by Chris Menahan, Information Liberation:
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has blamed social media and TikTok for Israel losing the PR war in Gaza.
While speaking before the McCain Institute on Friday, Blinken lamented that social media is allowing the world to see “the inescapable reality of people who have and continue to suffer grievously in Gaza,” whereas in the past the “information environment” was controlled by a few newspapers and TV outlets who could shape the narrative.
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Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), who was interviewing Blinken, concurred and added that the US banning TikTok is being done to help Israel in their PR war.
“Why has the PR been so awful?… typically the Israelis are good at PR—what’s happened here, how have they and we been so ineffective at communicating the realities and our POV?… some wonder why there was such overwhelming support for us to shut down potentially TikTok.” pic.twitter.com/vBzuahukfs
— austerity is theft 🇿🇦 (@wideofthepost) May 5, 2024
Incredible historical document here: Blinken says Israel’s PR is failing because social media allows people a direct look at what’s happening, shorn of the ability to mediate it, and it lands with emotional resonance. Romney then says yes, that’s why we moved to ban TikTok https://t.co/NeykVeZVRd
— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) May 5, 2024
Romney talks about shutting down TikTok “or other entities of that nature.” The demand to increase state control over & censor social media/the Web won’t stop here, because contrary to his next point, TikTok is not exceptional for its pro-Palestinian content. https://t.co/QT28ZFRiCh
— Branko Marcetic (@BMarchetich) May 5, 2024
Transcript via American Rhetoric:
SENATOR ROMNEY: Why has the PR been so awful? I know that’s not your area of expertise, but you have to have some thoughts on that, which is, I mean, as you’ve said, why has Hamas disappeared in terms of public perception? An offer is on the table to have a ceasefire, and yet the world is screaming about Israel. It’s like, why are they not screaming about Hamas? Accept the ceasefire and bring home the hostages. Instead, it’s all the other way around. I mean, typically the Israelis are good at PR. What’s happened here? How have they — how have they/ and we/ been so ineffective at communicating the realities there and our point of view?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Look, I mean, there are two things. One is that, look, there is an inescapable reality, and that is the inescapable reality of people who have and continue to suffer grievously in Gaza. And that’s real and we have to — have to — be focused on that and attentive to that.
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