Chris Rufo blasted MSNBC for refusing to retract bogus claim about New College baseball team

Journalist Christopher Rufo traded barbs with MSNBC over a documentary attacking New College of Florida (NCF) that made a “false and misleading” claim about the college’s new baseball team.

Rufo, a member of the board of trustees at New College, took issue with claims made in the Aug. 29 MSNBC segment and fact-checked the outlet on his Substack. When Rufo’s staff attempted to get a correction, MSNBC refused, and Rufo blasted the outlet for failing to correct the record.

“Earlier this week, MSNBC released a documentary about the reforms at New College of Florida titled The War on Woke,” Rufo wrote on his Substack on Sep. 2. “The film would more accurately be described as part of MSNBC’s ongoing war on truth. As a trustee of New College, I feel obligated to respond to three accusations in the film that are false and misleading.”

Rufo refuted MSNBC’s claim that New College’s enrollment for the fall 2023 semester was inflated by athletics rosters. He especially took issue with the accusation of enrollment being driven by the newly developed baseball team, which MSNBC claimed “doesn’t have a baseball field for them to play on.” 

Rufo noted that the baseball team does indeed have a field, pointing to the fact that coach Mariano Jimenez told MSNBC the school has an agreement to use the college-level facility at nearby IMG Academy. MSNBC ignored that fact to advance the documentary’s narrative, Rufo wrote.

He also pushed back on MSNBC’s claims that the school did not offer courses in marine biology and that NCF would suffer without tenured professors. The journalist also corrected the record on the network for portraying former NCF student Libby Harrity - who was charged with first-degree battery for allegedly spitting on Rufo - as a “free speech martyr.”

However, when Rufo’s team reached out to MSNBC to request a correction for the baseball team claim, the network refused. 

“We have carefully reviewed the points raised in your note and have concluded that no changes are warranted,” an email from MSNBC senior producer Tina Cone to Rufo’s chief of staff, Armen Tooloee, reads. “The statement that the college does not have a baseball field to play on is accurate, as it’s undisputed there are no baseball fields on campus.”

In response, Rufo slammed the liberal network on X (formerly Twitter). 

“MSNBC is a network of lies,” he wrote. “They knew that New College had reached an agreement to use the baseball complex at IMG Academy, but still claimed that the team ‘doesn’t have a baseball field for them to play on’—and now they have refused to correct the record. Pure propaganda.”

”They are really getting desperate,” Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice replied to Rufo’s post.

They are really getting desperate.

— Tiffany Justice (@4TiffanyJustice) September 7, 2023

”This is an absurd refusal to correct,” Spectator editor-at large Ben Domenech posted. “Colleges at this level often have agreements with local facilities rather than paying for upkeep or using up land on campus.”

This is an absurd refusal to correct. Colleges at this level often have agreements with local facilities rather than paying for upkeep or using up land on campus. https://t.co/Ztp6v5tR8b

— Ben Domenech (@bdomenech) September 7, 2023

”Professional teams also do not own their own stadiums, so one could say, for example, that ‘the Mariners do not have a field to play on.’ Just idiotic,” Rufo responded to another user who made a similar point.

Exactly. Professional teams also do not own their own stadiums, so one could say, for example, that “the Mariners do not have a field to play on.” Just idiotic.

— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) September 7, 2023

”mfw MSNBC continues to lie,” Tooloee wrote.

mfw MSNBC continues to lie https://t.co/wQ4Dl7rFPy pic.twitter.com/pqcyOxj7F6

— Punished Armen (@not_tooloee) September 7, 2023

One user replied to Rufo’s post with pictures of the fields NCF would be using.

For anyone wondering, here are some photos of IMG’s beautiful baseball complex that New College’s players will be privileged to practice and play on: pic.twitter.com/TxltAipjzE

— Peter Daszak’s Designer Virus (@ExposingBullsht) September 7, 2023

”In the context of what the left is really mad about in this situation, the baseball field is such a non-issue,” user @scttfrnks replied. “The fact that they won’t even correct the record on that makes it obvious that the intent is to criticize rather than report on developments at New College.”

In addition to Tooloee, Campus Reform also reached out to MSNBC and New College of Florida for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.