Setzler gets apology from Bluestein for mischaracterizing Press Conference

We told you last week how State Rep and Democrat candidate for Lieutenant Governor Erick Allen lied on Twitter about whether he invited State Rep Ed Setzler to the microphone to speak to the media during a press conference. And yes, Rep Allen did in fact lie when he responded to a post that Setzler was not invited. We know this know because Claire Simms, a reporter for Atlanta’s Fox 5, posted the video of when Rep Allen waved for Setzler to take the mic.

Video doesn’t lie, but Rep Allen, well, not so much.

We also told you how the press in Atlanta, this time specifically Greg Bluestein of the AJC/MSNBC had jumped all over Rep Setzler, calling the latter’s behavior a, “hijacking.”

By Friday evening, much to his credit, Bluestein had reached out to Rep Setzler and apologized. This appeared in the AJC’s Jolt today:

Mea culpa! Last week, Bluestein tweeted that state Rep. Ed Setzler “hijacked” a Democratic press conference about Cobb County redistricting. It’s more complicated than that, and we offered Setzler our apology a few days ago. Our pal Claire Simms from Fox 5 Atlanta posted the entire video of the event, complete with a different reporter asking Setzler to go to the microphone during the event to offer his thoughts on the issue at hand.

Here is the problem: Erick Allen lied about one of his colleagues and the media took what he said and ran with it. It took me 30 minutes to find 3 people who were there and saw the whole thing happen. Everyone there knew Allen was lying but Bluestein was so incredibly quick to retweet a false narrative.

That being said, I am truly impressed that Bluestein owned up to it and called Setzler to personally apologize. That took character and I honor it. I just wish it wasn’t necessary in the first place. Even since then Bluestein has published a story about Stacey Abrams not wearing a mask for a photo-op with school children that again mischaracterizes the nature of conservative criticism of that event. Hint: it’s not about the mask, it about the hypocrisy.

I just don’t know where these seeming biases end.

One Reply to “Setzler gets apology from Bluestein for mischaracterizing Press Conference”

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