New York Times complains Florida governor ignores hostile mainstream media

The New York Times Tuesday complained that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is not paying enough attention to mainstream media outlets who have treated him with outward hostility. 

In an article titled, “Can Ron DeSantis Avoid Meeting the Press?,” the Times accused DeSantis of being “partisan” for not engaging with mainstream media outlets. 

“The Florida governor easily won re-election despite little engagement with mainstream news outlets, another sign of partisan division ahead of the 2024 presidential race” read the subheading. 

The Times then proceeded to praise President Donald Trump, calling Trump’s Mar-a-Lago house “a friendlier environment” than a Ron DeSantis press conference and applauding Trump for asking reporters how the sandwiches were and “taking 20 questions”. 

However, the Times did not explain what reasons DeSantis might have to snub mainstream news outlets. 

In 2020 mainstream news outlets trotted out “whistleblower” Rebekah Jones, a former Florida Health Department employee who claimed the DeSantis administration had fired her for refusing to manipulate COVID-19 data. CBS, NBC, MSNBC, CNN, NPR, Time Magazine, Miami Herald, The Guardian, The Daily Beast and others all covered the story aggressively. 

But in June 2022 Florida’s Inspector General’s Office confirmed in a report that no COVID data had been manipulated and that Jones had in fact been terminated for insubordination. 

Not to be deterred, the Miami Herald claimed charges against Jones were dropped after she admitted guilt, though it will take a $20,000 fine, therapy attendance and two years for the charges to be dropped. 

In April 2021 a CBS reporter tried to corner DeSantis at a press conference on Florida’s COVID-19 response by accusing the governor of using grocery store chain Publix, which contained pharmacies, to distribute vaccines. The scandal CBS was hoping for hinged on the fact that Publix had once donated $100,000 to DeSantis’ campaign and therefore received preferential treatment from the governor. 

But DeSantis headed off the reporter by explaining that Publix was in fact one of the last pharmacies used for vaccine distribution, and it was part of a larger strategy to expand distribution points. 

CBS, now short one DeSantis scandal, decided to create one. The media outlet aired the exchange on 60 Minutes and simply edited out the governor’s explanation. 

In August 2021 the Associated Press boasted it had gotten DeSantis spokeswoman Christina Pushaw suspended from Twitter for criticizing an AP journalist. 

Last month, Semafor complained that DeSantis declined an interview with The View, whose co-host Joy Behar mocked him for looking like he was “having a stroke” during the gubernatorial debate and whose co-host Ana Navarro taunted him for accepting federal relief funds for Hurricane Ian victims. 

Last week, Vanity Fair published an article titled, “A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO WHY A RON DESANTIS PRESIDENCY WOULD BE AS TERRIFYING AS A TRUMP ONE.” The piece waxed hysterical over DeSantis’ response to COVID-19, which did not include mandates — a sin for which DeSantis remains unforgiven.