CNN and Facebook try to take down alternative media
- 5 years ago
ATLANTA — A new report by Shadow Proof claims that CNN manufactured their latest claims against a Russia-funded media company.
Facebook recently suspended three video news pages run by a Berlin-based company called Maffick Media. Ruptly, a subsidiary of state-owned RT, owns 52 percent of the company.
Maffick Media is claiming that CNN is using the fact that the company is funded by Russia to stoke the already-flaming 'Russia-phobia' fire.
A report by Shadow Proof, a blog that covers journalistic injustices, noted the ways in which they believe CNN 'manufactured the news.'
Maffick Media has three main video pages on Facebook: 'Backthen,' which covers the history of Western Imperialism, 'Waste-Ed,' which covers environmental news, and 'Soapbox,' which covers political news.
Their political videos often criticize American intervention in other democracies, particularly during the imperial era and the Cold War.
The report states that CNN was looking to out Maffic Media's channels after learning about their link with Russia through the German Marshall Fund, a self-proclaimed nonpartisan American public policy think tank funded by the US government.
The report believes that they brought up the tip to Facebook, which responded by suspending the pages. Only when Facebook suspended the pages did they run the news.
Soapbox producer and journalist Rania Khalek and Maffick Media COO, J. Ray Spark were interviewed by the CNN for the story.
However, according to Khalek, CNN had previously approached other employees for information on the company claiming that they had spoken to Khalek beforehand when they had not.
CNN also misquoted Spark in the interview, only correcting the quote after Shadow Proof's report had called them out on it.
In a statement on their page, Maffick Media said, 'None of our content promotes disinformation or fake news.'
In the same statement, Maffick Media also called out other state-funded media outlets including America's NPR, the UK's BBC, Germany's DW and Qatar's AJ+ and questioned why these do not have to openly disclose that they are government funded.
Even Donie O'Sullivan, a CNN reporter who worked on the story, told CNN in an interview that the company's videos made a 'lot of legitimate arguments,' and they 'weren't necessarily really hiding their Russian ties.'
Facebook recently suspended three video news pages run by a Berlin-based company called Maffick Media. Ruptly, a subsidiary of state-owned RT, owns 52 percent of the company.
Maffick Media is claiming that CNN is using the fact that the company is funded by Russia to stoke the already-flaming 'Russia-phobia' fire.
A report by Shadow Proof, a blog that covers journalistic injustices, noted the ways in which they believe CNN 'manufactured the news.'
Maffick Media has three main video pages on Facebook: 'Backthen,' which covers the history of Western Imperialism, 'Waste-Ed,' which covers environmental news, and 'Soapbox,' which covers political news.
Their political videos often criticize American intervention in other democracies, particularly during the imperial era and the Cold War.
The report states that CNN was looking to out Maffic Media's channels after learning about their link with Russia through the German Marshall Fund, a self-proclaimed nonpartisan American public policy think tank funded by the US government.
The report believes that they brought up the tip to Facebook, which responded by suspending the pages. Only when Facebook suspended the pages did they run the news.
Soapbox producer and journalist Rania Khalek and Maffick Media COO, J. Ray Spark were interviewed by the CNN for the story.
However, according to Khalek, CNN had previously approached other employees for information on the company claiming that they had spoken to Khalek beforehand when they had not.
CNN also misquoted Spark in the interview, only correcting the quote after Shadow Proof's report had called them out on it.
In a statement on their page, Maffick Media said, 'None of our content promotes disinformation or fake news.'
In the same statement, Maffick Media also called out other state-funded media outlets including America's NPR, the UK's BBC, Germany's DW and Qatar's AJ+ and questioned why these do not have to openly disclose that they are government funded.
Even Donie O'Sullivan, a CNN reporter who worked on the story, told CNN in an interview that the company's videos made a 'lot of legitimate arguments,' and they 'weren't necessarily really hiding their Russian ties.'