How far will CNN go to push its Trump-Russia narrative? Try this

How far will CNN go to push its Trump-Russia narrative? Try this

On Thursday, CNN claimed in an exclusive report that Russians apparently tried to meddle in the 2016 election through YouTube, Tumblr, and even the mobile game app Pokémon Go:

One Russian-linked campaign posing as part of the Black Lives Matter … even contacted some reporters in an effort to exploit racial tensions and sow discord among Americans, CNN has learned.

The campaign, titled “Don’t Shoot Us,” offers new insights into how Russian agents created a broad online ecosystem where divisive political messages were reinforced across multiple platforms, amplifying a campaign that appears to have been run from one source — the shadowy, Kremlin-linked troll farm known as the Internet Research Agency.

A source familiar with the matter confirmed to CNN that the Don’t Shoot Us Facebook page was one of the 470 accounts taken down after the company determined they were linked to the IRA. CNN has separately established the links between the Facebook page and the other Don’t Shoot Us accounts.

The Hill had more on the Pokémon Go angle:

The campaign posted on its Tumblr page to urge users to play Pokémon Go as part of a contest. It encouraged users to find Pokémon in places where police brutality had happened and then to rename their Pokémon after the victims.

“It’s clear from the images shared with us by CNN that our game assets were appropriated and misused in promotions by third parties without our permission,” Niantic, the makers of Pokémon Go, said in a statement provided to CNN.

“It is important to note that Pokémon GO, as a platform, was not and cannot be used to share information between users in the app so our platform was in no way being used. This ‘contest’ required people to take screen shots from their phone and share over other social networks, not within our game. Niantic will consider our response as we learn more,” the company said.

So how does any of this impact last November’s election?

Zero Hedge gives us a clue:

To be clear, CNN is claiming that Russia tried to trick Americans into taking up a traditionally liberal cause, in alignment with Black Lives Matter (BLM), to divide America through racial tension and somehow drive voters into the arms of Donald Trump. The other logical conclusion which CNN somehow overlooked, is that said propaganda would have encouraged left-wing political activism – bringing sympathetic social justice warriors to the polls – ostensibly voting for Hillary Clinton.

So what’s the “evidence?” Zero Hedge sums that up as well:

CNN reports that the “Don’t Shoot Us” campaign Facebook page was linked to one of 470 Facebook accounts deemed to be linked to a Russian propaganda effort. The campaign’s YouTube videos lead people to donotshoot.us, which links to a Tumbler account. In July 2016, the Tumbler account announced the Pokémon Go contest to go find areas with reported police brutality

Their evidence that “Don’t Shoot Us” is Russian? A guy named Daniel Reed, described as the “Chief Editor” of DoNotShoot.us, emailed interview answers for an article to student-journalist Arpita Mitra of the website IPF (International Press Foundation) in a Word document, which Mitra forwarded to CNN. Upon analyzing the document’s metadata, CNN claims the Russian word for “name” was found in the document’s properties. 

From that, CNN says two cybersecurity experts who reviewed the document said it was likely created on a computer or program running Russian as its primary language.

“Not quite a smoking gun,” Zero Hedge notes, “but CNN has decided to run with it.”

And it’s not even clear that the effort had any impact on the election whatsoever. Again, Zero Hedge tells us:

Who participated?

Nobody, apparently.

CNN has not found any evidence that any Pokémon Go users attempted to enter the contest, or whether any of the Amazon Gift Cards that were promised were ever awarded — or, indeed, whether the people who designed the contest ever had any intention of awarding the prizes.

There you have it – Russians influenced US politics by taking up liberal social justice activism in alignment with Black Lives Matter, their endgame being to stoke racial tensions and somehow, some way, influence the election in favor of Donald Trump.

As it turns out, Hillary Clinton, the most devious person ever nominated for the presidency by a major party, actually did invoke Pokémon Go at one of her campaign events.

Don’t just take my word for it — here’s a video, courtesy of CNN:

According to a June 2016 NBC News report:

Hillary Clinton wants to catch them all — voters that is.

The presumptive Democratic nominee is going to jump on the craze surrounding the new Pokemon Go smartphone game to woo and register voters in the key swing state of Ohio, according to her campaign.

“Join us as we go to the Pokestop in Madison Park and put up a lure module, get free pokemon, & battle each other while you register voters and learn more about Sec. Hillary Clinton!!!,” the campaign said in a post on her website.

The event is listed as taking place at the Madison Park Pokestop and PokeGYM in Lakewood, Ohio, on Saturday between 1 and 2p.m.

Clinton also mentioned Pokemon Go, which is reportedly the biggest mobile game in U.S. history, in Virginia on Thursday while campaigning with potential VP pick Sen. Tim Kaine.

“I don’t know who created Pokemon Go, but I’m trying to figure out how we get them to have Pokemon Go to the polls,” she said, as the crowd shrieked.

Hmmm.

“One thing’s for sure,” Twitchy said. “The narrative keeps changing rapidly.”

Indeed. We can’t help but wonder how much taxpayer money Robert Mueller will waste chasing this “lead” down…

Exit question: Will Maxine Waters add Pokémon Go to her “Kremlin Klan” list?

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Joe Newby

Joe Newby

Joe Newby is an IT professional. He has written for Conservative Firing Line, Examiner, NewsBusters, and Spokane Faith and Values.

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