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Media headlines August 23
In media today, CBS reporter asks White House staff to show Biden the poll on his job approval drop, Bill Maher and Andrew Sullivan tour newsrooms for gave in to the “awakened mobs” and a CNN panel detonated Biden’s “bizarre” message. on Afghanistan
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis hit back The Associated Press on Monday after the media’s new CEO accused his press secretary of harassing one of his reporters, claiming the PA received a setback deserved for partisan “defamation” that could cost lives.
In a letter to Daisy Veerasingham, DeSantis lambasted the PA for its “recklessness” in complaining about criticism a reporter received last week about her story that suggested a link between the governor’s bragging of a Regeneron’s anti-VOC drug and a political donor’s investment in the company.
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis slammed the Associated Press on Monday.
(Getty Images)
DESANTIS RICH PRESS SECRETARY AFTER ASSOCIATED PRESS ACCUSED HER OF “HARASSMENT” OF JOURNALIST
Last week, Veerasingham wrote to his office accusing DeSantis spokeswoman Christina Pushaw of “harassing behavior” and activating an “online mob” against PA reporter Brendan Farrington over widely commented story titled “DeSantis Top Donor Invests in Promoting Governor’s COVID Drugs.”
DeSantis did not hold back in a remarkable open letter from a politician to a news agency.
“I assumed your letter was to inform me that you are posting a retraction of the partisan defamation that you posted last week,” DeSantis wrote. “Instead, you had the temerity to complain about the deserved flashback that your botched and discredited attempt to concoct a political narrative received. The ploy won’t work to distract from the fact that The Associated Press published a false story that will lead some to refuse effective treatment for COVID infections. ”
The PA’s controversial story seemed to imply DeSantis was promoting Regeneron’s COVID antibody treatment, because a Chicago-based hedge fund that donated to a pro-DeSantis political committee also owns shares in the company.
However, the AP also recognized that the drug is very effective and was also touted by the Biden administration. The article also stated that donor DeSantis’ hedge fund, Citadel, had a smaller stake in Regeneron than BlackRock, which donated more to Democrats, and that Citadel’s investment in Regeneron “represents a tiny fraction of its 39 billion dollars in investments “.
AP STORY ON DESANTIS PROMOTION OF A CRITICALLY EFFECTIVE COVID DRUG AS AN ATTEMPT TO USE
The AP also acknowledged that it was “not unusual for hedge funds to have a wide range of investments,” but released the story with the damaging framework anyway.
DeSantis wrote that the AP had produced “no evidence” that Florida’s efforts were being undertaken for any reason other than helping citizens suffering from the disease.
“While public confidence in companies like the PA is at an all-time low, there is no doubt that some will refuse to seek life-saving treatment because of the PA’s inflammatory title,” he said. writing.
The PA story has been criticized by Pushaw, conservatives and even liberals who disagreed with its framing. Many critics called another sloppy success story and a Florida newspaper editor even tweeted that he was a staunch critic of DeSantis – a possible 2024 GOP White House candidate – but called the story of weak.
The AP has maintained its story despite widespread criticism and accused Pushaw of inciting an online crowd. The letter summed up his story-wrenching tweets that used terms such as “Drag Them” and “set you on fire”, with the AP calling them a direct threat to Farrington.
AN ATTEMPT BY THE MEDIA “HIT JOBS” FRUSTING THE DESANTIS OFFICE, BUT THE SUPPORTERS CALL IT HONOR BADGE
“While we may disagree on the stories, it is unacceptable and dangerous for a public official to encourage systemic intimidation of journalists,” Veerasingham wrote.
DeSantis said the PA should have expected a “vigorous pushback” of the story, and he supported his employees who publicly rejected the article.
“You cannot recklessly smear your political opponents and then expect to be safe from criticism,” he wrote, adding that his credibility had been diminished. “The ‘clicks first, facts later’ approach of corporate media is hurting our country. You’ve managed to post a deceptive, click-trap headline on one of your political opponents, but at the expense of dissuading those infected with COVID from seeking life – a life-saving treatment, which will cost lives. Was it worth it? “
Pushaw also said last week that DeSantis’s office does not tolerate threats against the PA reporter. She deleted the tweet that read “Drag Them” after Farrington told her he had started receiving threats.
“No one in our office has ever threatened him,” Pushaw told Fox News. “Her story drew fierce criticism for being false.”
On Friday night, Pushaw’s Twitter account was hit with a 12-hour suspension for allegedly violating its policies. Pushaw told Fox News that Twitter never reported the specific tweets that got him in trouble.
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“Are you going to ban the press secretary of a democratically elected official while allowing the Taliban to tweet their conquest of Afghanistan live?” Pushaw responded in a statement to Fox News. “This again proves Governor DeSantis right. Those who challenge false narratives are often too silenced by corporate media and big tech collusion.”
A Twitter spokesperson confirmed Pushaw’s suspension. When asked by Fox News which tweets violated Twitter policy, the spokesperson replied, “We have nothing to share beyond the statement, thank you.”
Pushaw’s account was back on Monday morning.
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