{"id":1593301,"date":"2022-08-07T13:25:09","date_gmt":"2022-08-07T17:25:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1593301"},"modified":"2022-08-07T13:25:15","modified_gmt":"2022-08-07T17:25:15","slug":"theyre-not-gatekeepers-anymore-meet-the-desantis-spokeswoman-whos-putting-the-media-on-defense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/theyre-not-gatekeepers-anymore-meet-the-desantis-spokeswoman-whos-putting-the-media-on-defense\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018They\u2019re Not Gatekeepers Anymore\u2019: Meet The DeSantis Spokeswoman Who\u2019s Putting The Media On Defense"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftheyre-not-gatekeepers-anymore-meet-the-desantis-spokeswoman-whos-putting-the-media-on-defense%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1593301&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/x-2-e1659637001322.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" alt=\"image\" \/><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Christina Pushaw, the press secretary for Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, outlined her approach to dealing with the corporate media in an interview with the Daily Caller News Foundation.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>It\u2019s crucial for conservatives to reject the media\u2019s framing of an issue when it\u2019s inaccurate or blatantly partisan, she said, but her refusal to accept the media\u2019s narrative has resulted in blowback.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>\u201cLegacy media is used to being gatekeepers, to setting the narrative and having everyone, including politicians, just go along with that,\u201d Pushaw told the DCNF. \u201cThat\u2019s why this was so triggering for them.\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Christina Pushaw, press secretary for Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, has been putting Democrats and the corporate press on defense by refusing to play along with what she says are partisan narratives.<\/p>\n<p>Pushaw has garnered national attention for her active and sometimes aggressive interactions with journalists. Her strategy may serve as a playbook for conservatives who are ready to reject the media\u2019s framing and communicate with the public on their own terms.<\/p>\n<p>The media\u2019s interest in Pushaw is a product of their obsession with DeSantis, Pushaw told the DCNF, which began in 2020 when Florida opened schools and businesses earlier than other states and became subject to constant media criticism. DeSantis largely ignored his media detractors, and Pushaw\u2019s strategy mirrors her boss\u2019s: she doesn\u2019t play along with the media\u2019s framing of an issue if it\u2019s misleading or overtly partisan, and she uses her platform on Twitter to cut past the spin and communicate with people directly, she explained.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">It has come to my attention that some liberal media activists are mad because they aren\u2019t allowed into <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SunshineSummit?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#SunshineSummit<\/a> this weekend. My message to them is to try crying about it. Then go to kickboxing and have a margarita. And write the same hit piece you were gonna write anyway.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Christina Pushaw \ud83d\udc0a \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@ChristinaPushaw) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChristinaPushaw\/status\/1550312275457851394?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 22, 2022<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cLegacy media is used to being gatekeepers, to setting the narrative and having everyone, including politicians, just go along with that,\u201d she said. With the credibility of the media <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2022\/07\/08\/news-republicans-democrats-trust-partisanship\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">collapsing<\/a> and more people looking to social media and other sources for news, mainstream media outlets are losing their ability to shape the narrative, she said. \u201cThat\u2019s why this was so triggering for them. They\u2019re not gatekeepers anymore and that\u2019s making them very anxious. \u2026 They don\u2019t get to dictate to us what is truth and what\u2019s false when they have such a track record of lying.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When Florida lawmakers were considering the <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/02\/24\/florida-house-passes-bill-lgbtq-schools-kindergarten-desantis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Parental Rights in Education<\/a> bill, which <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/03\/28\/ron-desantis-signs-parental-rights-in-education-bill\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">banned<\/a> classroom instruction on sexuality and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade, Pushaw made a point of correcting reporters who <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/03\/06\/saturday-night-live-rips-dont-say-gay-bill-weekend-update\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">misleadingly<\/a>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/03\/10\/disney-ceo-bob-chapek-dont-say-gay-florida-bill\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">referred<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/03\/08\/dont-say-gay-legacy-media-activist-slogan-florida-legislation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">to<\/a> the legislation as the \u201cDon\u2019t Say Gay bill.\u201d She suggested calling it the \u201cAnti-Groomer Bill\u201d instead, which she said was more accurate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTeaching kids that they can be born in the wrong body and that they can choose their own pronouns and gender when they\u2019re in kindergarten, that is grooming,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">If you\u2019re against the Anti-Grooming Bill, you are probably a groomer or at least you don\u2019t denounce the grooming of 4-8 year old children. Silence is complicity. This is how it works, Democrats, and I didn\u2019t make the rules.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Christina Pushaw \ud83d\udc0a \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@ChristinaPushaw) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChristinaPushaw\/status\/1499890719691051008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 4, 2022<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThat was one thing, I think, that really set off media activists, because they are not used to us conservatives using their tactics against them,\u201d she said. \u201cWhy should we accept their framing and defend ourselves from these completely ridiculous and absurd accusations when the main issue is that Democrats are lobbying against a bill that just protects kids from gender indoctrination in kindergarten?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pushaw, a California native, began working for DeSantis in May 2021 after working for several years at conservative and libertarian-leaning organizations. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/07\/27\/ron-desantis-christina-pushaw-washington-post-twitter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(RELATED: DeSantis\u2019 Spokeswoman Shreds WaPo For 2,000-Word Article Whining About Her Tweets)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Criticisms of Pushaw generally focus on her aggressive approach to Twitter, such as the 2,000-word article complaining about her tweets <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/media\/2022\/07\/27\/christina-pushaw-desantis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">published<\/a> in The Washington Post July 27.<\/p>\n<p>The Associated Press <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2021\/08\/21\/ap-desantis-bullying-reporter-506493\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pushed<\/a> Twitter to suspend her account in August 2021 after she tweeted criticisms of an AP article which had insinuated that Florida\u2019s monoclonal antibody treatments were part of a corruption scheme, including tweets that read \u201cdrag them\u201d and which told the author she would \u201cput [him] on blast.\u201d She said the suggestions of corruption were inaccurate despite lengthy clarifications she provided to the author, and she thought the article could have scared people away from using the treatment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI try to directly refute and debunk misinformation, disinformation and flat-out smears from the the media as well as from some partisan critics, and that\u2019s how I really use my Twitter account,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Pushaw sometimes shares screenshots of her interactions with journalists on Twitter if she takes issue with the way a story is being framed or thinks statements from her office are being misrepresented. But her office receives hundreds of emails from journalists on a daily basis, and if an inquiry is in bad faith, rests on a faulty premise or is repeating partisan talking points, she first addresses the issue directly with the reporter, she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith the national media, oftentimes it seems like they\u2019ve written the story before they reach out to us and they don\u2019t give us adequate chances to respond. Even if we do respond, they will cut up our answers,\u201d she said. \u201cI try to work with every reporter before they write the story. If a reporter doesn\u2019t give anyone on my team a chance to respond but just publishes something, then I\u2019ll call them out publicly. If they publish something that\u2019s not true but it looks like they\u2019re trying to get it right, I will reach out to them directly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This approach doesn\u2019t apply to every writer, Pushaw explained.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s with actual journalists. There are some people that I don\u2019t consider to be journalists, like Taylor Lorenz (the Washington Post columnist), or the ladies of The View; they\u2019re commentators. They\u2019re pundits, and they have a track record of repeating things that aren\u2019t true,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy Redfern, press secretary for the Florida Department of Health, said Pushaw\u2019s strategy is precisely what DeSantis needs in the face of unrelenting and biased media coverage.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe understands the moment, and she understand the passion that the Governor has to do what is right for Floridians,\u201d he told the DCNF.<\/p>\n<p>Throughout the interview Pushaw frequently redirected the focus back to DeSantis, particularly to his achievements and to what she believes the media has gotten wrong about his administration. Pushaw has been <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/business-health-arts-and-entertainment-coronavirus-pandemic-philanthropy-ae3f2d37495c5a1d6c7eb2e18f825b26\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">featured<\/a> in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/miami\/news\/twitter-suspects-account-christina-pushaw-ron-desantis-press-secretary-bully-harrassing-ap-reporter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">numerous<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/01\/31\/us\/politics\/desantis-media.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">articles<\/a> from <a href=\"https:\/\/slate.com\/podcasts\/what-next\/2022\/04\/christina-pushaw-says-a-controversial-florida-law-is-anti-grooming\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">national<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/08\/04\/ron-desantis-spokesperson-teases-major-announcement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">media<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/local\/tampa-bay\/2021\/08\/23\/ap-ron-desantis-christina-pushaw-harassment-reporter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">outlets<\/a>, but she insists the attention is misguided.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey try to make me into this powerful figure when I am really a communications staffer,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact <a href=\"mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Christina Pushaw, the press secretary for Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, outlined her approach to dealing with the corporate media in an interview with the Daily Caller News Foundation. It\u2019s<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1593301","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1593301","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1593301"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1593301\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1593301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1593301"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1593301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}