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Peter Schorsch's Racist Tweet

August 27, 2018 - 12:00pm

No one ever confused Peter Schorsch with Heywood Campbell Broun, Ernie Pyle, Nellie Bly, or even the rawest cub reporter.

Schorsch is the St. Petersburg-based owner of Florida Politics -- the widely acknowledged pay-for-play echo chamber for Florida politicians, political operatives, and lobbyists -- that lamely attempts to pass itself off as a “news” website.

On Saturday, the day before the “Souls to the Polls” American ritual, Schorsch posted the abhorrent tweet you see on this page. His vile sentiments went viral before he could pull it. The fact that Schorsch’s racist garbage received seven likes and one retweet mystifies.

Horrified readers carpet-bombed social media with the off-the-wall tweet. Schorsch, for all his blunders and indiscretions, now gets no credit for a modicum of common sense.

He owes Andrew Gillum, who remains above such battles, an apology. No one familiar with Schorsch is holding his breath. He is self-loathing and insecure; I have emails attesting to that.

Andrew Gillum, unlike Schorsch, is proud of himself and his roots. The Tallahassee mayor touts himself as the only non-millionaire running in the Democratic primary and recounts his humble beginnings.

The Florida electorate has had to bear for seven months Gwen Graham’s bleatings about her gender and lineage because she has no accomplishments that appeal to Democrats (or Republicans for that matter). From Schorsch, not a peep. We don’t have to wonder why.

This isn’t Florida Politics’ first brush with bigotry. Breitbart News accused one of Schorsch’s “reporters,” Phil Ammann, of anti-Semitism. Yes, Breitbart, which also noted that Florida Politics reported Congressman Bill Young’s death two days prematurely.

Besides bigotry and accuracy woes, Schorsch’s lack of integrity seems to make regular headlines.

Schorsch was drummed out of the Florida Press Association because of ethical lapses. It is difficult to comprehend how he obtained membership in the first place.

The News Service of Florida sued Schorsch over copyright infringement, as reported by the Miami Herald. Sunshine State News last year called out Schorsch for his ethics being MIA.

Saturday’s blatant bigotry in a public forum reflects a new low for Schorsch. The plug was pulled on his credibility long ago; now, even common decency has fallen by the wayside.

 

Jim Bleyer, a former reporter at the Orlando Sentinel and Tampa Tribune, writes the Tampa Bay Beat blog.

Comments

It was a funny tweet and it is exactly what Gillum is doing. He is telling voters he is black because for some inexplicable reason, most black people didnt know this a month ago. Now whose fault is that? Its Gillums.

That one link about a lawsuit over copyright infringement is 3 years old.... What was the outcome of that litigation, assuming it's been resolved?

Think it's time to deal with the reason the First Amendment, was and is first. Think the ACLU knows - anyway.

Speech is free doesn't mean you don't have to be responsible for it. It's other's free speech telling him where to go, etc is fair game too...……….Look at Trump where his free speech may get him sent to jail by admitting to collusion between him and Cohen to hide campaign contributions on tape along with interfering with an investigation, intimidating witnesses, federal officials, etc. ………. And his slander case coming up where his free speech, lies, are ending up in court soon...……...And several other tax evasion, etc trails coming up in state court where he has no power, immunity. So keep on talking Trump, digging your hole deeper...………. By November Trump will be so toxic repubs will go down that back him...…... ;^)…………..Decent repubs to save the party should vote Dem or the repub party will be lost, going the way of the No Nothings they resemble now...……..Sad a party I once looked up to, learned to be a fiscal conservative from has fallen so, so far down .

the best way to stiffle free speech is to accuse someone of being racist. That said, I'm a free speech advocate and so I disagree with the censorship that has people's careers and lives destroyed because they either say something stupid or deemed as offensive. The point of free speech is to protect speech that people find objectionable. But in our society, we make it clear we do not have the right to say what we think without risk of being marked with a scarlet letter. We are turning ourselves into a band of people who will only think what the majority tells us to think and will never risk saying anything that might offend anybody, which could be anything we say

You are confused. Free speech comes with accepting the consequences of it...in this case being called out for pure racism.

His tweet was funny and right target! That seems to be the primary message of Mr. Gillum's campaign ads. I think he had a limited amount of money so he came out with the BIG GUNS for his constituents! I would never vote on the basis of race OR gender, but rather on their voting record and position on key issues.

Is this like the pot calling the kettle black? [no racism intended]........."Who Owns Sunshine State News? Big Sugar, hiding in plain daylight .." http://eyeonmiami.blogspot.com/2015/07/who-owns-sunshine-state-news-big-sugar.html?m=1

Eye on Miami proved nothing except what you WANT it to. Read the story. Then find somebody to do their homework. I have known Nancy Smith and knew her husband for many years. I do invesitigations for a living. If you can prove Sunshine News belongs to sugar and I can't, I will hang up my license.

Sounds like a Bleyer vs. Schorsch schoolyard rant to me. Schorsch's floridapolitics.com website looks pretty comprehensive! And, I sure don't think Schorsch's tweet was racist.

Are you a fiction writer? Whatever anyone’s motives you conjure up, the tweet was racist. Schorsch himself knew that becsuse he deleted it.

Thanks for the mention, but at least you could have spelled my name right, Mr. "Reporter."

"the widely acknowledged pay-for-play echo chamber for Florida politicians, political operatives, and lobbyists -- that lamely attempts to pass itself off as a “news” website" Sounds just like the Sunshine State News. Only need to add GOP somewhere in there.

Can't let this go without a reply. One thing Sunshine State News is not and never has been is pay-for-play. SSN announces itself as exactly what it is, a right-of-center news site that takes the side of issues seldom reflected by the dominant mainstream media in Tallahassee. But no "clients" pay us to take their side, ever.

Very interesting that your editors deleted the comment of mine that you replied to here. Makes my point Nancy.

Nothing was deleted. The comment I reply to is above mine.

How lame are you and Sunshine State News going to get? The comment now above yours has no content related your reply. Nor does the chain of replies that follow your reply. Does right-leaning mean you can lie with impunity like Trump does? RESTORE MY COMMENT PLEASE.

But you lamely attempt to pass yourselves off as a “news” website!

I could say the same and worse for mainstream media sites in Florida, most less honest than we are, professing to be evenhanded and nonpartisan yet as we speak conducting virulent campaigns against political enemies. You think that isn't lame?

Lame is lame! You could take the higher toad but instead feel justified in tit-for-tat reporting.

Comments are now closed.

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