Rick Scott Has No Use for In-State Newspapers

[finehoe]

I'm still struggling to wrap my head around the notion that this guy is the chief executive of one of the nation's largest states.

[Republican Gov. Rick Scott] pulled no punches when asked about his consumption of Florida media. When asked if he read Florida newspapers, Scott responded with a blunt "no."

How does the state's 45th governor know what's going on? He said he relies on staffers to share clippings and he reads papers in other states "to see what they are doing."

I see. The governor of Florida likes to read newspapers from states other than Florida. How unconventional of him.

This is, of course, the same governor who issued a gag order to agency heads when dealing with journalists, and has ejected reporters from public events.

Do Floridians have any idea who they just elected? Should anyone be surprised that an unreformed criminal is off to a bizarre start as a governor?

This has the feel of a reality show gone horribly awry.

[copperfiend]

Con artist

[riverside planner]

Way to keep up with the constituents!

[Charles Hunter]

Way to keep up with the constituents!

I edited your statement for you:
Way to keep up with the constituents subjects!

[Charles Hunter]

StephenDare for the WIN! 

[Jumpinjack]

How nice to find out he can read.

[Jaxson]

Could someone educate me on what Scott is missing out by not reading Florida newspapers? Is it the up to date information? The unbiased reporting? The thoroughly researched articles? The Comics page? Evidently, he has others gather all of that value for him---saving him the trouble of wading through the other garbage. That actually sounds like an efficient use of an executive's time.

My initial reaction was that if other Florida newspapers are remotely similar to FTU, then he actually went up a notch in my book by NOT reading them.

There are good newspapers in Florida --- e.g. The St. Petersburg Times and The Miami Herald.  Together, they do a commendable job of covering state politics.  If not for them and their Tallahassee bureau (The Times and Herald have joined forces), our state government would be a lot less accessible and accountable to the people.  I wonder if the governor protests too much simply because the lion's share of our state's newspapers endorsed the other person in 2010.

[finehoe]

My initial reaction was that if other Florida newspapers are remotely similar to FTU, then he actually went up a notch in my book by NOT reading them.

Most other papers in the state aren't written on an eighth-grade level like the Times-Onion.  Even the Gainesville Sun is more informative than our fishwrapper.

And as Jaxson mentioned, the Miami Herald and the St. Pete Times are regularly ranked as some of the best newspapers in the country.

[Ocklawaha]

Hell, I check out the BBC and Radio Moscow...

OCKLAWAHA

[simms3]

Well if keeping up with state politics is the best reason to read a state paper, then I'm sure that Rick Scott, being governor and all, is actually one step ahead of reporters/journalists.

I don't even have an educated opinion on the guy, and he's not my governor, but this story just seems stupid.  He's governor of the 4th, practically 3rd biggest state and he doubtfully has time to pour through a state paper that will give him news he most likely already knows.  He gives journalists news to report, and he hears about state going ons before most journalists do.  Who cares that he doesn't waste time reading about something that either doesn't add to his job or something he already knows?  He can go back to reading a paper after he leaves or is impeached from office.

Reading a paper, he will most likely read about something he said or did the day before .  Waste of time!

[stjr]

Maybe he doesn't read papers because he isn't capable of self assessment.  That ingrained lack of consciousness seems to have been present in his past and I doubt it's going to change while he is governor.  Expect him to be a bull in the china shop without fear of consequences going forward. From his actions so far, I don't think the state's papers are all he will be ignoring.  It looks like he is also going to ignore a legislature controlled by his own party.  And, of course, us his constituents, subjects, marks, brainless voters, lackeys, peasants, obstructionist human beings, etc. 

As to reading the Florida Times Union, many would consider it his kind of paper.  They regularly endorse the things he stands for.  Just this week the T-U editorially endorsed his (and Tony Sleiman's) approach to impact fees being eliminated.  If he can't find "comfort food" for his mind in the T-U, he won't do any better elsewhere.

[letters and numbers]

Hey what an idiot that guy is! Man im glad I didnt vote for him too bad he won.

[ChriswUfGator]

Hey what an idiot that guy is! Man im glad I didnt vote for him too bad he won.

+1

[Jaxson]

Maybe he doesn't read papers because he isn't capable of self assessment.  That ingrained lack of consciousness seems to have been present in his past and I doubt it's going to change while he is governor.  Expect him to be a bull in the china shop without fear of consequences going forward. From his actions so far, I don't think the state's papers are all he will be ignoring.  It looks like he is also going to ignore a legislature controlled by his own party.  And, of course, us his constituents, subjects, marks, brainless voters, lackeys, peasants, obstructionist human beings, etc. 

As to reading the Florida Times Union, many would consider it his kind of paper.  They regularly endorse the things he stands for.  Just this week the T-U editorially endorsed his (and Tony Sleiman's) approach to impact fees being eliminated.  If he can't find "comfort food" for his mind in the T-U, he won't do any better elsewhere.

What is even crazier is that he couldn't even bother to give a shout out to his hometown paper -  the Naples Daily News!  He must not have made many friends at that Scripps-Howard daily.

[tayana42]

Scott (he doesn't deserve a title) has made enemies of the Florida media by his very strict policies of limited access and his refusal to answer questions about his questionable business background (a matter that may still come back to bite him on his ass).  So he probably said he doesn't read the local papers a a way to slight them.  I guarantee he reads them, or at least clippings from them prepared by his minions.

Perhaps he thinks that it was so easy to steal thousands of millions of our tax dollars when he ran Health Care America that he might find a way to steal from the people of FLorida. 

It's hard to prosecute a guy with 300 million in the bank, but who knows what might turn up.