. That is simply not true.

Second, I was equally troubled by your coverage of the senseless assassination of Charlie Kirk. Charlie grew up here. Many local Republicans knew him as a teenager and encouraged him as he built Turning Point USA into a national movement. People like Dan Patlak, Kathy Penner, Ken Jochum, Char Foss-Eggemann, Aaron Del Mar, Joe Folisi, Peter Christos, Mark Kirk, Bob Dold, Gary Rabine, Richard Porter, and many others were part of his journey. Yet your article did not quote a single local Republican voice. Instead, it featured comments from Democrat Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi and Wheeling Democratic Committeeman Mark Walker.

Charlie’s killing was very personal to many in this community. Failing to include even one local Republican who knew him (and they are not hard to find) left readers with the false impression that Charlie’s ties to his hometown were weak or irrelevant, when in fact they were profound. Your choice to highlight Democrats while excluding the Republicans who knew Charlie personally suggests either an intentional omission or a troubling lack of effort to seek balance.

Tom, I spent many years as a professional journalist. I know the pressures: long hours, tight deadlines, limited resources, the need to become an “instant expert” on complicated issues. But I also know that balance and accuracy are critical. When you exclude the very voices at the heart of a story: Katie’s father, Republicans who knew Charlie, you are not just missing a detail, you are missing the story itself.

It is a difficult time for Republicans in Illinois. Beyond our party's intramural fights, we have a sitting Governor who openly says that “Republicans cannot know a moment of peace." Your paper’s omission of conservative voices only deepens the perception that the local press is not interested in representing us fairly. That is corrosive to trust, and it is damaging to the credibility of the Journal & Topics.

I urge you, in the strongest possible terms, to take this to heart. Local journalism is important because it can reflect all sides of the community. When controversies arise and tragedies strike, whether it's immigration, a village tax measure, Katie Abraham’s death or Charlie Kirk’s murder, it is your responsibility to include the voices most directly affected, not to substitute them with partisan activists or distant politicians. I remain deeply disappointed in how these stories were covered, but I hope this letter makes clear why and what can be done to correct the course going forward.

Sincerely,

T.J. Brown
Committeeman