Florida gov takes aim at media for Super Bowl virus coverage

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis again lashed out at the news media when he suggested Wednesday a bias in coverage of the pandemic, even as concerns swirl over more contagious strains of COVID-19 potentially spreading at gatherings celebrating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' victory in the Super Bowl.

“The media is worried about that, obviously," DeSantis said during a news conference in Venice.

“You don’t care as much when it’s a peaceful protest,” he continued. “You don’t care as much if you’re celebrating a Biden election. You only care about if it’s people you don’t like.”

DeSantis has routinely asserted that there is a bias against conservatives and Republicans, particularly among reporters who have asked tough and sometimes uncomfortable questions about the governor's handling of the public health crisis.

But when a journalist asked DeSantis about the spread of a more contagious variant of the virus in the context of super-spreader events following the Super Bowl, the governor took it as an unjustified hit against the home team.

“I’m a Bucs fan,” the governor proclaimed. "I’m damned proud of what they did on Sunday night.”

The Bucs’ hometown scheduled a boat parade Wednesday afternoon along the Hillsborough River -- a celebration officials said was more conducive to social distancing. They invited fans to join in, but urged them to wear masks and to keep their distance along Tampa’s Riverwalk.

After the Buccaneers’ victory, celebrations erupted across the region — and prompted maskless throngs to spill into streets.

DeSantis himself did not appear to be wearing a mask — at least at times — while attending the Super Bowl. He later quipped that he couldn't drink with a mask, according to an account by...