Dan GillmorMar 6, 2023

The NY Times continues to normalize extremists, none more dangerous than Florida's radical-right governor.

Journalistic business as usual -- in the face of existential threats to our democracy -- runs deep and wide in the Times' political coverage. And it is clear that the Times' top executives want it that way.

#journalism #nytimes

Show threadJesse Kawell (he/him)
@dangillmor I'm going to be honest: I not seeing this one. The NYT has problems, but this headline and story seem perfectly reasonable. The FL legislative session and DeSantis's influence over it are important, for the very reasons you state (a radical-right governor pushing extremism), and stating that that's his goal — and he's likely to succeed — is what the story and headline should communicate. There are enough real problems at the Times. We don't need to attack the stuff that's okay.
Mar 6, 2023 at 2:59amWeb
Show threadDan GillmorMar 6, 2023

@jesseKawell There's not a hint in that headline of the extremist nature of what they're doing.

A couple of "critics say..." paragraphs are pretty much the extent of the story's acknowledgement that what's happening is radical in the extreme.

Attribution of simple facts to critics -- plus "policy after policy that has enthralled his supporters and alarmed his detractors" -- are exactly the both-sides business as usual that normalizes extremism as just one side of a balanced issue.

Show threadJesse Kawell (he/him)Mar 6, 2023
@dangillmor So, it isn't extremist for the legislature to work with the governor to form legislation: that's quite common. So you must be referring to the content of those bills. What would you have them do? Everytime they talk about DeSantis, call him an extremist in the headline? The same for the Florida legislature? Unfortunately, DeSantis and co are in power. What they are doing *is* normal, because they're doing it everyday.
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Show threadJesse Kawell (he/him)Mar 6, 2023
@dangillmor If the NYT put "extremist" in every headline, people become numb to it. In this case, the NYT is reporting on reality. Sadly, the reality of today was extreme a few years ago. I think the problem is that DeSantis isn't extreme anymore. He's mainstream for a lot of Americans. Calling him "extremist" won't help. This isn't a media problem, it's an America problem.
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Show threadJesse Kawell (he/him)Mar 6, 2023
@dangillmor The media (much less the NYT) doesn't decide whst "normal" is. Society does. This reminds me of how folks were complaining about the NYT and others reporting on Trump's antics. But a pretty big minority of Americans elected him! He was president, and he was doing weird stuff! Journalists should report on those things. It's not up to journalists to suppress things they think people should stop caring about. Or calling things "extreme" when half the country considers them normal.
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Show threadDan GillmorMar 6, 2023
@jesseKawell You're making my point for me...
Show threadJesse Kawell (he/him)Mar 6, 2023
@dangillmor How so? I'm not saying the NYT is normalizing extremists. I'm saying the NYT is reporting on what's normal in 2023. America made things that used to be extreme normal (which is common in societies). Not the NYT.
Show threadDan GillmorMar 6, 2023
@jesseKawell Exactly the kind of logic that encourages continued democratic backsliding. Let's not pursue this since we're not getting anywhere...
Show threadWub-Fur Internet RadioMar 6, 2023
@jesseKawell @dangillmor Normalizing is, of course, precisely what the Times is doing.