Top 5 Fake News Reporters for the Week of 5/29-6/5

Published Jun. 7, 2022, 8:13 a.m. ET | Updated Jun. 7, 2022

top fake news reporters 06-06-2022

Florida’s Voice Presents Florida’s Top 5 Fake News Reporters of the Week: Every week, FLV 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. Michael Hiltzik (Los Angeles Times)

Michael Hiltzik makes the claim that Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to deprive transgender citizens of “fundamental” medical care. However, according to a Florida Medicaid report, sex reassignment treatment is “insufficient” to demonstrate safety and is “experimental.” The columnist briefly mentions these findings, but not until the end of the story after criticizing Governor DeSantis for the Parental Rights in Education Act and the Governor’s anti-lockdown stance. The reporter mentioned the number of COVID deaths, but failed to mention the state’s economic boom since refusing to shut down.

4. Miami Herald Editorial Board

The Miami Herald condemned the DeSantis Administration for spending money on legal fees to defend Florida laws like Big Tech and the new congressional map. The headline claims DeSantis may win culture wars but “taxpayers lose.” However, the article fails to mention that many Floridians want DeSantis to fight these culture wars and do not mind their taxpayer dollars being used for that cause.

3. Steve Contorno (CNN)

Steve Contorno reported that Gov. Ron DeSantis blocked funding for a new Tampa Bay Rays facility “partly” because the team spoke out against gun violence. However, the Governor and the Governor’s press team have repeatedly said that he does not support giving taxpayer dollars to professional sports stadiums.

2. Brad Reed (Salon)

Brad Reed claims in the headline that Gov. Ron DeSantis was a “bully” to the Special Olympics. Special Olympics International (SOI) required athletes to receive the coronavirus vaccine in order to compete in Orlando. DeSantis said that requirement violated Florida law, which banned vaccine passports. The state imposed a $27.5 million fine on SOI for violating state law. The Governor would say he was not a “bully,” he was just enforcing state law.

1. Lori Rosza (Washington Post)

Lori Rosza first published her story claiming DeSantis signed the state’s budget at $101.5 billion when in fact the budget is at $109.9 billion. The Post then claims DeSantis canceled funding for a Tampa Bay Rays facility because of the team’s anti-gun violence tweet. In reality, DeSantis canceled the funding because he did not want taxpayer dollars being used for professional sports. The article claims the Governor did not comment on the mass shooting in Uvalde, Tex., which is incorrect. The article also claims that DeSantis would ban Medicaid coverage for transgender people. That is false. The Governor wants Medicaid to ban certain “experimental” procedures. Rosza has updated her story with some changes since being called out on them.

Share This Post

Latest News

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments