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That viral video that got @realDonaldTrump put in the doghouse and @DonaldJTrumpJr temporarily booted wasn't some random viral hit. If you want to see how the right carefully coordinates messages and leverages social media platforms to spread disinformation, then read on.
The group that made the video calls itself America's Frontline Doctors. The website doesn't give much detail about this organization. https://www.americasfrontlinedoctors.com/
But AFD operates under the auspices of Tea Party Patriots Action. https://www.teapartypatriots.org/
Which operates the Second Opinion Project. This project is crusading against COVID-19 measures like masks and lockdowns. The site has a letter it wants readers to send to Trump, calling lockdowns: "a mass casualty incident." https://www.secondopinionproject.com/sign39610500
The letter is signed by Drs. Simone Gold and Jeffrey I. Barke. @drsimonegold is listed as the founder of America's Frontline Doctors. https://www.americasfrontlinedoctors.com/physician-leadership
The Tea Party website is operated jointly by:
1. Tea Party Patriots Action, Inc., as a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization.
2. Tea Party Patriots Foundation, also a nonprofit.
3. Tea Party Patriots Citizens Fund, a PAC.
1. Tea Party Patriots Action, Inc., as a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization.
2. Tea Party Patriots Foundation, also a nonprofit.
3. Tea Party Patriots Citizens Fund, a PAC.
Tea Party Patriots Action says its mission is to: "equip Americans with the resources and training they need to be engaged citizens and effective activists where the Constitution is revered and upheld, and where Americans are free to pursue their American Dream."
According to its most recent Form 990, recent activities included hosting a student training on the 2nd Amendment, providing training boxes for high school student leaders on 2nd amendment issues, and working on Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing.
Its director is listed as Bill Pascoe and president is @jennybethm. The latter is one of the better known national faces of the Tea Party movement. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenny_Beth_Martin
The Tea Party Patriots Foundation, according to its Form 990, provides: "EDUCATION TO STATE COORDINATORS OF THE TEA PARTY PATRIOTS ABOUT FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY, CONSTITUTIONALLY LIMITED GOVERNMENT AND FREE MARKETS."
As for the Tea Party Patriots Citizens Fund, this PAC has spent about $300,000 this year, according to its most recent FEC filing. Including doing a fair bit of telemarketing in Iowa in June?
https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00540898/1426584/
https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00540898/1426584/
So this America's Frontline group stages a press conference and brings all sorts of people to D.C. Ralph Norman (R-SC) introduces the group. Breitbart films it and posts it on its website, and its social media channels, which have some of the highest engagement online.
According to Breitbart: "The video accumulated over 17 million views during the eight hours it was hosted on Facebook, with over 185,000 concurrent viewers."
@realDonaldTrump retweets it as does @DonaldJTrumpJr.
It's now been taken down by FB, Twitter, and YouTube.
@realDonaldTrump retweets it as does @DonaldJTrumpJr.
It's now been taken down by FB, Twitter, and YouTube.
But it's been chopped up into clips which are still floating around FB and Twitter with little context. There is no hope any platform can completely remove it.
This campaign is a perfect example of how the right has built a tight-knit media ecosystem that has masterfully weaponized these platforms and turned them into disinformation and propaganda engines. These are the same people moaning that their voices are being silenced online.
Why complain about censorship? Because they have built a massive advantage over the left on social platforms, and they know any attempts to enforce user policies could hurt that advantage.
PS: @schradie has down groundbreaking work on this topic, most recently in her book: "The Revolution That Wasn’t: How Digital Activism Favors Conservatives."
A must-read: https://www.amazon.com/Revolution-That-Wasnt-Activism-Conservatives/dp/0674972333
A must-read: https://www.amazon.com/Revolution-That-Wasnt-Activism-Conservatives/dp/0674972333
