US- Mayor de Blasio forced to defend his grasp on reality of New York City
Ns News Online Desk: The only reality Mayor de Blasio accepts is his own. A Post reporter asked Hizzoner during a virtual City Hall press briefing Wednesday about his tendency to challenge the premise of reporters questions as factually inaccurate instead of answering them.
“Do you think that maybe you simply 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’ve spent so much time with my fellow New Yorkers,” the mayor answered.
“If I think something’s not factually correct or a misinterpretation of reality my job is to tell people the truth as I know it,” he explained. De Blasio also insisted he plays an altruistic role in city life, while suggesting reporters have questionable motives.
“I see the world from the perspective of, ‘How can I help people? How can I address their problems.’ The media has a different imperative and that’s fine. Everyone has a different role to play,” he said.
Over the last several weeks Hizzoner has disagreed with reporters from nearly all of the dozen or so outlets who regularly call in to his briefings, saying he doesn’t accept how they ask questions on topics including the NYPD and outdoor dining.
“I believe that you believe what you’re saying,” de Blasio told a Gothamist reporter during a June 5 press briefing after the journalist recounted how he watched cops charge at protesters in the South Bronx the night before. “We had observers from City Hall who saw a very different reality,” de Blasio said.