Ron DeSantis Sparks Outrage By Blocking Media — Except Fox News — From Signing of Voting Law
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is apparently giving Fox News exclusive media access to the signing of his new elections reform bill.
DeSantis will sign the bill at an event at West Palm Beach set for Thursday morning. The purpose of the Republican-backed SB90 bill is to impose regulations on ballot drop boxes, restrict third-party voter registration organizations, and would place new rules on voting by mail. The bill is a subject of controversy, however, with critics arguing that the bill was crafted to suppress voting and perpetuate unsubstantiated fraud concerns derived from the 2020 election.
News sources report that the ceremony is happening at the Hilton hotel by Palm Beach International Airport, ands hosted by a pro-Donald Trump organization. Multiple outlets are claiming that the media is being blocked from the bill-signing, as it is being presented as a Fox News “exclusive” event.
NEW: News media is barred from entry at Gov. Ron DeSantis’ signing of controversial elections bill, SB 90. DeSantis spokeswoman Taryn Fenske says bill signing is a “Fox exclusive” pic.twitter.com/NAos6kmtQS
— Steve Bousquet (@stevebousquet) May 6, 2021
DeSantis’ office granting exclusivity to a preferred media outlet for the signing of a new law is, by any measure, an unusual occurrence that raises legitimate questions about the intent and transparency of the bill. As such, the signing’s media arrangement has drawn significant disapproval from a number of news watchers.
Confirmed: @CBS12 News is not allowed into the event where @GovRonDeSantis will sign a controversial elections bill into law, per @MadelineTV who is outside.
We were a pool camera, assigned to feed this event to affiliates nationwide.
Now, the only camera will be Fox News
— Jay O’Brien (@jayobtv) May 6, 2021
Sure sign this new law is not about free and fair elections: https://t.co/ooXEsJUxhe
— Brendan Keefe (@BrendanKeefe) May 6, 2021
DeSantis is signing bill to roll back voting access after Dems used vote by mail more than Republicans for first time in state history & won’t even let media other than Fox cover it. Democracy literally dying in the dark https://t.co/XylcGdIaou
— Ari Berman (@AriBerman) May 6, 2021
We are giving exclusives for bill signings now????!! https://t.co/fVrM8T85xA
— Blake News (@blakehounshell) May 6, 2021
If I worked at Fox, I would refuse to cover the bill signing unless all my colleagues at other outlets could. It’s the right thing to do. https://t.co/KuscDQ6UcJ
— Kathryn Watson (@kathrynw5) May 6, 2021
This is not normal. https://t.co/jF0deSswco
— Daniel Strauss (@DanielStrauss4) May 6, 2021
Can’t say I’ve ever heard of an act like a bill signing being treated like a commodity to trade with Fox https://t.co/RiRqihXKEH
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) May 6, 2021
This. Is. Outrageous. https://t.co/SjdkRcIoU1
— S.V. Dáte (@svdate) May 6, 2021
Florida Governor only letting Fox cover the signing of the new voter suppression law. https://t.co/PqHmP4N05e
— Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) May 6, 2021
Mediaite reached out to Fox News for comment, and a spokesperson said “Fox & Friends did not request or mandate that the May 6th event and interview with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) be exclusive to Fox News Media entities.”
