Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ press secretary Christina Pushaw rebuked The Washington Post and reporter Taylor Lorenz Wednesday for their coverage of the “Libs of Tik Tok” Twitter account while declining an interview request.
Lorenz referenced Pushaw’s interactions with Libs of Tik Tok in a Tuesday story about the account to support her claim that the account was “directly impacting legislation.” A second Washington Post reporter contacted Pushaw Wednesday to request an interview for a feature story about her, according to screenshots Pushaw shared on Twitter.
Pushaw said she did not trust The Washington Post to cover her fairly after it revealed the identity, address and other private details of Chaya Raichik, the woman who created the Libs of Tik Tok account, before publicly denying it had published her personal details.
My response: pic.twitter.com/Uknoa3H2j3
— Christina Pushaw 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) April 20, 2022
“In fact, your paper did provide a link to Raichik’s real estate license, which included her address,” Pushaw said. “This put Raichik in danger, and it is appalling that a columnist who has been so outspoken about the harms of online harassment and doxxing would do the same thing to a woman that she disagrees with on politics.”
Statement from @cameronbarr re: reporting from @TaylorLorenz pic.twitter.com/RsGw950t78
— Kristine Coratti Kelly (@kriscoratti) April 19, 2022
Pushaw also criticized the decision to target the Libs of Tik Tok account, which reposts videos that have already been shared publicly.
“Wielding the power of a national newspaper to intimidate a private citizen for the thoughtcrime of reposting TikTok videos, that liberal creators posted publicly, is not journalism,” Pushaw wrote. “It is bullying, and I do not trust that a newspaper that elevates this sociopathic behavior will cover me fairly.”
Pushaw alleged Lorenz reached out to her for comment only an hour before her deadline for the Libs of Tik Tok story and incorrectly claimed press secretaries create legislation. (RELATED: WaPo Journalist Sobs During MSNBC Interview, Says Tweets Gave Her ‘Severe PTSD’)
The article unmasking the Libs of Tik Tok creator characterized her as anti-LGBT and hateful, drawing on comments from transgender activists who argued that exposing controversial classroom instruction amounts to bigotry against the transgender and gay community. It failed to include any voices of support for the account’s work and did not engage with the content Libs of Tik Tok exposed, such as teachers having explicit sexual conversations with children.
Lorenz and The Washington Post did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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