(RightWing.org) – The fake news media has been caught in the act again. On Tuesday they accused Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) of having an activist thrown out of a press conference. There’s just one problem with the story – it’s not true.
On January 4, the mainstream media reported that, after a community activist criticized Governor DeSantis at a press conference, the governor had him arrested and expelled from the conference. The story was framed as a conservative politician cracking down on legitimate protest – or, as Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Nikki Fried put it, “arresting an individual for simply asking to speak with the Governor.” The reality was different.
#BenFrazier was not removed by Ron DeSantis. He chose to be removed by his own acts and before DeSantis was to speak. It was his choices alone and his act of protest that prompted the police to escort him off the property, which was probably what he wanted https://t.co/vP4I5aSD4a
— J. "Augustine" Ausland (@Kingjames8289) January 4, 2022
What actually happened was that a group of left-wing protesters led by Ben Frazier invaded the venue for a closed press briefing on monoclonal antibody treatments for COVID-19. Staff, and then Jacksonville police officers, asked them to leave. They refused. At that point, the group was escorted out of the room and Frazier, who was loudly insisting on his right to “hold the governor (who hadn’t even arrived yet) accountable,” was handcuffed. He was later released on his own recognizance.
If a conservative media channel had got a fact wrong, they would immediately be condemned. Because a conservative was being misrepresented, however, the media were allowed to spread the story unchecked – and officials like Fried quoted it as if it was gospel. Where’s the balance in media?
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