The Associated Press calls on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to end the “harassing behavior” of one of his aides to a PA journalist who received threats and other online abuse
NEW YORK – The Associated Press on Friday called on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to end the “harassing behavior” of one of his press associates against an AP journalist who has received threats and other abuses in line.
The request, in a letter from new AP CEO Daisy Veerasingham, is part of a news organization effort to combat online harassment against journalists, often unleashed by public figures. Online harassment and threats from journalists have grown in recent years, prompting many news organizations to speak out.
DeSantis press secretary Christina Pushaw denied attempting to direct the governor’s followers to address the journalist despite using language such as “dragging them” in a now deleted tweet.
Pushaw opposed Tuesday’s Florida-based reporter Tallahassee, Florida-based reporter Brendan Farrington, who noted that one of DeSantis’ multimillion-dollar donors is investing in a company that makes the treatment drug COVID-19 Regeneron. DeSantis has been promoting the treatment of monoclonal antibodies statewide.
In another tweet, he wrote that if Farrington didn’t change the story, “it would make you explode.” He also retweeted a message that said “Light. They. Up “. In reference to the AP.
Earlier Wednesday, Farrington tweeted that he had received online threats and hate messages about the story. “For your own good, I hope the government does not threaten your security. I’ll be fine, I hope. Freedom. Please don’t kill me. “
Farrington refused to be interviewed for this story.
Brian Carovillano, vice president and managing editor of AP, said Pushaw’s tweets were particularly blatant because she’s a public servant whose job is to work with the press.
“There is a setback, which we fully accept and which is a common facet of being a political reporter or any kind of journalist, and there is harassment,” Carovillano said. “This is not a setback, it is harassment. It’s bullying. He calls trolls to someone who has just done their job and puts him and his family at risk. ”
Pushaw said his “drag them” comment was social media slang and was not meant to be a violent threat. He said he deleted it because he didn’t want it to be misinterpreted.
“As soon as Farrington told me he had received threats, I tweeted that no one should threaten anyone, which is totally unacceptable,” he said. “I also urged him to report any threats to the police.”
Viktorya Vilk, director of digital security and free speech programs at PEN America, said the urban dictionary defines “dragging” them as roasting (mocking / mocking) someone very hard. Its use seems to involve or encourage people to attack, in a way that is shy of being direct, Vilk said.
Pushaw believes the AP story was unfair and endangers Florida residents.
“The reaction he’s getting is the direct result of his and AP’s decision to understand facts to prop up a false narrative, which sadly puts the lives of your readers at risk,” he said. “If people falsely believe that Regeneron (a clinical treatment to save lives) is part of a corruption scheme, they will hesitate to get it and that causes harm.”
The AP keeps its history.
Last spring, DeSantis supporters opposed a “60-minute” story that noted DeSantis had received a $ 100,000 donation from the Publix supermarket chain, with which the state was working to distribute the vaccine.
In his letter, Veerasingham asked DeSantis to assure the people of Florida “that there is no place” for Pushaw’s behavior in government. Veerasingham, vice president and chief operating officer of PA, will become CEO of PA in January.
Also last spring, AP said it would study ways to more aggressively combat online harassment of journalists. This came after several PA journalists expressed concern at internal meetings about whether the organization would have its back in the event of an online attack.