Florida’s Top 5 Fake News Reporters for April
Florida’s Conservative Voice Presents Florida’s Top 5 Fake News Reporters of the Week: Every week, FCV will rank the worst reporters covering Florida politics. Our team, and readers, have noticed a stark uptick of fake news “journalists” that are consistently lying or misleading the public on Florida affairs in politics, ranging from Governor Ron DeSantis to COVID-19. In an effort to promote more journalistic integrity, these individuals will be cited for their attempts to mislead the public.
5. Andrew Stanton (Newsweek)
In an article for Newsweek, Stanton joins the mainstream media in mischaracterizing Governor Ron DeSantis’ latest signing of H.B. 1557, the Parental Rights in Education Act.
While the bill does not prohibit the use of the word “gay” in any part of Florida, Stanton equates the law to “anti-LGBTQ bills” in other states like Alabama. Stanton describes “anti-LGBTQ” as outlawing gender-reassignment surgeries for children (castration).
4. Paul LeBlanc (CNN)
LeBlanc with CNN singles out DeSantis for proposing a favorable map that would help the Republicans gain seats in Congress. While this is not only the case for Democrats in other states, he puts emphasis on the fact that apparently, DeSantis is violating some sort of “tradition” and that the legislature should be drawing the map (they did, and DeSantis constitutionally vetoed it).
He says that DeSantis is reducing black voter control – but a quick look at the redistricting maps shows that the districts actually look more properly and evenly shaped than the gerrymandered Democrat districts.
3. Kayla Gogarty (MediaMatters)
Gogarty published a hit-piece on DeSantis Press Secretary Christina Pushaw for accurately describing activists and teachers who want to sexualize children.
She said that Pushaw “used ‘grooming’ smears to justify Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law.” Not only is it not a Don’t Say Gay law, but she went after critics of the banning teaching sexuality to minors. If someone were opposed to this, it would point to the definition of a sexual groomer: teaching young kids about sex.
The Palm Beach Post, who put no name to this piece, went after DeSantis for his redistricting map that nixes black and Democrat gerrymandered districts.
The Post falsely says that DeSantis “has no constitutional right to manipulate the districts,” which is a false statement. DeSantis has the power to sign whichever bill he wants as Governor.
Additionally, they say that allowing DeSantis to draw the district is a “dereliction of duty.”
1. Monica Hesse (Washington Post)
“There’s a reason the ‘don’t say gay’ bills don’t say what they mean,” Hesse says in a piece for the Washington Post. “If they did, they might not stand up to legal – or moral – scrutiny.”
“Pass homophobic and transphobic bills cloaked in neutral language, then pretend liberals are crazy for calling the bills homophobic and transphobic. It’s a mix of dog whistling and gaslighting,” she says, seemingly all but admitting that liberals are crazy for making up false meanings in law that clearly states its purpose to ban sexual orientation and gender identity teaching in grades K-3.
