Mike Bloomberg's Campaign Doctored a Video to Make It Seem Like He Did Well in the Debate

[babylonsister]

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/mike-bloomberg-doctored-debate-video-955729/

Mike Bloomberg’s Campaign Doctored a Video to Make It Seem Like He Did Well in the Debate
Disinformation is a slippery slope
By Ryan Bort


Mike Bloomberg’s soon-to-be-released FEC filing will reportedly show that he’s spent more than $400 million on his presidential campaign since he entered the race in November. Unless the campaign somehow overlooked expensing some debate coaching for the 78-year-old billionaire, a touch more of that $400 million probably should have been spent on preparation, or charisma boosters, or anything else that might have helped him weather he onslaught of attacks from his fellow candidates.

Bloomberg was hit from every direction, from just about every candidate. Elizabeth Warren attacked him over his treatment of women and racial discrimination. Bernie Sanders attacked him over his obscene wealth and Republican past. Joe Biden attacked him over the stop-and- frisk policy he instituted while serving as mayor of New York City. These were predictable attacks, but Bloomberg still stumbled through a series of unconvincing responses while literally rolling his eyes at the gall of his competitors.

The former mayor claimed victory on Twitter after the debate wrapped. Of course he did. That’s what candidates do. But his campaign’s efforts to spin his performance entered troubling territory on Thursday, when his account posted a video doctored to misrepresent how the other candidates responded when Bloomberg asked if anyone other than himself had started a business.

snip//

What’s the harm, you might ask? The campaign overlaid the sound of crickets chirping. It’s just a joke, right? Sure, but there are people who see this who will think it’s real, just as there were undoubtedly plenty of President Trump’s Twitter followers who were duped last month by a video doctored to make it seem like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped up her copy of Trump’s State of the Union address in response to Trump honoring military families. This kind of disinformation — posted in jest, as the campaigns will say — is a slippery slope. Both Facebook and Twitter rejected a request from Pelosi to have the misleading video taken down, setting a precedent for Bloomberg’s campaign to doctor a video in a similar fashion, which will further embolden Trump, Bloomberg, and whichever other campaigns are comfortable stooping to this level to normalize this type of reality distortion to do just that.

As with Trump, Bloomberg’s appeal hinges on obfuscating the truth about his actions and his values, and his campaign will spare no expense in flooding the airwaves and social media networks in an effort to recast his abysmal performance Wednesday night as a victory. As Warren told CNN following the debate: “I have no doubt that coming off that debate stage that Michael Bloomberg is reaching in his pocket and dropping another $100 million in advertising across this country just to try to erase the memory of what happened on that debate stage.”

The doctored video he tweeted out Thursday morning may be only the beginning.

[Dem2]

1. I mean shocking, right?

Why would any candidate not do this? Plus, this is yesterday's news.

[Squinch]

2. No he didn't. I get that people don't like the guy, but this is ridiculous.

Honestly, did you all see what just happened in the intelligence community?

We need to stop throwing stupid pies at each other and, I don't know, maybe get down to the business of saving the Republic.

[babylonsister]

6. The videos are at the link;

yea, it's no big deal, but if it's no big deal, why did they go to the trouble of doctoring it?

[Squinch]

7. I've seen the video. This is absurd.

[babylonsister]

21. Washington Post fact-checker gives Bloomberg 4 Pinocchios for 'deceptive editing' in campaign ad

Not everyone thinks it's absurd.



TheHill.com
Washington Post fact-checker gives Bloomberg 4 Pinocchios for 'deceptive editing' in campaign ad
By Joe Concha - 02/21/20 12:48 PM EST


The Washington Post Fact Checker column gave Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg four Pinocchios for "deceptive editing" in a campaign video that included footage from Wednesday night's Democratic debate.

snip//

"The video takes that minor moment and stretches it to 22 seconds, with reaction shots that make the other candidates look troubled, embarrassed or confused," Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler wrote. "The video is silent except for cricket sounds" and all the reactions are "taken from other moments in the debate."

He went on to criticize the ad for "editing out large portions from a video and presenting it as a complete narrative, despite missing key elements."

"We’re taking a tough line on manipulated campaign videos before viewers are flooded with so many fakes that they have trouble knowing what is true. The Bloomberg campaign should label this as a parody or else take the video down," Kessler added.

more...

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/484067-washington-post-fact-checker-gives-bloomberg-4-pinocchios-for-deceptive

[Squinch]

22. Then I'm sure you are also outraged by the dancing gingerbread men in his other commercial.

BECAUSE, DAMMIT, GINGERBREAD MEN CAN'T DANCE!!!!!

TOTALLY DECEPTIVE!!!!!!!11!

[democratisphere]

10. Always keep THIS kind of thing in the back of your mind.

The russians are among US on every platform promoting propaganda and dissension.

[Squinch]

11. But does Rolling Stone have to fall for it so often?

[democratisphere]

12. The MSM is taking it hook, line and sinker THEN pushing it and promoting it.

[Squinch]

13. Gotta hand it to those Russians. They know how to write a catchy headline.

[democratisphere]

18. Yeah. And it's not even in broken English.

[Iliyah]

3. He knows how to play the political game . . .

Unfortunately.

[Gothmog]

4. This is so very sad

[Nikki28]

8. Honestly

I really do not care since the other side is worst by doctoring and cheating,lying,distorting and using Russia talking points.I see nothing wrong with this. I want to hear more and have the news focus on our election and not this useless nonsense. Time to work to get this threat out of our elections. Wen have Russia, China possibly interfering in our elections and keep our eyes on the Repukes and ect..

[Bradshaw3]

16. So it's ok to do it to Democrats

I see where the apologists get their moral compass: from Bloomberg himself. Buy off critics, fund repubs so they control the senate, sexist and racist comments and policies. It's all ok because "the other side does it.". Even if it's done to Democrats or our voters.

[UniteFightBack]

9. Was it edited or doctored? Big difference. nt

[demmiblue]

14. Both. n/t

[stopbush]

15. Ridiculous. Next they'll complain that candidates used black and white images

of their opponents when they were shot in color, or played ominous music in the background of some video when no music was actually playing when the video was shot.

The ad under discussion was an example of Mike’s team making the best out of what most agree was a poor debate performance.

Funny how no one complained when he put out his “doctored” ad of tRump saying nothing but the words “lie” and “unfair,” with an animated gingerbread man dancing on his shoulder.

[Squinch]

17. That was totally real, though. There really was a dancing gingerbread man. Otherwise this

whole argument would be really laughable.

[JCMach1]

19. Precisely, it's just a sarcastic ad that now has tons of free media

Play just because people were whining about...

He has damn good editors and ad production, but the idea is something you might see in your local city council race.

[yardwork]

20. That's completely unacceptable.

[jmg257]

23. Yep - he's just being nailed on MSNBC for this shit. Not good for MRB!!