In case you didn’t know, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will announce his 2024 candidate tonight. The FEC paperwork leaked earlier this afternoon, though we’ve learned that the Florida Republican would make things official with Twitter’s Elon Musk this week. It’s not a conventional rollout. It will be hosted on the social media platform later this evening. While liberal media outlets will probably melt down tonight, one publication decided to get a head start over the competition. Vanity Fair’s headline for the looming announcement was some grade-A lunacy:
Report: Ron DeSantis Will Formally Announce His 2024 Bid With Elon Musk, Because Apparently David Duke Wasn’t Available. DeSantis’ communications team was amused, to say the least.
This is in the "news" section of Vanity Fair—a paper I had once dreamt of writing for. And I'm appalled.
— 🚨 Katherine Brodsky (@mysteriouskat) May 24, 2023
Note phrases like: "David Duke Wasn't Available" & "Other Neo-Nazi sympathizers weren't available." These are words being thrown around wildly and irresponsibly—like little… pic.twitter.com/FhIj9Dt6v3
In case you're wondering how far some media have gone insane... pic.twitter.com/U6S3TAHGJk
— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) May 24, 2023
The media has lost its mind. pic.twitter.com/j9awsApaY2
— David Sacks (@DavidSacks) May 24, 2023
They’re losing their position as gatekeepers … and they can’t handle it. https://t.co/abDoPpgIIm
— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) May 24, 2023
“They’re losing their position as gatekeepers, and they can’t handle it,” tweeted Christina Pushaw.
Katherine Brodsky, an independent journalist, tore into the piece, adding that the publication was once a place she’d dreamed of working for in the past. However, she finds this article appalling for obvious reasons. Brodsky isn’t a Trump or DeSantis fan but finds the attempt by the publication to tell its readers how to think to be a dreadful task. Brodsky appears to be either a liberal or centrist, who might agree more with Democrats, but these commentaries will surely land her in the lefty gulag for not being on board with the program:
This article belongs in the 'Slander Op-Ed section,' certainly not the news section. One is entitled to criticize the decision, as the story's author Bess Levin has. Even I have had expressed some hesitation today because I think this move puts Twitter in the path of being an editorial media platform as opposed to just being the public town square. Further, there's been previous support expressed by Musk/Sacks for DeSantis in the past, so there's a perception of possible bias. But to compare Elon Musk to an actual white supremacist and a former Grand Wizard of the KKK/neo-Nazi sympathizer—all for interviewing a Republican presidential candidate...is not just bad journalism. It's outright slander. And it should be denounced by anyone who believes in actual journalism.
The last line in Levin's article states: "Anyway, just as a reminder, a DeSantis presidency is as terrible a prospect as a Trump one."
Even if I agree, the bigger is this: She's telling her readers what to think...not the facts, not the news. That's not the job of a journalist. At least certainly not one whose story finds itself in the "news" section.
Elon had some fun with this one too:
Looks like Babylon Bee has some competition for satire
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 24, 2023
We’ll have more media meltdowns later tonight.