NYC mayor castigates mainstream media and 'right-wing' New York Post during bizarre interview

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio slammed the "harmful" culture of the New York Post during an interview Friday and castigated the mainstream media at large.

What did he say about the Post?

During his weekly interview with Brian Lehrer on WNYC-FM, de Blasio said that he would "not shed a tear if [the New York Post] is no longer here."

"The Post is not like everyone else," he added, claiming that the outlet's presence in the city is "harmful" and "divisive."

He added, "I think the tabloid culture — and I’ve said it very publicly — I think has been harmful to New York City. It sensationalizes and often divides us. It has for a long long time and the Post is the leading edge of that."

De Blasio said that he believes the Post is "right-wing" and "distorts the facts on a regular basis."

"Just look at the headlines every day, and look at the dog whistling that goes on in the New York Post all the time," he offered.

And what did he say about the mainstream media?

De Blasio also didn't have many flattering things to say about the mainstream media. He went on to note that he believes there's a "problem with mainstream media."

"I have felt this my whole life," he explained. "This is not new to my role as mayor. We have a corporate media. It is based on a free enterprise model. It is based on selling things. I don’t think that’s helping. I think that leads to a lot of distortions."

One publication that the mayor did endorse was decidedly left-leaning outlet The Guardian.

Anything else?

Lehrer also questioned de Blasio over comments he'd made in emails about the city's media as a whole.

The emails, which were between him and political consultant Jonathan Rosen, painted de Blasio as dismissive and antagonistic over any outlet that criticized him or City Hall.

A lawsuit brought forth by the Post and NY1 forced the emails to go public. The administration released thousands of emails Thursday.

"I don’t think the coverage has reflected the work we’re doing or the impact its having on the people in this city," de Blasio explained. "A lot of the coverage is always personalities and sensationalization."

You can read more about the emails' background here.