Editor’s Note: Eric Adams wastes time criticizing the press for negative news

The latest Siena Poll found 70% of New York City residents worry they will fall victim to a crime, and that crime remained a major issue in their community. Blame the media, proclaimed Mayor Eric Adams on Fox 5 Wednesday morning when the poll came out. Adams said regular coverage of “the most horrific events” plays on the psyche of New Yorkers and drowns out news about how the city is “humming.” 

Politicians deflecting negative news is nothing new. Adams’ administration sends newsletters and posts videos aimed directly at New Yorkers highlighting his speeches, public appearances and interactions with everyday people. Sure, Adams petting a friendly dog is a lot easier on one’s psyche, as one video shows, but it’s fluff and self-serving.

Shootings, murders and rapes are down, highlighting a national trend that a spike in crime during the coronavirus pandemic is easing. And some news outlets do sensationalize stories at every opportunity, as in a recent front-page New York Post story that overplayed how a knife-wielding man was arrested after creeping up behind a group of musicians. Adams has pointed this out, but without naming which organizations he’s talking about. However, the unlawfulness and random violence of the COVID-19 era continues. A scooter-riding gunman on a shooting spree across Queens and Brooklyn that left an 87-year-old dead and several others wounded on July 9 is just one example. The city may be humming again, but unfortunately this kind of news keeps people screaming, and that’s not on the media.