Community Corner
Fox News Pulls Teacher Union Ad Criticizing Trump, McConnell On Reopening Schools
A 30-second political ad criticizing Trump and McConnell on the reopening of schools was rejected by Fox News, which stated no reason why.
By Danielle J. Brown
August 26, 2020
A 30-second political ad criticizing President Donald Trump and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on the reopening of schools was supposed to air on the Fox News Channel during the Republican National Convention.
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But the ad by American Federation of Teachers was pulled from its slot, according to a press release from AFT.
Fox News, at least in the past, had been a Trump favorite, though it has soured recently and described Fox as “fake news,” according to the Mediaite outlet.
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The AFT, a national teacher union, submitted the ad to both FOX News and CNN, to run prime time on Wednesday and Thursday of the convention.
The ad highlights the difficulties of reopening schools in the midst of COVID-19, criticizing Trump and McConnell for having “no plan” to address how to reopen schools safely amid a pandemic, and urging viewers to “say ‘no’ to Trump and McConnell’s chaos.”
Fox News rejected the ad without reason, according to the press release. It will still run on CNN Wednesday and Thursday.
“There are great journalists who work at Fox News,” AFT President Randi Weingarten said in a written statement, “but it seems executives want to pick and choose how to apply the First Amendment when it comes to brave teachers telling the truth about who’s to blame for the current chaos of school reopenings.”
The Florida Phoenix reached out to FOX News for a statement on the pulled ad. The news organization has not responded.
In addition to speaking on the national level, the AFT has been vocal about how schools should safely reopen in Florida.
The AFT and several of their affiliate Florida unions support a lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran, and other officials over an emergency order that compels school districts to reopen brick-and-mortar schools by the end of August.
The Florida Education Association’s lawsuit says not all schools are safe and that local school boards, under the Florida Constitution, should be making decisions on reopenings.
The emergency order is now under appeal at the First District Court of Appeals in Tallahassee.
This story was originally published by the Florida Phoenix. For more stories from the Florida Phoenix, visit FloridaPhoenix.com.
