The only reality that Mayor de Blasio accepts is his.
A Post journalist asked Hizzoner during a virtual City Council press conference on Wednesday about his tendency to question the premise of reporters’ questions as objectively inaccurate rather than answering them.
“Do you think maybe you just have a very different perception of reality in this city than most New Yorkers?” The Post asked.
“No. I think I have a perception of life in this city because I have spent a lot of time with my fellow New Yorkers,” replied the mayor.
“If I think something is wrong or a misinterpretation of reality, my job is to tell people the truth as I know it,” he explained.
De Blasio also insisted that he plays an altruistic role in city life, while suggesting that journalists have questionable motives.
“I see the world from the perspective of ‘How can I help people? How can I address your problems? The media has a different imperative and it’s fine. Everyone has a different role to play, ”he said.
For the past few weeks, Hizzoner has disagreed with reporters from almost all the dozens of media outlets who regularly call his briefings, saying he doesn’t accept how they ask questions on topics including NYPD and cookouts. free.
“I think you believe what you are saying,” de Blasio told a Gotham journalist during a press conference on June 5 after the journalist recounted how he saw police accuse protesters in the South Bronx the night before.
“We had observers from the City Council who saw a very different reality,” said de Blasio.
Just Tuesday, when a Wall Street Journal reporter asked Hizzoner about help for restaurants that only have outdoor space to operate at 10 percent of their indoor capacity, the mayor questioned the premise of the question.
“It is an important question, but first I want to say that I do not agree with you in the restaurants that use the outdoor space,” de Blasio said.
In April, School Chancellor Richard Carranza became aware of his boss’s question evasion tactics.
A Bloomberg News journalist asked how the Department of Education did a “quality check” on online learning since student attendance was not taken.
“I will totally disagree with the premise of the question. Assistance is being taken, ”said Carranza.
The Post has reported that the DOE tracked “daily interactions” rather than actual attendance with students during the spring coronavirus-induced remote learning system. One teacher said the approach was pointless because all a student had to do was press a “deliver” button in Google Classroom or send a text message to an instructor to record an “interaction.”
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