Stephen King spreads year-old debunked story on Gov. DeSantis

Greg P. | 11:41 AM on July 06, 2022

Just to follow up on this post from yesterday, author Stephen King is the latest blue-check to share the year-old debunked story that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill forcing students and professors to register their political views with the state:

DeSantis signs bill requiring Florida students, professors to register political views with state.

I. Can't. Even.

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) July 6, 2022

It was a lie a year ago, as determined by PolitiFact:

Liar https://t.co/NdseGyPMvO

— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) July 6, 2022

From PolitiFact:

Our ruling

DeSantis recently signed legislation requiring public colleges and universities to survey “intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity” to gauge in part how comfortable students, faculty and staff feel sharing their beliefs in classrooms.

The survey hasn’t been created yet, so we don’t know what it will ask students, faculty and staff at these institutions. But a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Education told us it will be voluntary and won’t ask about individuals’ political beliefs, though surveys in other states that lawmakers have cited as inspiration for the bill do.

But, as written, the law doesn’t require public college and university students, faculty and staff to register their political views with the state.

We rate the post False.

But do blue-checks even care? Here’s Rick Wilson sharing the Salon story from a year ago that’s going viral again today: