2023-08-03 05:23:53
Shocking images, from an unknown source, but taken up in the first degree by influential accounts. Since last week, a video superimposing promotional images of the Paris Olympics on images of police violence has been circulating on social networks. Brutal excerpts serving to call for a boycott of the Games, in the name of respect for Human Rights.
The video, relayed by the “New York Insider” account on X (formerly Twitter), has accumulated more than 3 million views. With its (paid) certification on the platform, and its name reminiscent of recognized media such as the New York Times or Business Insider, one might think that it is the account of a real American media, which would have made the strong gesture , and symbolic, to call for a boycott of the 2024 Games – an interpretation originally made by the website Paris Match who quickly corrected the shot. However, this video was relayed by a site far from being recognized, as the journalists pointed out Alexandre Hervaud or Raphael Grably the BFMTV.
At first glance, “NewYorkInsider.net” looks like a classic news site: there are a host of articles in English, on sport, health, technology, business… But, first problem: its contents are not signed, and are often copied and pasted, without modification, from much more recognized media, such as the New York Times, the Huffington Post, or even CBS News. Another concern: it does not display an “about” page or a section detailing who is behind the publication.
Content to be published on demand
The “whois” site, however, indicates that this “media” was created on June 27th. The rest of the information related to the site has been concealed (an address in Denver, United States, is indicated by default, as for all those who request anonymization). One certainty: it is one of a myriad of alternative platforms on which you can publish the content you want, for cold hard cash.
For 300 dollars, the “PR to Sky” site guarantees the publication of press releases, an interview or a long article on “NewYorkInsider.net”, “DailyTrends.io” and “MondayNewspaper.com” in English, as well as the site “France11.com”, in French, and “InformeEspana.es” in Spanish. Reached by Le Parisien, the manager of the company, originally from Azerbaijan, refused to answer our questions, assuring that there was “nothing to say” on this subject.
The site “PR to Sky” offers to publish content on order, against 299 dollars, in several languages. Screenshot/PR to Sky
Despite these dubious characteristics, several recognized accounts took the video as is, seeming to consider that it was a real analysis of a foreign media. “This is now the image of France in the world”, was moved this Wednesday the deputy EELV Julien Bayou on X… Before deleting his publication, alerted by the doubts linked to this video.
“Despite the attempts to hide misery with the #JO2024 showcase, the world is not fooled”, lambasted the Ecological Revolution for the Living Party, led by Aymeric Caron. The Mediavenir recovery account has also relayed editing this Wednesday, and accumulated nearly 2 million views in 6 hours.
The influence strategy therefore worked, and the “New York Insider” site knows it: online, it is bragging already of his video which “took the Internet by storm”, which would have “catch the attention of famous journalists, government officials and the general public”. The opportunity for the “media” to tackle the “political strategy of President Emmanuel Macron, which raises growing concerns about the tarnished global image of France”.
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