Margaret Sullivan is one of the sharpest media observers out there. She was a “public editor” — ombudsman, essentially — of the New York Times, a media columnist for the Washington Post and most recently has taken her talents to The Guardian. But man, I think she really whiffed on her most recent column.
Wait. Fawning?
That’s why it’s appalling to see the media lavish him with so much fawning coverage. Fox News has put its calamitous love affair with Donald Trump on ice while it swoons over his younger rival.
DeSantis enjoys glowing treatment from the mainstream press, too. All too predictably, many of the headlines from his recent State of the State speech not only centered on presidential politics but also magnified his boasts. Here’s a skepticism-free example from CNBC:
“‘You ain’t seen nothing yet’: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis touts state record and fuels 2024 speculation.”
The media should be delving into the substance of that record, including the kitchen-table economic issues that have nothing to do with performative anti-woke nonsense.
Basically, Sullivan’s examples of “fawning” boil down to Fox News and a single headline from CNBC. And, well, Fox News is going to do what Fox News does — which is propagandize on behalf of right-wing politicians. Which leaves us with the CNBC headline.
That’s not much.
The reality, I think, is that DeSantis has received a fair amount of alarmed coverage from the mainstream press. There’s been a flood of stories about the “Don’t Say Gay” law, his administration’s crackdown on Advanced Placement course on African American studies, his punishment of Disney for opposing the “Don’t Say Gay” law and so on and so forth. And while those actions might be performative, they’re also substantive — with a real effect on how Floridians live and work, and as inspiration for conservatives in other states.
We journalists can always do better, and should listen to critiques. But I think there is also a sense among some folks on the left that “alarmed” coverage is insufficient if it’s not “hair on fire” coverage. And I think those same folks don’t trust the public enough to understand that some things — making teachers afraid of what they teach or how they even talk about their own lives — are bad unless the NYT or Washington Post jump up and down saying BAD BAD BAD.
I doubt that’s correct.
I think DeSantis would be a terrible president. But if he wins the presidency, I suspect it won’t be because journalists insufficiently sounded the alarm. There’s a big constituency in America for ideas and people I think are terrible. That’s not the media’s fault.