How one tweet alerted the national media, as its author conceded 'I'm not a strong enough reporter to hunt this down' Email not displaying correctly?
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** How a local got the big scoop on the FBI’s search of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home
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Courtesy of Peter Schorsch

The news broke Monday evening and sent shockwaves across the country.

The FBI had conducted a search of Mar-a-Lago — the Florida residence of former President Donald Trump.

Who broke the news? Who had the biggest political scoop in recent memory? The New York Times? The Washington Post? CNN?

Nope. It was a guy who runs a website about Florida politics that is called, appropriately enough, Florida Politics ([link removed]) .

Peter Schorsch — who lives in St. Petersburg, Florida and is a former political consultant who used to write a blog about St. Pete — sent out a tweet ([link removed]) breaking the news. Trump himself later confirmed the FBI search in a statement. Then the news was everywhere.

In the aftermath, national outlets such as The New York Times ([link removed]) , The Washington Post ([link removed]) , BuzzFeed News ([link removed]) and Slate ([link removed]) wrote stories giving Schorsch credit for the scoop. And deservedly so. There’s no question that he was the first with the news.

As a media columnist, I, too, was interested in Schorsch’s breaking news. And since Schorsch works just down the street from my office, I felt I needed to jump on the story, as well. I called Schorsch on Tuesday afternoon and he explained to me how he learned about the FBI’s search on Trump’s home. In a minute, I’ll fill you in on what he told me.

But first, an explanation.

I wrote the story about Schorsch’s scoop, and Poynter posted it online. It was up for a brief time, but we (editors and myself) then decided to take it down until we could edit and update with more context, context that this story deserved. This is that updated version.

What was missing — and what should have been included from the start — was a little more about Schorsch and his website. As The Washington Post’s Elahe Izadi explained well in her updated story ([link removed]) , “Even while the site has become a must-follow source for Florida political obsessives, some have raised questions about whether Schorsch’s approach qualifies as journalism ([link removed]) ; he has been accused of giving favorable coverage to ad buyers ([link removed]) . (The local sheriff’s office investigated him for pay-to-play allegations but dropped the matter without filing charges.)”

It also should be noted that Schorsh used to write for something called SaintPetersBlog. There, he wrote about St. Petersburg politics and media, often taking aim and harshly critiquing journalists at the Poynter-owned Tampa Bay Times. Some might even call it trolling of a mean and personal nature.

Schorsch has said he does not consider himself a journalist. He told Izadi, “I’ve been very adamant about that. You can swing a sword but that doesn’t make you a samurai.”

There’s no question that Florida Politics makes an impact. Schorsch told me Tuesday that the site has 17 full-time staffers and about another dozen contributors and photographers. Last month, Schorsch said, the site attracted 2.3 million unique visitors. At a time when many Florida news outlets have dwindling resources and staff, Florida Politics has filled in some of the missing holes in the Sunshine State’s political scene.

And there’s no denying that Schorsch broke this Trump news.

On Monday, Schorsch was catching up with an old friend and occasional source whom he hadn’t spoken to in a while. They talked for 20 minutes or so about various things, including podcasting and other matters, when the old friend and source then dropped the incredible news: someone had told them that the FBI was searching Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence.

“I was just awestruck,” Schorsch told me. “It was just this monumental thing.”

Schorsh wanted to be polite, but at the same time was thinking that he needed to end the conversation and get work. Or as he put it, “You’ve got this long road ahead and you got to get driving.”

After hanging up, Schorsch reached out to someone he knew in — as he described it — “Trump World” to confirm the information. After dropping an expletive and asking for a minute to check things out, the source called Schorsch back and confirmed the news. The FBI had been at Mar-a-Lago. “They just left,” the source said.

Next up: how to get the information out there? Schorsch knew he needed to get this right. He has broken a few stories over the years. He said he was the first to confirm Florida’s first coronavirus case. But he also has made mistakes, like the time he reported Florida Congressman Bill Young had died when he had not.

“I’ve been up to the diving board and jumped off again,” Schorsch said. “But I’m like, ‘If I get this wrong, it’s going to be really, really, really bad.’”

Still, Schorsch was confident he had the scoop and decided to tweet it.

Before doing so, he reached out to some reporters he knew to let them know the tweet was coming. He thought it was a big story, but wasn’t totally sure. Was the FBI merely dropping off a subpoena or was it, as we later learned, cracking open a safe inside Trump’s residence? Perhaps the reporters from bigger outlets would be able to dig up exactly what was going on.

At 6:36 p.m. Eastern time — less than 10 minutes after first learning the information — Schorsch tweeted ([link removed]) , “Scoop — The Federal Bureau of Investigation @FBI today executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago, two sources confirm to @Fla_Pol ‘They just left,’ one source said. Not sure what the search warrant was about.TBH, Im not a strong enough reporter to hunt this down, but its real.”

Schorsch said he was simply being honest. He could tell you all the ins and outs of Florida politics, but if you want details about what the FBI was searching for inside a former president’s home, others were better equipped. A reporter at The New York Times or Washington Post or even a reporter plugged into the South Florida law enforcement scene was better suited to find out about an unprecedented FBI search, he thought.

“If you want to ask about campaign finance, I can do that,” Schorsch said. “To use a sports metaphor, I just wanted to roll the ball out there and let better players bring it up the court.”

What surprised Schorsch was that he had the scoop or, more accurately, that no one else had this major story.

“Yeah, the fear is you’re going to look stupid for like tweeting that you’ve (got a scoop),” said Schorsch, who said he’s always wary of starting a tweet with “SCOOP” or siren emojis.

Schorsch said that for all he knew, “Maybe someone broke it on Instagram.”

Or, Schorsch added, a local TV station or a Spanish-language outlet might have had it already. As it turned out, no one had it.

After tweeting out his big scoop, Schorsch then did what he always does in the evening: he went back to writing his “Sunburn” morning post for Florida Politics. His biggest concern at that point was trying to get “Sunburn” to an editor, who could read it over it before the editor’s favorite show — “Better Call Saul” — came on at 9 p.m.

So there you have it. That’s how Schorsch broke the story. And hopefully, this updated version gives you a bit more context.


** The reaction to the FBI search
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So what has been the fallout of the FBI’s search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence?

Conservative media, of course, was riled up.

The Washington Post’s Timothy Bella wrote ([link removed]) that Fox News’ Sean Hannity called it a “dark day for our republic.” Hannity added, “Make no mistake, if you are associated with Donald Trump in any way, you better cross all your i’s and dot all your t’s, because they’re coming for you with the full force of the federal government.”

Meanwhile, Fox News primetime host Laura Ingraham said on air, “When we get power back, it’s time to hold everyone accountable — the military leadership, the civilian leadership, the civil service, those in Congress who have abused their power. All of them have to be held accountable.”

We?

On Fox News’ “The Five” on Tuesday, Jesse Watters said ([link removed]) , “I've never seen the base more energized. I've never seen the base more angry. I'm angry. I feel violated, the whole country feels violated. It's disgusting. They've declared war on us. And now it's game on.”

Us?

Meanwhile, Vice News’ David Gilbert had this ominous headline: “Trump Supporters Are Calling for Civil War After FBI Search of Mar-a-Lago.” ([link removed])

So what exactly was the FBI looking for? The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman, Ben Protess and Adam Goldman wrote, “Questions swirl about what exactly the F.B.I. was looking for, and why.” ([link removed]) And CNN’s Tierney Sneed has an informative piece: “Here’s what’s next for Trump after the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago.” ([link removed]) And The Washington Post’s Devlin Barrett, Josh Dawsey, Rosalind S. Helderman, Jacqueline Alemany and Spencer S. Hsu with “Mar-a-Lago search appears focused on whether Trump, aides withheld items.” ([link removed])

Also, check out The Associated Press’ Zeke Miller, Eric Tucker and Michael Balsamo with “FBI’s search of Trump’s Florida estate: Why now?” ([link removed])

And here are a few other notable pieces regard the FBI search at Mar-a-Lago:
* The Washington Post’s Colby Itkowitz, David Weigel and Josh Dawsey with “Top Republicans echo Trump’s evidence-free claims to discredit FBI search.” ([link removed])
* Also in the Post, Amber Phillips with “What could the Mar-a-Lago search mean for Trump legally?” ([link removed])
* And one more from the Post, Philip Bump with “Donald Trump has been preparing for this moment for a long time.” ([link removed])
* Politico’s Kyle Cheney with “Why the Trump search warrant is nothing like Hillary's emails.” ([link removed])
* The New York Times’ Charlie Savage with “If Trump illegally removed official records, would he be barred from future office?” ([link removed])
* Analysis from CNN’s Zachary B. Wolf: “10 questions about the FBI's search of Mar-a-Lago.” ([link removed])


** A legend to retire
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Tennis great Serena Williams at Wimbledon in June. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

So is Serena Williams, arguably the greatest tennis player of all time, getting ready to hang up her racquet? In a piece for Vogue ([link removed]) , as told to Rob Haskell, the 40-year-old Williams sounds like she’s retiring.

“I have never liked the word retirement,” Williams said in Vogue. “It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me. I’ve been thinking of this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people. Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution. I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me.”

In an Instagram post ([link removed]) teasing the Vogue article, Wiliams wrote, “There comes a time in life when we have to decide to move in a different direction. That time is always hard when you love something so much. My goodness do I enjoy tennis. But now, the countdown has begun. I have to focus on being a mom, my spiritual goals and finally discovering a different, but just exciting Serena. I'm gonna relish these next few weeks.”

It appears as if her last tournament will be the U.S. Open, which starts at the end of this month. She will try to win her 24th Grand Slam singles title, which would tie her with Margaret Court for most all-time.

Washington Post columnist Sally Jenkins wrote ([link removed]) , “Retirement is the one opponent Serena Williams can’t overpower. All great athletes, no matter how masterful they are, no matter how in charge of their field or court, have to reckon with this moment, when they realize with a sense of rank injustice that their sports immortality has run bang into their human mortality. There is no victory over retirement, other than to accept it gracefully — and it’s hard to do the thing more gracefully than to bow out on the cover of Vogue, in blue Balenciaga and dripping Bulgari.”

Williams might be leaving the tennis court, but she certainly isn’t going away. Be sure to read the Vogue piece, where Williams talks about being a mother, as well as Jenkins column.


** One mid-sized newspaper’s descent – the Greenboro story
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For this item, I turn it over to Poynter media business analyst Rick Edmonds.

The long slide of mid-sized newspapers, still publishing but a shadow of themselves, has been recounted many times over. But The Assembly, a North Carolina digital startup specially focused on in-depth reporting, offers a vivid case in point in a profile this week of the Greensboro News-Record ([link removed]) .

It passed from the generous ownership of Virginia-based Landmark newspapers to Warren Buffett’s BH Media, to Lee Enterprises. Along the way, The Assembly reports, news staffing has been reduced to single digits, top management is remote and hard to identify and the old News-Record building is a vacant eyesore, on the market for $11 million.

Author Margaret Moffet was there in better times when the staff numbered 60 or 70. I go back even further, when the editorial page staff was one of the best in the country, and the News-Record was formidable competition for those of us 25 miles west at the also excellent mid-sized Winston-Salem (North Carolina) Journal.

A good read, though a depressing one.


** Media tidbits
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* For Time magazine, Paris Marx with “Elon Musk Is Convinced He's the Future. We Need to Look Beyond Him.” ([link removed])
* ABC News has named Rhiannon Ally co-anchor of “World News Now” and “America This Morning.” Ally joined ABC News in December 2021 as a freelance correspondent. She has previously worked in local markets such as Kansas City, Miami and New York City.
* Fox News’ Brian Flood with “Original Fox News Channel anchor Uma Pemmaraju dies at 64.” ([link removed])
* NPR’s Steve Inskeep and Arezou Rezvani with “Inside a TV news station determined to report facts in the Taliban's Afghanistan.” ([link removed])


** Correction
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In Tuesday’s newsletter, I wrote that Cox owned the Dayton Morning News. The name of the paper is the Dayton Daily News.


** Hot type
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* For ProPublica (and co-published with the Texas Tribune), Vianna Davila, Lexi Churchill and Ren Larson with “Twice Accused of Sexual Assault, He Was Let Go by Army Commanders. He Attacked Again.” ([link removed])
* Amie Parnes, a senior correspondent for The Hill, writes a deeply personal and touching first-person essay for HuffPost: “I Finally Got To Date My Crush Years After Middle School. Then The Unthinkable Happened.” ([link removed])
* Ugh, don’t get me started on how much I dislike that the Little League World Series is nationally televised. But this cool moment ([link removed]) is making the rounds.

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