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In its ongoing effort to cripple the Mayor’s plan to ban horse-drawn carriages from the streets of NYC, the Daily News, one of city’s top three papers, has created increasingly ludicrous news hooks to shift public opinion.

Last week, the Daily News reported that a Franciscan priest not only “delivered a brief equine prayer and splashed a bit of holy water on every horse’s mane” but also “saved enough water to deliver a blessing for the carriages and hay stored in the stables.”

Objective news organization? Most certainly not!

In May, the Daily News used a scare tactic:

The stories have been so ridiculous that some readers think, at first glance, that they’re satire. One reader wrote, “The Daily News has become The Onion.”

The public doesn’t know why the Daily News has compromised its credibility by using its opinion and news pages to advocate for the horse-drawn carriage trade, but some speculate that it’s an underhanded way to discredit the Mayor.

In the weeks leading up to the 2013 election, the Daily News frequently published mean-spirited stories about the progressive Mr. de Blasio in an attempt to derail his candidacy. Now that he’s Mayor, the “news” organization appears to be using his support of a ban on carriages as an ongoing hook to discredit him.

Logo included in each NY Daily News story promoting horse carriage trade

Horse-drawn carriages cannot be operated humanely or safely in NYC for many reasons – from the congested city streets where they work to the lack of a pasture when they can graze, move freely and interact with other horses, as herd animals do. To learn more about the plight of the carriage horses and join the fight, please visit the Coalition to Ban Horse-drawn Carriages and NY-CLASS.

Do horse-drawn carriages belong in Times Square?

In one of the most combative protests in years, animal rights activists clashed with carriage drivers, union heads, police officers and fashion models during Victor de Souza’s horse-drawn carriage runway show in midtown Manhattan. Chanting “Victor de Souza, animal abuser,” dozens of activists jogged alongside the carriages as they transported models in an alternative runway show.

By displaying his models on moving carriages, De Souza capitalized on the current media interest in the issue. Just one day earlier, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio made headlines when he reiterated his commitment to ending horse-drawn carriage rides in Manhattan: “There’s tremendous support in the City Council for making this change. And we’re going to move forward.”

The seven carriages carrying the models attempted – but failed – to evade the activists who protested until the moment the “show” was over.

Photo: Metro New York

Mr. de Souza either received the media attention that he wanted, or the protesters ruined the show for him and his models. Either way, this fashion designer’s unglamorous exploitation of animals will be well documented, placing him on wrong side of history.