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A Georgetown adjunct and NPR reporter, Jonathan Franklin, was exposed this week in an undercover sting by James O’Keefe after he unleashed a string of vile racial slurs and then bolted when his words were caught on camera. The footage shows a man entrusted with teaching the next generation of journalists openly denigrating Black conservatives and mocking his colleagues, then rushing away the moment his mask was removed.
Franklin’s own faculty profile and professional bios make clear he is no fringe figure — he’s listed as an adjunct instructor at Georgetown’s journalism program and has worked as a multiplatform reporter covering race and culture for NPR. That makes this episode more than an embarrassing moment; it’s a betrayal of the trust students and the public place in anyone charged with teaching ethics, sourcing, and fair-minded reporting.
The undercover recording features Franklin using the slur “coon” to describe prominent Black conservatives, naming figures like Clarence Thomas and Candace Owens, and even declaring he “works with stupid white people.” Those aren’t private thoughts whispered in a dark corner — they are explosive, public statements by someone who literally promises to teach how to interview sources and assess credibility.
When O’Keefe revealed his identity the scene spiraled: Franklin fled the restaurant, at one point attempting to confront or strike a cameraman and ultimately stumbling on the sidewalk as he ran. The footage is damning not only for the language used but for the frantic, guilty behavior when confronted — the classic reaction of someone who knows they’ve been exposed.
On top of the slurs and the flight, reports say Franklin also exaggerated his résumé by claiming national correspondent status at CBS, even as Georgetown lists him teaching a course on sourcing and interview technique in the coming term. If true, that combination of dishonesty and naked bias disqualifies him from a classroom where impartiality and truth matter.
Conservatives should be blunt: racism is unacceptable no matter who utters it, and the left’s usual defenses must not be allowed to cover this up. Too often universities protect their own ideology while pretending to champion diversity and ethics; when an instructor shows contempt for half the country and for the craft of journalism itself, there must be consequences.
This scandal is also a reminder of media double standards. Mainstream outlets that celebrate woke moralizing should be the loudest in condemning a journalist-educator caught using slurs and lying about his credentials, but instead we see selective outrage depending on the politics of the offender and the victims.
Georgetown owes its students and alumni a full accounting, and the journalism community should demand swift disciplinary action and transparency. Hardworking Americans who pay tuition and rely on honest reporting deserve institutions that teach integrity rather than tolerate it being shredded behind closed doors.
