CNN, Bryan Griffin, and the Media’s ‘Moral Clarity’

Some top-notch journalisming from CNN, per Ron DeSantis’s press secretary Bryan Griffin:

The premise in the above request is amazing for a number of reasons. First of all, it’s a textbook example of reductio ad Hitlerum — “Ron DeSantis doesn’t think it’s a good idea for Florida taxpayer dollars to fund Black Queer Studies. You know who else didn’t like Black Queer Studies? That’s right. Fascists.” More to the point, the framing of the inquiry — “according to experts, you’re a fascist; care to comment?” — is another testament to the fact that legacy media outlets such as CNN are primarily activists, not journalists. They already assume to know that Ron DeSantis is Floridian Hitler. (Or Putin: “In a portion of Blake’s email provided to National Review, the CNN writer likens DeSantis’s rejection of the AP African-American studies pilot course to Russian president Vladimir Putin’s efforts to distort Russian history,” Ryan Mills reports). They don’t need to consider other viewpoints or hear another perspective. They just need to send the obligatory request for comment to the target’s office as a matter of ceremonial procedure.

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Nate Hochman

Nate Hochman was a staff writer at National Review.

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Some top-notch journalisming from CNN, per Ron DeSantis’s press secretary Bryan Griffin:

The premise in the above request is amazing for a number of reasons. First of all, it’s a textbook example of reductio ad Hitlerum — “Ron DeSantis doesn’t think it’s a good idea for Florida taxpayer dollars to fund Black Queer Studies. You know who else didn’t like Black Queer Studies? That’s right. Fascists.” More to the point, the framing of the inquiry — “according to experts, you’re a fascist; care to comment?” — is another testament to the fact that legacy media outlets such as CNN are primarily activists, not journalists. They already assume to know that Ron DeSantis is Floridian Hitler. (Or Putin: “In a portion of Blake’s email provided to National Review, the CNN writer likens DeSantis’s rejection of the AP African-American studies pilot course to Russian president Vladimir Putin’s efforts to distort Russian history,” Ryan Mills reports). They don’t need to consider other viewpoints or hear another perspective. They just need to send the obligatory request for comment to the target’s office as a matter of ceremonial procedure.