New York City mayor Bill de Blasio came out swinging Friday on the Big Apple’s local WNYC radio channel, denouncing the city’s “corporate media” and warning that tabloids like the New York Post were “harmful” and “divisive.”
“I think the tabloid culture — and I’ve said it very publicly — I think has been harmful to New York City. It sensationalizes and often divides us. It has for a long long time and the Post is the leading edge of that.” said de Blasio during an interview with host Brian Lehrer.
“I believe the Post is not only right wing, not only distorts the facts on a regular basis but is divisive,” he added. “Just look at the headlines every day, and look at the dog whistling that goes on in the New York Post all the time. Come on. No, I will not shed a tear if that newspaper is no longer here.”
“I think there’s a problem with mainstream media,” de Blasio continued. “I have felt this my whole life. This is not new to my role as mayor. We have a corporate media. It is based on a free enterprise model. It is based on selling things. I don’t think that’s helping. I think that leads to a lot of distortions.”
The mayor went on to say he was a big fan of the city’s public media and “subscription” media like the Guardian — a notably left wing publication.
De Blasio was grilled by Lehrer over disparaging remarks he had made in emails about both the city’s mainstream and partisan media.
In the emails between him and the consulting firm BerlinRosen, de Blasio showed a broad disdain for seemingly any publication that gave him critical press. De Blasio was forced to release the email after a law suit was brought by The New York Post and NY1.
“I don’t think the coverage has reflected the work we’re doing or the impact its having on the people in this city,” de Blasio continued. “A lot of the coverage is always personalities and sensationalization.”
You can listen to the full interview here.