A rally in Ithaca, New York, billed as a show of support for “Jane Doe” — the former Cornell University student whose rape allegations against former fraternity men have become a flashpoint in an ongoing national argument — drew fresh condemnation this week from The Daily Wire, which characterized the event as evidence that the political left is doubling down on what it calls “Woke 2.”
According to The Daily Wire’s account, the rally took place under the banner “Justice for Jane Doe” and drew a crowd that the outlet described in scathing terms. The piece frames the gathering less as a serious protest than as a theatrical outlet for participants’ grievances, accusing attendees of seeking community and an “excuse to be violent.”
The controversy centers on allegations first brought by a former Cornell student against former members of a Cornell fraternity. The Daily Wire cites reporting by journalist Michael Tracey, who identified the accuser and who, according to the outlet, was present at or near the Ithaca rally. The Daily Wire claims Tracey was called a rapist, told to kill himself, and ultimately escorted out by police before he could approach the rally site.
What Tracey Reported and What the Daily Wire Alleges
At the heart of the dispute is a contest over the factual record. The Daily Wire asserts that, in 2024, the woman at the center of the case admitted to consenting to sexual encounters with the men involved, that she described controlling what happened in the fraternity rooms, and that she told the men it was “their bodies, their choice.” The outlet further claims she wanted to return to the fraternity for a Halloween party and was upset when she learned she had been uninvited.
These claims are presented by The Daily Wire as established facts that undermine the rape allegations. They are, however, contested, and the outlet’s framing presents one side of a dispute that has not been settled by any court or independent investigation described in the source material. The article does not cite a formal legal outcome, and the allegations against the fraternity men remain just that — allegations that the men have not been reported as being convicted of.
The Daily Wire leans heavily on the consent claims, arguing that the case “is not evidence of rape,” and criticizes protesters for ignoring what it describes as the woman’s own prior statements. It accuses rally attendees of caring less about the factual record than about wearing matching “I Am Jane Doe” T-shirts, finding community, and staging what it calls a performance against “the patriarchy.”
A Broader Cultural Argument
Beyond the Ithaca event, The Daily Wire uses the rally as a launchpad for a broader cultural and political argument about young liberals, particularly young women. The outlet claims that liberals, especially younger women, are more likely to excuse political violence, endorse restrictions on speech, and receive mental health diagnoses, while being less likely to marry or report happiness. Those characterizations are presented as assertions rather than documented findings, and the piece does not cite specific studies for them.
The Daily Wire’s article also singles out podcast host Alex Cooper of “Call Her Daddy,” claiming she recently hosted Cornell professor Kate Manne to discuss fraternity culture, rape culture, and the #MeToo movement. The outlet criticizes Cooper, describing her rise to fame as built on promoting casual sex and promiscuity while now expressing puzzlement about the cultural consequences. The piece references a 2019 episode in which, according to The Daily Wire, Cooper laughed about and promoted a threesome involving a friend — an episode the outlet presents as evidence of inconsistency given her later commentary on consent and rape culture.
The Daily Wire does not provide direct quotes from Cooper’s podcast or from Manne in the source material, relying instead on its own paraphrase and characterization of their remarks. The outlet also does not present any response from Cooper, Manne, Tracey’s critics, or rally organizers to its claims.
A Punitive Philosophy, and a Parting Shot
The article ends with a statement of the author’s view on criminal justice: that rapists should be severely punished — the author writes that they should be “castrated,” prosecuted, and imprisoned for a long time — but that the definition of a crime should not be stretched for political convenience. The Daily Wire argues that society has lost its bearings when, in its view, people call for the death of young men who committed no crime while ignoring cases of convicted undocumented immigrant rapists released back onto the streets.
The Daily Wire closes with a wry postscript noting that the outlet will likely produce a movie mocking the people involved in these protests, describing that as what the outlet does and calling itself “awesome.”
The Ithaca rally and the underlying allegations have become part of a wider dispute over how sexual assault claims are adjudicated in public, how consent is defined and revisited, and how much weight should be given to an accuser’s prior statements. The Daily Wire’s account is one strongly argued entry in that dispute, advancing a conservative critique of progressive activism and campus culture. It is not a neutral account of the rally, and readers seeking a full picture would need to consult the underlying reporting by Michael Tracey, statements from the woman at the center of the allegations, and any legal filings or outcomes in the case, none of which are reproduced in the source article.
What is clear from The Daily Wire’s telling is that the outlet views the Ithaca event not as an isolated episode but as a sign of what it calls a doubling down — a moment when, in its framing, the left chose performance and rage over the factual record it says the case demands.
Source: www.dailywire.com — https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-the-unhinged-left-just-doubled-down-on-woke