I'm sorry but if you take money from a source to push partisan talking points and don't readily disclose that to your audience OF COURSE you are going to destroy your credibility -- ESPECIALLY if that source is dictating or limiting your work. I'm not sure how anyone considers that up for debate.
Extremely disappointing.
They aren't dictating or limiting their work tho! Lorenz admits she lied about that
Where did she admit she lied?
Also her "chorus didn't let people speak to me about the story" has been called out by multiple people as being false
Well then, I guess Chorus should sue Lorenz & Wired magazine if they can prove she lied.
This is what the $$$ has done to one of its influencers. If they don't understand how important it is to disclose where their funding comes from to their followers who believe they're genuinely 'independent', they don't deserve followers. Their uniform talking point RN = "attack Taylor Lorenz"
This is Russian troll bait and you all are feeding right into it again. No wonder you always lose
You are so red facist that you smell like a troll When Citizens United is overturned and every treasonous fuck funding the magats, SCOTUS and the gop + congreessional traitors are perp walked into oblivion, we might consider your very partisan BS
Okay. Now do the fact that the author of the article is paid the same amount by one of those funding sources and you know, didn't disclose that.
She did, too. And it's not the same. She gets a grant and has never kept that secret. youtu.be/6Skdqe5e6Eo?...
We still don't know what topics these influencers weren't supposed to talk about (though we have a pretty good idea)
Ya it’s something that took them 22 months or so to start talking about. But we have No clue what it was! 😮💨
I have never seen them criticize anything that elected Dems are or aren't doing right now or any of Kamala Harris' failures as a pres candidate.
You just described almost every podcast that has an opinion. on anything. Someone is paying to get a point across unchallenged and unchecked.
Every right-wing podcast, right-winger.
I'd fully agree if that were the case, but examining the claims in the article raised a lot of red flags. At least two of the points in your post (that they were told to keep it secret and that they didn't have editorial control) don't seem to line up with the evidence.
If I have this wrong, I'm all ears, but many of them appear to have disclosed this publicly. This suggests it wasn't secret. There are also multiple people who have not adhered to the alleged restrictions, which again conflicts. I'm starting to get antisemitic conspiracy theory vibes.
I’m also very confused about the article’s claim that they were required to keep it a secret, and those same influencers being like, “Yeah, I’m in that group and no, they don’t tell me what I can or can’t talk about.”
If there was an example where someone was adamantly against something, like Code Pink used to be against the repression of the Uyghurs, and that changed after an influx of money, that's fair criticism, disclosure or not. Did that happen in this case? I wasn't following the creators, so I don't know.
The last thing is they're not journalists. They should be clear about that. I would classify this as activism, which isn't obligated to present a balanced perspective. That's why I advise people not to rely on activist organizations as their primary sources. Their role in society is different.
Aaron Parnas 100% positions and brands himself as a journalist.
Thank you. People are pulling out receipts on this article being misleading and full of misinfo. I deep dived the crap out of all of this as soon as I read the article before making a judgement and have watched countless explainers from these creators. Personally, I think it's a bad faith piece.
Moreover, I'm angry and frustrated about the divisions this has created among an already divided left. Most of these creators are smaller and just trying to make a living on the thing they were already doing. Like, what was the goal of this piece? Where is her energy for Thiel funding all the bad?
They have that clause in the contract to keep them in the boundaries required by law for the 401c(4) to keep their tax-exempt status. It's not about editorial control.
Only the people who don't have enough of a moral ethic to NOT do this are debating (Whining) about the lack of credibility once they flushed it down the shitter and the lack of the funs that the fake credibility brought with it. They are weak, horrible people. What do you expect? Just shun them.
Get ready to be called a Nazi by people who cant see past “blue good”. Ask me how I know lol
You're talking about Taylor Lorenz right?
Aaron Parnas was always SUPET OBVIOUSLY a DNC plant 🙄
Blue MAGA gonna blue MAGA. Reading some of the rationalizations, deflections and accusations is wild.
Agree 100 percent.
People are just parasocial with these influencers so they don't want to believe it. If the story was about a right-leaning influencer, all these liberals would be outraged.
Hear me out. Nascar patches for your sponsors. Do the same for elected officials.
Amazing idea!!
Democrats and Patriotic citizens on the center and left understand this, and those seeking to influence this demographic need to heed. Republicans and the rightwing consider fooling and fleecing the flock to be an obvious and productive strategy.
I guess maybe because several creators have said that's not true? Have you spoken to any about it?
They didn't say it wasn't true. They attacked the journalist and used strawman arguments.
Yeah, so, that's also not true .... (Plenty have given full explanations, a couple showing clauses in the contract and what it all means and all have said they have full control over their content). We all get to choose who we believe and who seems on the level here, and for me it isn't Taylor.
So you think Wired magazine posted the article without doing any fact-checking? If so, I guess they will be getting sued. Did you actually read the article?
Yes, I actually did. And I've spent the past 24 hours deep diving on every aspect of it from 1630 to watching countless videos from the creators themselves explaining everything. I didn't use confirmation bias to just dogpile a group a ppl just trying to make a living as DNC shills....
Like, we get it. Y'all hate Dems and the DNC and they are all a bunch of genocidal maniacs yadda yadda....we. get. it. You want to believe the worst of any hint of alignment. And no, I don't think Wired fact checked very well, why else have they had to update the piece?
"we get it, shut up with your genocide yadda yadda and just get in line, stop asking to be listened to or have any space and just vote blue no matter who or else." well good golly miss molly millions will feel super energized to get out the vote with this vibe
I'm sorry I don't mean to interpolate myself here again, I'm new to bsky etiquette, but I did watch the tiktok video. I fully understand this position. I also think it's v reasonable to fear that chorus wd "bring a heavy editorial hand" if not censor outright. will keep my skepticism & wait on that.
Most importantly tho, we want the same things, & i don't think the DNC strategy of belittling people and lurching right is a winning one. there are ways to have this conversation, but shutting it out completely by saying we don't have time for it is exactly how we got here.
If we wanna build power, silencing dissent is sure a weird way to start. For me anyway this is less about dark money or dirty tricks and more about a democratic party hollow and void of credibility. Stand for something and energize people, or keep losing.
What a pitch!
I am a Dem. I've voted for Dems since the 1990s. I'm very disappointed with some of them. I'm not alone in that. You seem as defensive as BTC did in his response video.
I'm frustrated. This is all very frustrating. This is long, but an actual really good and fair breakdown and highlights why this is so damn frustrating. www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8BGxnaC/
Do you see this video? It expresses a lot of my opinions on this issue. youtu.be/pqrFwH5CnKs?...
Your video starts with 'I hate liberals'. Did you get anything at all from the video I posted to at least clarify the non-profits? Basically, I gave you a video of someone breaking down the logistics of it all, and your response is another hit piece about Brian from a guy who hates liberals. 🙄
😂😂😂
Good use of your time for sure. Fuckin dork
COUNTERPOINT: The average reader doesn't care.
The party is dead.
My favorite are the people saying we NEED blue propaganda to beat the Republicans... Huh?
You do know that the far left favorite, AOC, who vows to destroy the Dem party, had 3 secret PAC'S funneling money to her during her first campaign + still while elected? You ok w that? How do you think she dressed the way she did + lived in great apartments
Lets do Bernie the multi-millionaire next, shall we LOL
We do. We can also be honest about where the damn money comes from to make it, and what stipulations are attached to it
What I find massively disappointing is that @briantylercohen.bsky.social cofounded this chorus group. Sorry dude. You’re burnt.
Yeah that was obvious though. He doesn’t scream Blue Propaganda bffs with the millionaire Pod Save Bros???
There are certainly places he doesn’t go in his content. I accept that of any podcaster. But I wasn’t happy when he had Newsom on and didn’t give him hell about how he treats the homeless. That was a strong strike against him. But this is a whole other level. Actually confounding a group that
It’s insane dude!! I was actually pro Pod Save and BTC until the Pod Save dudes actively campaigned to sabotage the vote process in SC. Now Aaron Parnas is lying about all of this to his 4mil followers, tho he’s technically contractually obligated to 🙄
limits what others can talk about in order to receive dark money from undisclosed sources. There is avoiding topics and there is active suppression of dialog and reporting. BTC is burnt.
Who is this about??
You are confused. That only works on liberals, conservative and Nazis don’t give a shit. It’s one of life’s many tragedies.
Yes, the good guy doesn’t wear a mask.
Context www.wired.com/story/dark-m...
I'm still waiting for the disclosure of the list of 600 who were taking payments from Putin.
Was absolutely certain the context would be Clarence. Reckon the ol' attention span is obsolete at this point. And the sense of proportion. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
This makes me so angry even though I’m not a fan of influencers as it is.
The assertions in that article are wildly untrue. Wired made a mistake publishing it.
I see your check cleared
Fuck all the way off.
what part of the article is untrue?
Thread: bsky.app/profile/ryan...
@ctxplz.bsky.social
Sure thing, @ianthe.online. Please tap 👇 to see the ctx chain for your parent post
The world of influencers can’t die fast enough
Based on that read I just unfollowed Orlins. Don’t believe I’m following any of the others but will need to check. Seems sketchy af and ethically completely fails the sniff test.
So much for " secrecy " lol Dark money from both sides is destroying us.
I keep seeing folks say part of the article was retracted - do you know if that is true?
The article was updated with additional comments, all of which is openly laid out in the article which is free to read on Jared's link
Thanks.
They updated it to include info from a source who contacted after publication (which is an ethical thing to do if their info is relevant) but I'm not aware of a retraction
Thanks. A lot of passionate folks saying lots of things about this topic. I like to keep my facts straight.
"Dark money" is how political nonprofits get funded. Nature of the beast, thanks to this nation's tax laws/incentives. It is often pretty benign, but if that money is directing your content you should definitely a) try to figure out who's signing the checks and b) disclose that to your audience
ryan cooper has a thread of creators pushing against the article bsky.app/profile/ryan...
I hadn't seen that! Certainly makes this seem... well, not like something I'm ready to cut a free pass for but maybe not as severe as I thought after reading that piece? Kind of confusing -- feels like a lot of discrepancy between what these influencers are saying and what the article states?
yeah not exactly sure what to believe, but another data point at least
The right wing base had no idea who was funding their messaging machines for decades. And they won. I don’t give a shit who funds good over evil. It’s pure Sarandonism to chose to inflict evil upon your peers and allies in the name of some notion of ideological purity. It’s suicidal.
lol that you think these influencers were being funded by “good” The “good” of not advocating for Palestine or leftist policies. Ok!!!
bsky.app/profile/iant...
Your “good guys” were arming and abetting a genocide.
Many vehemently opposed Biden’s funding of genocide. I would have voted for anybody that wouldn’t continue that policy. We didn’t have that choice. Now we are fighting genocide and facism. We are losing on both fronts now. Incrementalism can be better than putting out a campfire with your face
Hey thats cool man. You know you can just take the money and say who is paying you right? Like thats an option. And it tells everyone what your biases might be. So why did Chorus try to cover it up?
"I, TexasSkeleton, Have Promised My Friends, Family, And Foes One Thing: 1 Will Never Stop Going In." * *unless those funding this battle choose to fight anonymously then I will choose to lose.
Man, really skipping over the never huh? lol Literally just said take the money but disclose who you got it from. Problem is, you cant disclose a source if the source is dark money.
Who gives a shit. I imagine you and I would make fast friends and kick some fascist ass as we race into the battle. In solidarity, Dan
Attaching this thread in the interest of fairness. Seems like a lot of distance between the article and what these influencers are saying? Now I'm feeling sort of confused. bsky.app/profile/ryan...
Those aren't actual refutations.
good. look deeper. look at who wrote this piece. look at her background.
This is stan nonsense. It's Anita Sarkeesian 2.0. This has to stop. She is good at what she does, which is connect with influencers and new media types and report on them and their ecosystem.
Wired has copy editors. This os good journalism, and these influencers are lying to you. It doesn't make it okay bc they claim to be on your side. They are not.
ps. look at the photo with her & rfkjr at a trump party
That's her job. She goes to those things to talk to sources, and plays the game to get info. She is completely transparent about it too.
? www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8BbRRSy/
she wrote the same article about the gop...
She wrote it for Wired, also your assessment of the character of the individual who wrote it has nothing to do with the facts of the case.
“Look at anything but the paid propagandists for a failed, dying conservative political party.”
Is what she’s saying inaccurate? Because who cares who she is if what she’s saying is true.
Every criticism of this article I see is a criticism about her directly. I don't like her myself, but no one is actually refuting what the article is saying
Did you read the article? This is right in line with what it said.
i did, just forgot to post her admitting she misrepresented the “controlling subjects posted”. To be clear, I think it’s a bit shady, but her own standards implicate her. she doesn’t say she’s funded by 1630 even though another group (Omydar) she is affiliated with/paid by is funded by 1630 as well
maybe that she’s a hypocrite www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8BbRRSy/
Again, this still doesn't refute what she said in the article.
She's not. Well, she may be for other reasons, but this talking point's already been debunked.
Good catch!
She's great. Thanks for the recommendation.
_iamblakeley on IG has been fierce about this and I highly recommend giving those posts a watch. No quiet payola. Even if you may have issues with the personality of the source. 🤷🏻♂️
They're grifters, they're gonna form ranks to protect each other. Not one of them has actually addressed any of the issues raised in the article.
I'd be trying to create distance too if it got revealed i sold for such a grubby little (relatively speaking) amount of money
Hmmmm trust Wired, or trust either major political party's money pile to not lie?? It's quite a conundrum
then research the claims of the article. talk to the influencers. look at their contracts with a law pro.
So this is where I say the following; The issue here with the article is the framing. The veiled implication that their messaging is controlled. This has lead to many people in the group, including minorities to be harassed. These are unfounded claims that this is why they dont say more about
Gaza or they are soft on Dems in office. If they are then it is not enough. Dead serious, you should see their socials. It is purity politics. What she was banking on. Ultimately though, she has had a target on Chorus' back for a while. She wrote a piece on them back in April in Usermag
No substance, just slinging mud. this was a hit piece plain and simple. Side note here, she takes dark money too. You can split hairs but her founder Pierre Omidyar has funded 1630 Fund. 1630 Fund has given money to Omidyar Network. Omidyar network has given money to Kamala
and other Democratic candidates (even Joe Biden) AND Pro Genocide Ritchie Torres. This is why her character is in question. Her motives knowing it will only incite the far far left into a foaming legion, to what is my best guess, to exact whatever weird revenge/hate she has on BTC.
Anything connect to grifter Aaron Parnas is suspect
They are all doing post calling @taylorlorenz.bsky.social an ‘internet troll’ and some other high follow influencer is posting under all of them that she sued Lorenz and got her fired from NYT and writing it like ‘hey bestie, call me, I destroyed her in the past’ Not great defenses
This is a huge problem.
You're sorry?
Well sure. It's just that only one side cares about credibility.
it's amazing that while people are literally being disappeared off the streets, the cdc is openly pushing fake science, we can't get flu or covid19 vaccine, while inflation is rising, all while the gop is drowning with dark money - you're worried about some 20 year Instagram influencers lmao.
Having highly paid Blue Anon grifters cape for BAD Democrats is also a fucking problem.
Didn’t seem to affect TimPool’s or Benny Johnson’s credibility much, did it?
Right?! There was talk of a list of 600 folks beyond them who were taking dark money. What ever happened to that?
So, you're admitting Blue MAGA is just as gullible as Red MAGA?
Interesting. You think Tim Pool is credible?
Not at all, but some people think he is. And for them, the fact that he was (is?) getting paid by Russian propagandists didn’t sway their perception one iota.
It's such a funny self report to go "what about Tim Pool fans" in response to this
Genuinely what is your point? We shouldn't change our perception of these influencers because some people didn't change theirs about Tim Pool?
Thank you!
