Media hits JD Vance for 'delayed' reaction to Ohio train derailment, buries how Dem senator responded later

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Gov. Mike DeWine: Ohio train derailment 'not considered high hazardous material train'

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Tuesday the train carrying toxic materials and derailed in East Palestine earlier this month was not considered a highly-hazardous material train.

News outlets are targeting Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, over his allegedly "delayed" response to the toxic train derailment that has plagued his state in recent days while burying the facts. 

On Monday, Vance released a lengthy statement on social media about the unfolding disaster in East Palestine, urging his constituents to contact his office regarding their concerns and needs about the situation on the ground. 

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Several Twitter critics accused the freshman senator of waiting "ten days" to comment despite the fact that he had first tweeted about the derailment on Feb. 4, the day after it happened. 

But that didn't stop outlets like Newsweek and The Independent from adding fuel to the fire.

Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, was targeted by news outlets over his so-called "delayed" response to the Ohio train derailment.  (AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar, File)

Newsweek's report Monday night, which originally ran the headline "J.D. Vance Slammed for Delayed Statement on Ohio Trail Derailment," quoted some of Vance's Twitter critics, one saying, "Where the hell have you been?!" and another one writing, "The accident happened [10] days ago, and this is your first public comment."

The report waited until its ninth paragraph to mention the Feb. 4 tweet. 

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This photo taken with a drone shows portions of a Norfolk Southern freight train that derailed Friday night in East Palestine, Ohio are still on fire at mid-day Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023.  (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Notably, Newsweek admitted in its report that Ohio's senior Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown didn't tweet about the derailment until Feb. 6 and "has not released an official statement from his office." Those admissions weren't made in the article until the tenth and eleventh paragraphs. 

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The headline was later changed to "Timing of J.D. Vance's Official Statement on Derailment Stirs Critics" and its first paragraph clarified that Vance was facing pushback for releasing "an official statement" 10 days after the derailment after initially saying he hadn't released "a statement." No editor's note explaining the changes was added to the report.

Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, waited days before tweeting about the Ohio train derailment but news outlets kept their ire on his GOP colleague J.D. Vance. (Phil Long/Pool via Reuters)

On Tuesday, The Independent followed in Newsweek's footsteps, running the headline "JD Vance slammed for delayed reaction to Ohio train derailment: ‘Gibberish'" citing similar online critics. 

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But the British outlet waited until its eleventh paragraph to mention Vance's Feb. 4 tweet and its twelfth to acknowledge Brown's Feb. 6 response was even later. 

Neither Newsweek nor The Independent immediately responded to Fox News' requests for comment.