Top Ron DeSantis aide and rapid response director for the governor’s campaign Christina Pushaw said that a pair of tweets from the New York Times are the perfect illustration of her belief that “the legacy media hates you.”
The assertion included a side-by-side comparison of two tweets in the shot/chaser style, on health-related subjects. The first was a tweet from this week on the subject of the train derailment disaster in East Palestine, Ohio, and the second a tweet from January about gas stoves.
Both tweets are still live on the @NYTimes Twitter account.
The first, on the subject of East Palestine, characterized “right-wing” critics as alarmists exploiting the disaster and response — which the Biden administration has been heavily criticized over — to “sow distrust about government agencies.”
Interestingly, the sub-headline on the linked article doesn’t take quite so pointed a potshot across the aisle:
For many influencers across the political spectrum, claims about the environmental effects of the train derailment have gone far beyond known facts.
The tag is from the article, to which writer Stuart Thompson adds in the body: “Right-wing commentators have been particularly critical, using the crisis to sow distrust about government agencies and suggest that the damage could be irreparable.”
The article makes little mention of the rest of the “political spectrum” or any of the actual potential harm faced by residents, but does minimize the arrest of a NewsNation anchor before it ends.
It’s a prime example of politicizing a situation by blaming others for politicizing. Which Pushaw responded to with her own political dig.
The tweet selected for comparison was one of several in January from the NYT on the subject of gas stoves as a risk to your health and well-being.
The implication by Pushaw is that the paper treated health risks differently, or rather that it’s okay to predict or speculate on great harm in one case, but not in another, based presumably on a political interest.
Before going after “right-wing commentators” the Times did share concerns about what was happening in Ohio, including perfectly natural fears about the long-term effects.
Historically, there is ample reason to believe that a first assessment or assurances from various agencies with regard to the risks faced in this type of disaster should be taken with a grain of salt. The 9/11 firefighters and police, on whose behalf former Daily Show Jon Stewart has pressured the federal government for years, is a good example. Residents faced with this disaster that upended their town and their lives and received little attention for 10 days from Secretary Pete Buttigieg or the administration certainly have every right to worry.
Speaking of Buttigieg, NYT’s Thompson offered only this on the Transportation Secretary.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who oversees railroads, has become a target of criticism for many conservatives. Mr. Carlson called Mr. Buttigieg “flamboyantly incompetent” and said his actions were uncaring “almost to the point of evil.”
We include no blockquote on Buttigieg from the previous NYT article about concerns and fears of residents facing this disaster: he wasn’t mentioned.
With regard to gas stoves, it’s worth noting that “right-wing commentators” were not accused of whipping up outrage over the possible harm, but rather of whipping up outrage over the political left‘s fears of harmful effects.
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