Business Insider corrects story claiming mass migration out of Florida after backlash: 'We got it wrong'
Outlet inaccurately reported more people moved out of Florida than California or New York in 2021
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Business Insider had to admit it was wrong Tuesday after it published a story that said more people left Florida than New York and California in 2021.
Business Insider published an article titled "More people actually moved out of Florida than New York or California in 2021." According to the article, 674,740 residents left the state, overtaking 433,402 residents leaving California and 287,249 residents moving from New York.
However, after examining census data on Florida, many Twitter users, including members of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ team, pointed out that Business Insider mistakenly switched the numbers.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Migration numbers show more people moved into Florida in 2021 than any other state. (Twitter)
"Business Insider journalist @NeubauerKelsey apparently does not know how to read a spreadsheet. That figure -- 674,740 -- is people who moved TO Florida, not OUT OF Florida. Retraction needed," Rapid Response Director Christian Pushaw tweeted.
I AM LEAVING NEW YORK CITY FOR FLORIDA. I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD
She added, "Kelsey Neubauer (she/her pronouns) is a Columbia University journalism graduate and ... get this... a REAL ESTATE REPORTER. If more people moved OUT of Florida than any other state, please explain why the Florida real estate market is like this...."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}After this pushback, Business Insider later deleted the tweet and reworked the original article to read, "We got it wrong: More people moved out of New York and California than Florida in 2021."
"This story has been updated to correct an error regarding Census data. In 2021, an estimated 469,577 people moved out of Florida, while 674,740 people relocated to the state. An earlier version of the story switched those numbers," the editor’s note read.
A deleted tweet from Business Insider said more people moved out of Florida than California and New York. (Twitter)
According to an archive of the original piece, Business Insider said the incorrect numbers "undercut" the often-reported facts on people leaving liberal states such as New York and California for more conservative states like Florida.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The data also undercuts the narrative that people are leaving states like New York and California more disproportionately than other highly populated states. The data shows that these states are just not seeing the inbound migration to counteract the number of those moving out, [Realtor.com chief economist Danielle] Hale said," the article originally read.
NEW YORK, CALIFORNIA SUFFER BIGGEST BLOW AS MORE AMERICANS FLEE TO LOW-TAX STATES
The new version of the article no longer features the comment from Hale.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}DeSantis press secretary Jeremy Redfern mocked the change on Twitter, though he complimented the publication for correcting the error.
"I do want to thank @nichcarlson for taking this error seriously and ensuring that the record was corrected publicly. Very rare these days for me to get a public correction. Most outlets delete the story and pretend it never happened," Redfern tweeted.
Florida's population increased by 319,000 in 2022. (Charlie Creitz / Fox News)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox Business reported in January that about 343,000 Californians left the state in 2022, compared to about 300,000 New Yorkers. By contrast, Florida saw an increase in population by 319,000 residents.