Facebook paid Republican strategy firm to malign TikTok • Hacker News Board

Re: Facebook paid Republican strategy firm to malign TikTok

#151

Post by nmilo » Wed, Mar 30, 2022, 3:07 PM UTC

tangue wrote: post #146

nmilo wrote: post #137

What is a "Republican strategy firm?" A consulting firm with the Republican party as one of their clients? What's the point of making "Republican" so prominent in the article? Is it just to use the negative connotation most WP readers have about the Republican party to malign Facebook a little more? It seems like we're just spectating an op-ed war, and discussing this article as if there's any meaning to it other tha…

From the article : "Launched as a Republican digital consulting firm by Zac Moffatt, a digital director for Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign, Targeted Victory ... The firm is one of the biggest recipients of Republican campaign spending, earning more than $237 million in 2020, according to data compiled by OpenSecrets. Its biggest payments came from national GOP congressional committees and America First Acti…

So, yes, it is nothing more than a consulting firm with the Republican party as one of their clients. The other questions still stand:

> What's the point of making "Republican" so prominent in the article? Is it just to use the negative connotation most WP readers have about the Republican party to malign Facebook a little more?

Re: Facebook paid Republican strategy firm to malign TikTok

#152

Post by hardware2win » Wed, Mar 30, 2022, 3:08 PM UTC

They cannot compete with the product so here we go

Facebooks main site is less responsive than visual studio on my school lap and i cannot use messenger on my phone from web browser cuz they want me to install spyware

Once i graduate i dont think ill use this mess more than once a month for 5mins

Re: Facebook paid Republican strategy firm to malign TikTok

#153

Post by beaconstudios » Wed, Mar 30, 2022, 3:08 PM UTC

nmilo wrote: post #137

What is a "Republican strategy firm?" A consulting firm with the Republican party as one of their clients? What's the point of making "Republican" so prominent in the article? Is it just to use the negative connotation most WP readers have about the Republican party to malign Facebook a little more? It seems like we're just spectating an op-ed war, and discussing this article as if there's any meaning to it other tha…

If you check their website, they openly market themselves as primarily existing to serve advertising and PR roles for Republican campaigns. The CEO used to be the digital director for the Romney campaign. It seems reasonable to me to call them a Republican firm.

Re: Facebook paid Republican strategy firm to malign TikTok

#154

Post by ModernMech » Wed, Mar 30, 2022, 3:10 PM UTC

Clubber wrote: post #145

nmilo wrote: post #137

What is a "Republican strategy firm?" A consulting firm with the Republican party as one of their clients? What's the point of making "Republican" so prominent in the article? Is it just to use the negative connotation most WP readers have about the Republican party to malign Facebook a little more? It seems like we're just spectating an op-ed war, and discussing this article as if there's any meaning to it other tha…

Yes, political division sells papers. I looked for the "opinion" label, which is used to justify this type of manipulation but didn't see one. It's an article manipulating you talking about how Facebook uses a company that the GOP uses (and probably Dems too) to manipulate you. I suspect it wouldn't mention that some of these articles this company uses to manipulate you are probably published in The Washington Post,…

First of all the word Republican does not even appear in the title of the wall piece. It appears in the first paragraph to characterize the firm, which is a fact and how they characterize themselves. The word Republican appears a total of 4 times in the entire price. I’m really failing to see manipulation or opinions. Can you point them out?

Re: Facebook paid Republican strategy firm to malign TikTok

#155

Post by spywaregorilla » Wed, Mar 30, 2022, 3:11 PM UTC

nmilo wrote: post #137

What is a "Republican strategy firm?" A consulting firm with the Republican party as one of their clients? What's the point of making "Republican" so prominent in the article? Is it just to use the negative connotation most WP readers have about the Republican party to malign Facebook a little more? It seems like we're just spectating an op-ed war, and discussing this article as if there's any meaning to it other tha…

https://targetedvictory.com/team/

12 matches for republican 1 match for conservative 0 matches for democrat

It's a firm comprised of former republican political talent. Maybe you're just as willing to fan the flames of political war as those you accuse?

They also seem to be into crypto.

Re: Facebook paid Republican strategy firm to malign TikTok

#156

Post by s28l » Wed, Mar 30, 2022, 3:14 PM UTC

nmilo wrote: post #137

What is a "Republican strategy firm?" A consulting firm with the Republican party as one of their clients? What's the point of making "Republican" so prominent in the article? Is it just to use the negative connotation most WP readers have about the Republican party to malign Facebook a little more? It seems like we're just spectating an op-ed war, and discussing this article as if there's any meaning to it other tha…

Most political consulting firms do the majority of their work for a single party, so they can reasonably be identified as either "Republican" or "Democratic". Some non-nefarious reasons why this clustering tends to occur:

* The firms are the next career stepping stone for campaign workers. If you have worked on half a dozen Democratic campaigns, you presumably believe in the cause and are unlikely to want to start working on Republican campaigns where you disagree with the candidate. (Maybe you won't be as good at working on GOP campaigns either). * If you are a politician, you are unlikely to be too excited to hire the firm that in the last election cycle wrote an ad trashing some of the positions you old. You are also more likely to get referred to a firm by a politician from the same party as you.

You might have firms that work with both parties, but they are likely to be working with centrist candidates from those parties.

So if this is a strategy firm that has mostly done political work for Republican candidates and causes, it seems perfectly reasonable to call it a "Republican strategy firm"

Re: Facebook paid Republican strategy firm to malign TikTok

#157

Post by cortesoft » Wed, Mar 30, 2022, 3:16 PM UTC

nmilo wrote: post #151

tangue wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From the article : "Launched as a Republican digital consulting firm by Zac Moffatt, a digital director for Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign, Targeted Victory ... The firm is one of the biggest recipients of Republican campaign spending, earning more than $237 million in 2020, according to data compiled by OpenSecrets. Its biggest payments came from national GOP congressional committees and America First Acti…

So, yes, it is nothing more than a consulting firm with the Republican party as one of their clients. The other questions still stand: > What's the point of making "Republican" so prominent in the article? Is it just to use the negative connotation most WP readers have about the Republican party to malign Facebook a little more?

The consulting company markets itself as a Republican/conservative operation. If it was important enough for them to put it front and center on their own website, it makes sense to include that info in the article.

Re: Facebook paid Republican strategy firm to malign TikTok

#158

Post by boredumb » Wed, Mar 30, 2022, 3:19 PM UTC

wanda wrote: post #9

Isn't this what all firms do to each other, all the time? Like, isn't this just normal business these days? Isn't this sort of thing a natural eventuality in a capitalist world? Capitalism crowns the person who wins, regardless of how they won. And besides, all press is good press because it's all exposure. Why wouldn't you do this sort of thing? It's only wrong to get caught. And even then, you can pay for a lawyer…

Capitalism has nothing to do with power disseminating information in an attempt to retain power. You are actually lucky for capitalism as it's two companies offering social media services playing PR games and not a totalitarian government operating under the guise of fascism/socialism/marxism pushing domestic propaganda demonizing people who think like you.

Re: Facebook paid Republican strategy firm to malign TikTok

#159

Post by tyleo » Wed, Mar 30, 2022, 3:20 PM UTC

taylodl wrote: post #131

throwaway2474 wrote: post #77

Serious question, for those with more experience than me “in the game” running big successful companies: are dirty tactics like this (and worse) par for the course and generally expected, and it’s sort of understood that the outsiders/general public are shielded from it? Or is it actually shocking? It often seems like there’s two “worlds” operating at the same time. In one, there’s outrage and indignation at this sor…

Many commenters here have pointed out this is the norm. I'll also point out that most companies fail, and many of the ones that don't fail are despised by their customers/users. What can we say of the companies that succeed and aren't despised? They typically don't do shit like this. The other problem with thinking "this is what everybody does" is there's the unstated "so keep your mouth shut and just go along with i…

Wholeheartedly agree. This is not the norm at a couple multi-billion dollar companies where I've worked and I would leave if it were. If you are doing this you are making the world a worse place. Do not do this. Do not accept this. Find purpose in the world and strive to add to it rather than take away.

Re: Facebook paid Republican strategy firm to malign TikTok

#160

Post by thinkyfish » Wed, Mar 30, 2022, 3:21 PM UTC

alphabetting wrote: post #136

taylodl wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many commenters here have pointed out this is the norm. I'll also point out that most companies fail, and many of the ones that don't fail are despised by their customers/users. What can we say of the companies that succeed and aren't despised? They typically don't do shit like this. The other problem with thinking "this is what everybody does" is there's the unstated "so keep your mouth shut and just go along with i…

What is "unhealthy" about telling public TikTok is a danger?

Facebook has no motivation to make true accusations against TikTok. There may be legitimate criticisms that can be made, but facebook doesn't have a reason to care, and being tasked with making those criticisms in an environment where anything that sticks is rewarded, regardless of the truth, will have their honesty and truthfulness compromised, and will be encouraged to view that as normal, compromising their wisdom.