Emboldened by her sure re-election, Mayor Michelle Wu is now taking a web page out of Donald Trump’s playbook, attacking the media for not absolutely backing her assertion that Boston is the most secure main metropolis within the nation.
The heavy-handed Wu, who gained 72% of the vote on this month’s preliminary election, forcing her solely opponent to drop out, apparently needs extra.
Wu is now transferring to buff up her picture by having whole management of what the media writes about Boston.
Wu, who has acquired nearly common optimistic protection in most publications, web pages, and radio and TV stations in Massachusetts, complained falsely that the media hasn’t written a “single piece” on town’s low murder price.
She made the accusation on considered one of her many media secure areas, a fawning radio speak present she will get to look on each month. She additionally expanded on her beef with the media in a speech to a enterprise group the place a lot of the main executives are Wu supporters as a result of they don’t need to cross her and face retribution.
In taking goal on the media, Wu included the pleasant Boston Globe, owned by the Pink Sox’s John Henry, who has a significant growth mission within the Fenway space.
“Especially if you may not live and breathe Boston every day, sometimes what you read in the Globe or other outlets picks at different things that are happening,” she mentioned.
By that, Wu apparently means she doesn’t need the media reporting on any crimes, just like the shootings, stabbings, robberies and assaults that happen in Boston nearly daily.
Just like the stabbing in East Boston yesterday, or the bare man armed with a big knife who got here out of a Beacon Hill restaurant. Or the rampant crime and drug use within the South Finish round Mass and Cass.
“We want to get better every single day, but last year Boston had the safest year ever on record. The number of homicides that the city recorded was far and away the lowest of any major city nationally, and the lowest that we had seen since we started recording data 70 years ago,” she mentioned.
“Throughout that entire time, the Boston Globe didn’t even write a single piece, and to this day, still hasn’t really delved into how that happened,” the primary time period mayor added.
It’s ironic that Wu is popping to President Trump’s technique for attacking the media, since she is considered one of Trump’s primary enemies. But when it really works, why not?
“Boston’s homicide rate was by far the lowest in absolute numbers and per capita by residents, and certainly the lowest in our city’s history,” she mentioned. “Certain members of our lovely, accountable, local press corps reminded me that if you cut it a certain way, Mesa, Arizona had a slightly lower rate than we did. I’m sorry, Mesa, but if you don’t have all sports teams, you’re not a real city, okay?”
Wu apparently doesn’t depend San Diego as a significant metropolis, as a result of they don’t have a soccer, hockey or basketball workforce. That permits her to dismiss San Diego’s murder price, which is decrease than Boston’s. Identical with Fort Value, Texas and Las Vegas, which even have decrease violent crime charges than Boston however don’t depend as “major” cities beneath Wu’s handy sports activities formulation.
Wu’s cost in regards to the media was not a mistake or a random remark – it had a particular objective. She needs the story of Boston advised her approach.
She is aware of that her technique may have a chilling impact, forcing the media to conform together with her request or face repercussions, like slowing down Henry’s growth initiatives.
It’s already working, for the reason that Globe was pressured to place hyperlinks in its story to indicate that it’s been towing her line, all of the items which were written about Boston’s low murder price.
However possibly it will simply be higher for Wu if her press workplace controls the narrative about Boston to any extent further.
