On Sunday morning, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared his love for a free press and diverse views.
But I guess that only applies to President Donald Trump because hours after de Blasio’s declaration, he didn’t stop his security detail from removing a New York Post reporter for simply asking a question.
De Blasio appeared on CNN’s Reliable Sources on Sunday morning where he bashed Robert Murdoch and Fox News and blamed them for Trump’s presidency. I honestly don’t know where he was in 2016 because whenever Trump held a rally all three news networks streamed it.
But I digress.
De Blasio said he believes America would be “more unified” without these outlets, which led host Brian Stelter to compare it to Trump’s anti-media rhetoric. De Blasio responded:
De Blasio insisted his stance on Murdoch’s empire is different from Trump’s press attacks. The mayor said he is not anti-media and defends News Corp’s “right to exist.””I believe in a free, strong media with diverse views. I’ll defend it with all I’ve got,” de Blasio said. “But we have to be able to call out when a particular company has a corporate agenda, has a political agenda, and has very effectively changed the American discourse.”
Stelter asked de Blasio about calling The New York Post a “right-wing rag” and he wanted to know why the mayor feels it’s his “role to be calling out a newspaper” due to content he doesn’t like.
De Blasio replied: “Because I think it’s not happening enough. … It’s not happening the way I think it should.”
Because he totally knows best, right?
Thing is, de Blasio made these same remarks a week earlier in an interview with The Guardian and as Becket Adams at The Washington Examiner predicted, de Blasio got a free pass on these attacks.
A few hours later, at the beginning of the Dominican Day Parade, a New York Post reporter asked for de Blasio’s reaction to a Post story about his administration meeting with lobbyists:
Just two hours later, after de Blasio cut a ribbon to kick off the parade and was posing for photos near West 37th Street and Sixth Avenue, the reporter asked him to comment on the Page One “CITY FOR SALE” story.Instead of answering or even declining to answer the question, the mayor watched as two members of his NYPD security detail approached the reporter — who was wearing a police-issued press pass around his neck — with one grabbing his shoulder and leading him away from the mayor.“Kevin, you have to leave. You can’t be here,” the plainclothes cop said.Both bodyguards then escorted the reporter about a half-block away, where a member of the NYPD’s public information office, Officer Brian Magoolaghan, told him, “Come on, Kevin. No stunts today.”
Free press for thee, not for me.
Why is it okay for de Blasio to do this, but the media gets all riled up (as they should) when Trump does it? No politician is above the press.
I bet people will say it’s because Trump is president and therefore he must be held to higher standards. To me, all politicians are held to the same standards and that means they all respect the press.
It is not okay for de Blasio to bash the media just as it’s not okay for Trump to bash the media. I have regularly criticized Trump for his attacks on the media, but I doubt I’ll see those who joined my chorus say anything against de Blasio.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY