Last week, NBC News breathlessly reported that the Florida legislature was considering taking up a bill from a single state senator who wanted to require paid bloggers who cover the governor, his office, and the state legislature to register with the state. Naturally, the featured image for their story was a photo of Gov. Ron DeSantis, who actually had nothing whatsoever to do with the bill and had given no indication that he supported it.
A Republican state senator in Florida has introduced a bill that, if passed, would require bloggers who write about Gov. Ron DeSantis, his cabinet or state legislators to register with the state. https://t.co/gKiLruCif8
— NBC News (@NBCNews) March 3, 2023
NBC News had their narrative: Ron DeSantis is an authoritarian fascist dictator, and way too many people out there predisposed to hate him swallowed that narrative, hook, line, and sinker. Well, now we have to ask if NBC News plans on doing a followup to their original story, given what DeSantis said today during his State of the State Address:
BREAKING— @GovRonDeSantis just struck down the 'Blogger Bill' that forces Bloggers to Register With State
READ MORE https://t.co/bsC2wfxhht#FlPol #Florida pic.twitter.com/HbQ4gTM9Oh
— Javier Manjarres (@JavManjarres) March 7, 2023
Not only was there nothing to really strike down, because the state legislature didn’t take up State Sen. Jason Brodeur’s stupid bill, but DeSantis has made it clear that he does not and would not support such a measure — and he’s absolutely right to be disgusted with the media who were more concerned with making him look like an authoritarian fascist dictator than they were with the actual facts.
He's right. If you scroll through media stories, it's his face that is attached to almost every single one. https://t.co/N7YVKtsVsM
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) March 7, 2023
Yep. That was by design.
OMG I WAS TOLD RON MUSOLLINI WROTE THIS BILL IN HIS OWN BLOOD!? https://t.co/Oe3bPZKuwP
— Just Mindy 🐊 (@just_mindy) March 7, 2023
NOOOOOOOOOOOO, hes supposed to be Hitler!!
— Robert Shams (@shams_robert) March 7, 2023
And yet another BS narrative about Ron DeSantis shatters into a million pieces.
"Struck down" is the wrong term because it was never a law & had only one supporter in the legislature, but don't hold your breath for a retraction from the people who played it as if this was his idea. https://t.co/35boq34Ssr
— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) March 7, 2023
Literally yesterday we showed an MSNBC clip where the guest said DeSantis was pushing this bill.
It literally had nothing to do with him. And now it won’t even exist.
I’d point this out to noted MSNBC luminary @jheil but he blocked me. https://t.co/pQba4rmkrB
— Dave Rubin (@RubinReport) March 7, 2023
Is this the clip Rubin is referring to? With noted NBC News “presidential historian” Michael Beschloss sounding off about “Rick DeSantis,” aka the second coming of Mussolini?
MSNBC’s @BeschlossDC: “[@GovRonDeSantis] really has tried to turn him self into sort of a local Mussolini in Fla. What w/ the book banning, the brutal tactics, & … the suggestion that bloggers have to register w/ the state … This is fascism & authoritarianism” pic.twitter.com/Wz8fem6Bf9
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) March 5, 2023
How embarrassing for Michael Beschloss. How embarrassing for NBC. How embarrassing for the mainstream media.
The coverage of this has been unfair to DeSantis. He never supported registering bloggers. https://t.co/nK7l9SfcNP
— SemperFiVirginia (@fi_virginia) March 7, 2023
Where does Ron DeSantis go for his apology? Because he sure as hell deserves one.
Mmmmmhmmmm. No rush on all the apologies for tying DeSantis to the bill. https://t.co/IcyFT09rih
— Karol Markowicz (@karol) March 7, 2023
To be fair, the media aren’t sorry, so we really can’t expect them to apologize.
Wait. You mean Ron DeSantis isn't the fascist people said he was over this bill? https://t.co/togwsbn6Xi
— RBe (@RBPundit) March 7, 2023
I saw this coming. Journos breathlessly reported that DeSantis was going to institute this, but I was sure he wasn’t in support. I was watching closely to see if he was. https://t.co/FZ6cmtq7nA
— Kathleen (@Calibamawife) March 7, 2023
@MSNBC folks are going to have an absolute fit walking this back. Oh wait… https://t.co/rA59oo5Jqp
— kelso02 (@kelso2002) March 7, 2023
As if they’d ever walk it back.
I'm guessing this won't even be covered as 3/4 of the press is incapable of reporting something positive about RDS. https://t.co/5UascP1fOI
— Holden (@Holden114) March 7, 2023
(3/4 seems pretty generous, honestly.)
https://twitter.com/WLewington/status/1633174222045339657
And, gluttons for punishment that they are, the media keep going back for more. Don’t expect them to learn any lessons from this. They didn’t learn any the last time. Or the time before that. Or the time before that …
Another great job by the mass media…
They are fools over and over and over. https://t.co/1K8PqNzVku
— Beers and Baseball (@BeersandBasebal) March 7, 2023
Like we said: gluttons for punishment. And instead of owning up to their mistakes, count on them humiliating themselves even further in order to save face.
Eager to hear how this is fascism. https://t.co/5UascP1fOI
— Holden (@Holden114) March 7, 2023
I wonder how that will make him a fascist now.
— QTheLibertine (@QTheLibertine1) March 7, 2023
Hey, we have faith that the MSM will come up with something.
Media Then: "Fascist DeSantis wants bloggers to register, JUST LIKE HITLER."
Media Now (probably): "Dictator DeSantis ignoring his own legislature, won't even listen to their ideas, JUST LIKE HITLER."— Jurisprudent🇺🇸 (@The_Law_Suit) March 7, 2023
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