After watching Gov. DeSantis rip the media’s coverage of Florida’s handling of the coronavirus, I thought I’d put together a thread of just how garbage that coverage was.
We all remember the media saying FL’s reopening would kill people. But when data started coming out, it showed cases in FL weren’t skyrocketing after reopening.

So then the media found a new narrative: Actually, the data is wrong! Florida is covering up how bad it is!
There’s only one problem. DeSanctis told the media today:

*Jones was actually fired for insubordination.
*She isn’t a scientist, and actual scientists told her she was wrong
*...oh, and she’s being investigated for cyberstalking and harassment. https://twitter.com/WFLA/status/1263150115885375489">https://twitter.com/WFLA/stat...
Yeah, you read that last part right. Jones was arrested for revenge porn in 2019. https://weartv.com/news/local/desantis-florida-covid-19-dashboard-designer-faces-cyber-sexual-harassment-charges

Reporters">https://weartv.com/news/loca... *could* have verified this through public record searches. But they didn’t even bother to look into her background. They already had a narrative.
DeSantis: Florida COVID-19 dashboard designer faces cyber sexual harassment charges

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — The woman who designed Florida's COVID-19 dashboard and later fired faces an open criminal investigation for sexual cyber-harassment and cyberstalking, Gov. Ron...

https://weartv.com/news/local/desantis-florida-covid-19-dashboard-designer-faces-cyber-sexual-harassment-charges
Among those who uncritically shared Jones’ claims:

35k retweets from WaPo reporter Hamza Shaban: https://twitter.com/hshaban/status/1262605173479874560

NBC">https://twitter.com/hshaban/s... News: “Florida official says she was ousted for refusing to censor coronavirus data” http://archive.is/r0LhR ">https://archive.is/r0LhR&quo...
Among those who uncritically shared Jones’ claims:35k retweets from WaPo reporter Hamza Shaban: https://twitter.com/hshaban/s... News: “Florida official says she was ousted for refusing to censor coronavirus data” https://archive.is/r0LhR&quo...
Among those who uncritically shared Jones’ claims:35k retweets from WaPo reporter Hamza Shaban: https://twitter.com/hshaban/s... News: “Florida official says she was ousted for refusing to censor coronavirus data” https://archive.is/r0LhR&quo...
CNN: “Two states that opened early questioned over public access to Covid-19 data” #selection-1151.0-1151.75">http://archive.is/tD575 #selection-1151.0-1151.75

NPR:">https://archive.is/tD575... “Florida Ousts Top COVID-19 Data Scientist” #selection-815.0-815.41">http://archive.is/3PLSE #selection-815.0-815.41">https://archive.is/3PLSE...
CNN: “Two states that opened early questioned over public access to Covid-19 data” https://archive.is/tD575... “Florida Ousts Top COVID-19 Data Scientist” https://archive.is/3PLSE...
CNN: “Two states that opened early questioned over public access to Covid-19 data” https://archive.is/tD575... “Florida Ousts Top COVID-19 Data Scientist” https://archive.is/3PLSE...
HuffPost: “Ousted Designer Of Florida’s COVID-19 Dashboard Says She Was Asked To Censor Data” http://archive.is/wip/iqNrN ">https://archive.is/wip/iqNrN...
MSNBC’s Nicole Wallace: “In Florida, a slew of covid-19-related data has suddenly gone missing in what researchers say is part of a government effort to censor scientific information and keep it from going public.“ https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/watch/florida-scientist-says-she-was-ousted-after-refusing-to-manipulate-state-s-covid-19-data-83685957617?cid=sm_npd_ms_tw_ma">https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/wat...
Florida scientist says she was ousted after refusing to manipulate state’s COVID-19 data

Rebekah Jones says she was forced to leave her job overseeing Florida’s public coronavirus data portal after refusing to remove or change information that didn’t support the state’s reopening goals....

https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/watch/florida-scientist-says-she-was-ousted-after-refusing-to-manipulate-state-s-covid-19-data-83685957617?cid=sm_npd_ms_tw_ma
MSNBC’s Ari Melber: “Trump& #39;s allies may be shielding coronavirus data from the public as a kind of disinformation campaign… In FL, the virus data chief was removed after being told reportedly to censor information…”

Zeke Emanuel: “This is an attempt to confuse the public.”
CNN contributor Amanda Carpenter: https://twitter.com/amandacarpenter/status/1262721011281268738

NBC">https://twitter.com/amandacar... News correspondent Tom Winter: https://twitter.com/Tom_Winter/status/1262594830850576385">https://twitter.com/Tom_Winte...
CNN contributor Amanda Carpenter: https://twitter.com/amandacar... News correspondent Tom Winter: https://twitter.com/Tom_Winte...
CNN contributor Amanda Carpenter: https://twitter.com/amandacar... News correspondent Tom Winter: https://twitter.com/Tom_Winte...
MSNBC producer Kyle Griffin https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1262859412877660160">https://twitter.com/kylegriff...
Of course Florida Democrats got in the game, using the story to smear the governor:

Rep. Ted Deutsch https://twitter.com/RepTedDeutch/status/1262837502928465921

Rep.">https://twitter.com/RepTedDeu... Donna Shalala https://twitter.com/RepShalala/status/1262727508228812801">https://twitter.com/RepShalal...
Of course Florida Democrats got in the game, using the story to smear the governor:Rep. Ted Deutsch https://twitter.com/RepTedDeu... Donna Shalala https://twitter.com/RepShalal...
Of course Florida Democrats got in the game, using the story to smear the governor:Rep. Ted Deutsch https://twitter.com/RepTedDeu... Donna Shalala https://twitter.com/RepShalal...
This was all after Jen Rubin and Yashar Ali tweeted “DeSantis has blood on his hands.” Neither of them have tweeted anything nearly as negative about Gov. Cuomo, despite the vast difference in their handling of the virus.
This was all after Jen Rubin and Yashar Ali tweeted “DeSantis has blood on his hands.” Neither of them have tweeted anything nearly as negative about Gov. Cuomo, despite the vast difference in their handling of the virus.
This was all after Jen Rubin and Yashar Ali tweeted “DeSantis has blood on his hands.” Neither of them have tweeted anything nearly as negative about Gov. Cuomo, despite the vast difference in their handling of the virus.
BONUS: Assorted trash coverage of FL’s reopening

God Save the Florida Governor From His Stupidity
https://newrepublic.com/article/157267/ron-desantis-florida-governor-coronavirus-stupidity

RON">https://newrepublic.com/article/1... DESANTIS’S CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE IS KILLING US
https://crooked.com/articles/ron-desantis-coronavirus/

How">https://crooked.com/articles/... the coronavirus undid Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis https://news.yahoo.com/how-the-coronavirus-undid-florida-governor-ron-de-santis-110008719.html">https://news.yahoo.com/how-the-c...
It’ll be interesting to see how many of these outlets/journalists issue corrections or apologies. From what we’ve seen so far, I’m not holding my breath.

/thread
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