New Florida Bill Proposes Bloggers Who Cover Government Register With State

A Florida state senator has proposed a bill that would require bloggers to register with the state if they cover Floridian elected officials.

The Details: Jason Brodeur (R-Lake Mary) introduced Senate Bill 1316, titled “Information Dissemination”, that would require bloggers who receive compensation to write about government officials in Florida to register with the state. Government officials covered under the bill include “the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, a Cabinet officer, or any member of the Legislature.”

For Context: The bill defines a blog as “a website or webpage that hosts any blogger and is frequently updated with opinion, commentary, or business content,” but says the “term does not include the website of a newspaper or other similar publication.”

Key Quotes: Brodeur told Florida Politics (Center bias), “Paid bloggers are lobbyists who write instead of talk. They both are professional electioneers. If lobbyists have to register and report, why shouldn’t paid bloggers?” Journalist Charles C.W. Crooke said, in a National Review (Right bias) op-ed, “Brodeur wrote the bill. Brodeur sponsored the bill. And that’s as far as it’s got. It’s not going to pass.”

How The Media Covered It: Sources across the spectrum covered the bill's details similarly, yet used deceptive headlines to frame Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as the focal point of it. The Daily Beast (Left bias) faulted DeSantis for the bill’s proposal, comparing him to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The Rachel Maddow Show (Left bias) compared the bill to legislation signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.