#Mayor de Blasio forced to defend his grasp on reality of New York City

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.

Just Tuesday when a Wall Street Journal reporter queried Hizzoner about help for restaurants that only have outdoor space to operate at 10 percent of their indoor capacity, the mayor disputed the premise of the question.

“It’s an important question but I want to first say I don’t agree with you on the restaurants that are using the outdoor space,” de Blasio said.

In April, Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza picked up on his boss’ question-dodging tactics.

A Bloomberg News reporter asked how the Dept. of Education did “quality control” with online learning given that students’ attendance wasn’t taken.

“I’m going to disagree strongly with the premise of the question. Attendance is being taken,” Carranza said.

The Post has reported that the DOE tracked “daily interactions” instead of actual attendance with students during the spring’s coronavirus-induced remote learning system. A teacher called the approach meaningless because all a pupil had to do was hit a “turn in” button on Google Classroom or text an instructor to record an “interaction.”