That’s the Miami Herald headline; the body says:
In messages to supporters, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis isn’t shy about labeling “fake news media” the enemy.
But when it comes to raising money for his reelection bid, the Republican governor’s campaign and an associated political committee have sought help from a satire website with the tagline “Fake news you can trust.”
The governor’s campaign committee as well as the associated Friends of Ron DeSantis political action committee paid the conservative-leaning satire website The Babylon Bee a combined $15,000 last year for services related to online fundraising [apparently focused on renting donor or subscriber lists -EV], according to state campaign finance records.
Does it really make sense to call a satire site a “fake news site,” and suggest that there’s something inconsistent in condemning fake news but working with satire sites?
Or is it a joke that I’m missing? I must admit that I sometimes set up headlines as gags—for instance, though I can’t find the post, I vaguely remember that at one point in 2003 or thereabouts a state judge with the last name O’Connor retired, and I posted a headline “Judge O’Connor Retires” with the main body of the article offering the explanation. But I assume the Herald article is supposed to be serious.
Thanks to InstaPundit for the pointer.
The post Miami Herald: “DeSantis Calls Out ‘Fake News,’ But His Campaign Used Fake News Site to Raise Cash” appeared first on Reason.com.
Founded in 1968, Reason is the magazine of free minds and free markets. We produce hard-hitting independent journalism on civil liberties, politics, technology, culture, policy, and commerce. Reason exists outside of the left/right echo chamber. Our goal is to deliver fresh, unbiased information and insights to our readers, viewers, and listeners every day. Visit https://reason.com