'60 Minutes' under pressure to correct DeSantis report
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis accused of vaccine 'pay-to-play' plot. Media critic Jeffrey McCall weighs in.
The New York Times has turned a blind eye to the widely criticized "60 Minutes" report that suggested Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, R., engaged in a pay-for-play scheme with Publix over distributing coronavirus vaccines.
Democratic state officials, conservative pundits, Publix, and DeSantis himself have rejected the story that aired Sunday, but the Times hasn’t mentioned it through Wednesday morning.
"This is The New York Times employing its own Big Lie strategy. If it doesn’t cover the horrendous ‘journalism’ of ‘60 Minutes,’ then nothing bad ever really happened," Media Research Center vice president Dan Gainor told Fox News.
"Journalism protects its own -- as long as they attack the right," Gainor continued. "If a conservative outlet did a bogus hit job like this on the left, every major news organization would be screaming like stuck pigs."
The New York Times has turned a blind eye to controversy surrounding a widely criticized "60 Minutes" report. (iStock)
The "60 Minutes" report suggested DeSantis gave the popular grocery store chain preferable treatment to offer the coronavirus vaccine based on its donations to his PAC, while also knocking the governor for prioritizing at-risk senior citizens over teachers. CBS News has maintained it did nothing wrong, but critics have found multiple issues with the reporting.
Issues with the "60 Minutes" piece were so egregious that even CNN’s media reporters, who typically focus only on conservative media, have covered the ordeal. Despite backlash from all sides, the Times ignored the criticism despite frequently reporting on media stories and scandals.
Reason senior editor Robby Soave took notice and blasted the liberal newspaper in a scathing column on Wednesday.
"An accusation of corruption leveled by a major television network against a likely 2024 contender is a big story. It's perhaps an even bigger story when it turns out the network got it completely wrong. Media critics at The New York Times, The Washington Post, and elsewhere should be all over this," Soave wrote. "The Times has published 10 articles that reference DeSantis in the last week, but not a single one of them concerns the 60 Minutes story."
The Gray Lady has also not recognized that CBS News decided to stand by the report amid the backlash.
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"For over 50 years, the facts reported by 60 MINUTES have often stirred debate and prompted strong reactions," a CBS News spokesperson said in a statement on Tuesday. "Our story Sunday night speaks for itself."
The New York Times did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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