For Friday’s edition of CBS Evening News, guest host Nancy Cordes and Miami correspondent Cristian Benavides hyped a rather silly lawsuit that argued that the state’s law allowing for people to challenge books in school libraries on the grounds they are inappropriate for children violates the First Amendment. At the same time, Cordes hyped a scientifically dubious bill from California that could see foods like Twinkies and Cheetos “banned from the menus” of public schools.
Cordes teed up Benavides’s report by declaring, “Several top-selling authors and major publishing companies are now suing the state of Florida over a controversial law that led to the banning of hundreds of books.”
In addition to the companies, Benavides profiled mother and son Jack and Judi Hayes. According to Benavides, the latter, “said the Florida law restricting certain books in school libraries is hurting Jack’s ability to learn.”
No, Benavides didn’t ask if a book is so important to Jack, …