Dark Money Invades Social Media
On The Time of Monsters: Taylor Lorenz on the shadowy groups backing some big Democratic influencers.
Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.
On August 27, journalist Taylor Lorenz reported for Wired on a dark-money project funded by
anonymous Democratic Party donors to shape social media. Her article documented that,
"In a private group chat in June, dozens of Democratic political influencers discussed whether to
take advantage of an enticing opportunity. They were being offered $8,000 per month to take
part in a secretive program aimed at bolstering Democratic messaging on the internet.
But the contract sent to them from Chorus, the nonprofit arm of a liberal influencer marketing
platform, came with some strings. Among other issues, it mandated extensive secrecy about
disclosing their payments and had restrictions on what sort of political content the creators
could produce."
I talked to Taylor about her article and the considerable backlash it provoked from the people
she wrote about. We also discussed why Republicans have done so well on social media and
why this latest effort is both morally dubious and ineffective.
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
On August 27, journalist Taylor Lorenz reported for Wired on a dark-money project funded by anonymous Democratic Party donors to shape social media. As she wrote:
In a private group chat in June, dozens of Democratic political influencers discussed whether to take advantage of an enticing opportunity. They were being offered $8,000 per month to take part in a secretive program aimed at bolstering Democratic messaging on the internet. But the contract sent to them from Chorus, the nonprofit arm of a liberal influencer marketing platform, came with some strings. Among other issues, it mandated extensive secrecy about disclosing their payments and had restrictions on what sort of political content the creators could produce.
I talked to Taylor about her article and the considerable backlash it provoked from the people she wrote about. We also discussed why Republicans have done so well on social media and why this latest effort is both morally dubious and ineffective.
Subscribe to The Nation to support all of our podcasts: thenation.com/podcastsubscribe.
The Time of Monsters podcast features Nation national-affairs correspondent Jeet Heer’s signature blend of political culture and cultural politics. Each week, he’ll host in-depth conversations with urgent voices on the most pressing issues of our time.
On August 27, journalist Taylor Lorenz reported for Wired on a dark-money project funded by
anonymous Democratic Party donors to shape social media. Her article documented that,
"In a private group chat in June, dozens of Democratic political influencers discussed whether to
take advantage of an enticing opportunity. They were being offered $8,000 per month to take
part in a secretive program aimed at bolstering Democratic messaging on the internet.
But the contract sent to them from Chorus, the nonprofit arm of a liberal influencer marketing
platform, came with some strings. Among other issues, it mandated extensive secrecy about
disclosing their payments and had restrictions on what sort of political content the creators
could produce."
I talked to Taylor about her article and the considerable backlash it provoked from the people
she wrote about. We also discussed why Republicans have done so well on social media and
why this latest effort is both morally dubious and ineffective.
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Subscribe to The Nation to Support all of our podcasts
Sustain independent journalism that will not back down!
Donald Trump wants us to accept the current state of affairs without making a scene. He wants us to believe that if we resist, he will harass us, sue us, and cut funding for those we care about; he may sic ICE, the FBI, or the National Guard on us.
We’re sorry to disappoint, but the fact is this: The Nation won’t back down to an authoritarian regime. Not now, not ever.
Day after day, week after week, we will continue to publish truly independent journalism that exposes the Trump administration for what it is and develops ways to gum up its machinery of repression.
We do this through exceptional coverage of war and peace, the labor movement, the climate emergency, reproductive justice, AI, corruption, crypto, and much more.
Our award-winning writers, including Elie Mystal, Mohammed Mhawish, Chris Lehmann, Joan Walsh, John Nichols, Jeet Heer, Kate Wagner, Kaveh Akbar, John Ganz, Zephyr Teachout, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Kali Holloway, Gregg Gonsalves, Amy Littlefield, Michael T. Klare, and Dave Zirin, instigate ideas and fuel progressive movements across the country.
With no corporate interests or billionaire owners behind us, we need your help to fund this journalism. The most powerful way you can contribute is with a recurring donation that lets us know you’re behind us for the long fight ahead.
We need to add 100 new sustaining donors to The Nation this September. If you step up with a monthly contribution of $10 or more, you’ll receive a one-of-a-kind Nation pin to recognize your invaluable support for the free press.
Onward,
Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editor and Publisher, The Nation