Monday’s ABC World News Tonight joined both NBC’s flagship morning and evening newscasts in smearing 2024 presidential candidate and Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) by linking the DeSantis administration’s African-American history standards to the racist mass shooter who killed three innocent shoppers at a Dollar General in a predominantly black neighborhood in Jacksonville, Florida.
As NewsBusters’s Managing Editor Curtis Houck reported earlier Monday, NBC’s Today was the only network to ghoulishly smear DeSantis during their morning newscast. All that changed later in the evening when ABC’s World News Tonight and NBC Nightly News joined in on the vile smears.
Correspondent Alex Presha hyped DeSantis getting booed during a vigil held in Jacksonville and subsequently tied the racist shooting to Florida's educational reforms: "Governor Ron DeSantis, who has signed laws to restrict how race is taught in Florida public schools, was booed."
Presha then touted Biden's Monday meeting with civil rights leaders and his statement on the shooting. "President Biden asked about the shooting just before meeting with Dr. King's family members and other civil rights leaders at the White House," Presha added.
Meanwhile on NBC Nightly News, incoming White House correspondent Gabe Gutierrez similarly tied the shooting to Flordia's educational standards: "At a prayer vigil, Governor Ron DeSantis faced boos from the crowd."
"After previously drawing backlash over efforts to change black history teaching standards in Florida's public schools. Today the governor announced the state would set aside $1 million to beef up security at Edward Waters University," Gutierrez proclaimed.
This biased coverage from ABC & NBC was made possible by Fidelity on ABC, and Liberty Mutual on NBC. Their information is linked.
The transcripts are below:
ABC’s World News Tonight
8/28/2023
6:45:38 p.m. EasternALEX PRESHA: At a vigil Sunday, Governor Ron DeSantis, who has signed laws to restrict how race is taught in Florida public schools, was booed.
UNIDENTIFIED LOCAL OFFICIAL: We’re going to ask the governor to come—
[CROWD BOOING]
PRESHA: The governor condemning the shooting.
GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS (R-FL): We are not gonna let people be targeted based on their race.
PRESHA: President Biden asked about the shooting just before meeting with Dr. King's family members and other civil rights leaders at the White House.
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: We can't let hate prevail.
PRESHA: Tonight, family members of the victims praying that their loved ones spark change.
ASHLEY CARR: I hope that this really does spark something for people to take a stand.
NBC Nightly News
8/28/2023
6:39:42 p.m. EasternGOVERNOR RON DESANTIS (R-FL): What he did is totally unacceptable in the state of Florida.
GABE GUTIERREZ: At a prayer vigil, Governor Ron DeSantis faced boos from the crowd.
[CROWD BOOING]
GUTIERREZ: After previously drawing backlash over efforts to change black history teaching standards in Florida's public schools. Today the governor announced the state would set aside $1 million to beef up security at Edward Waters University. Lester?
