The Young Turks has issued an apology after giving airtime to a discredited Democratic activist and Ron DeSantis critic. Co-host Ana Kasparian admitted that she had allowed her personal biases to stand in the way of factual reporting.
Kasparian admitted that she had allowed her personal biases against DeSantis to blind her to the facts in this case. She apologized for giving air time to Rebekah Jones, a former Florida Department of Health data analyst who had accused the DeSantis administration of altering the state’s coronavirus data. It was later found that her claims were false.
Kasparian also noted that the mainstream media had been the first to promote Jones’ false narrative. CNN had given Jones numerous on-air appearances on programs like “New Day,” “Out Front with Erin Burnett,” and Chris Cuomo’s show, “Cuomo Prime Time.”
The co-host added that she regretted promoting the Jones GoFundMe fundraiser claiming DeSantis had kidnapped her son.
“I should’ve done my due diligence, and I failed to do so. By failing to do so, I feel like I misled the audience into thinking that Rebekah Jones is some sort of hero,” Kasparian confessed.
Ana Kasparian admits that TYT didn’t fact check the Rebekah Jones nonsense due to her not liking DeSantis & wanting to get him. She acknowledges this was the reason the media ran with the claims as well. She apologizes to audience members who donated to her scam GoFundMe as well pic.twitter.com/cPCbBLi78H
— Sean Fitzgerald (Actual Justice Warrior) (@IamSean90) April 13, 2023
The Young Turks host wasn’t the only liberal to jump onto Jones allegations however once the facts started coming out everyone backed off.
From the Pensacola New Journal:
Embattled former state of Florida employee Rebekah Jones announced on Twitter Wednesday night that her 13-year-old son had been arrested in Santa Rosa County for “digital threats of terrorism.”
According to the tweets, Jones said an officer told her a warrant had been issued for her son’s arrest after authorities received an anonymous report about messages her son shared in a Snapchat group.
…
According to Jones, a threat assessment was completed in which both local police and the school signed off on the messages not being a threat. Two weeks later, Jones says her son was then arrested. When Jones asked the officers who ordered the arrest, she says an officer told her “it was the state.”
That was when she went on social media to claim DeSantis ordered her sons arrest and started fundraising.
My family is not safe. My son has been taken on the gov’s orders, and I’ve had to send my husband and daughter out of state for their safety.
THIS is the reality of living in DeSantis’ Florida.
There is no freedom here. Only retaliatory rule by a fascist who wishes to be king
— Rebekah Jones (@GeoRebekah) April 6, 2023
