Fake News: CBS can't believe that Flordia might ban a book for simply having a black character

It’s been a banner week in the media, both mainstream and fringe when it comes to education in Florida under Gov. Ron DeSantis. A few days after her remarks in an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell read a statement on air saying that she used “imprecise” wording when she said that DeSantis didn’t want slavery and its aftermath taught to schoolchildren. Then the was TheGrio, which published a piece by David A. Love that kicked off saying that “people are now faced with the reality that in places like Florida, books that discuss Black history or even mention Black people are now illegal”.

“CBS This Morning” decided to wade into the quagmire Saturday morning with a couple of children’s book authors and illustrators on hand as experts. They seemed concerned that Lupita Nyong’o “Sulwe” was on DeSantis’ chopping block for featuring a black character.

.@CBSNews Suggests Florida May Ban Book For Simply A Having Black Character https://t.co/Mn3JtWy0iJ

— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) February 25, 2023

Alex Christy reports for Newsbusters that host Michelle Miller had an “important footnote” to the story:

An important footnote to the story. “Sulwe” has been banned in some Florida schools and might be banned statewide under the Stop Woke Act. [Illustrator Vashti] Harrison says it’s disappointing and upsetting, but she will continue to work on stories with diverse characters. The fact that Sulwe, a character, trying to find her identity and be okay with it would be banned because she’s a black character, she just couldn’t believe it, but these are stories for everyone.

Christy adds:

Miller provided no evidence that a statewide ban is probable beyond simply asserting it. This is also the second Saturday in a row, CBS has had trouble with the state of books in Florida. News reports on “Sulwe” bans center on Duval County, which is the same county that saw a substitute teacher fired for spreading misinformation about the state of school libraries and the manufactured Roberto Clemente controversy that was ginned up by political activists trying to make a scene.