Shortly after the shooting of Antwon Rose II by Officer Michael Rosfeld in East Pittsburgh in 2018, Jon Delano, through his role with KDKA, claimed without evidence that Antwon Rose II had fired the gun in the drive-by preceding the traffic stop that led to his death. This was quickly proven to be false and was among reports condemned by the Allegheny County DA's Office as "irresponsible". We are unaware of any apology or responsibility taken by Mr. Delano regarding his role in spreading misinformation in the situation and since have seen him issue statements critical of protests in support of Antwon Rose II, most recently in a high-profile exchange with Rep. Summer Lee. Mr. Delano has had a history of making statements that, at best, can be described as racially insensitive, most notably in the sharing of a meme of Trayvon Martin saying he would've played the "knock out game", a situation in which he claimed as a journalist he was trying to spark a discussion as to whether the meme was racist. As a prominent media figure in the region with a corresponding influence on public discourse, Mr. Delano should be held to a higher journalistic standard.
Based on Mr. Delano's record as a journalist, it is our firm belief that he should not be teaching as a faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University at Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, let alone be teaching a class titled "Media and Public Policy". If Carnegie Mellon wants to truly embody the principles of inclusivity that it espouses, we expect the institution to take appropriate measures in regards to ending Mr.Delano's employment with the University.
