Verrit

Verrit was a liberal leaning political site created by Peter Daou[1] and his wife Leela Daou[2] that showed talking points for use in social media discussions. The site suspended all functionality—including verifying the seven-digit identification codes of previously issued Verrit cards—on February 11, 2018, with the website replaced by only the words: "Reboots Summer 2018".[3] No warning or explanation was given for the suspension. As of May 2019, the domainredirects to the now-suspended Twitter profile[4] This comes on the heels of Peter Daou bowing out of public activism.[5] As of January 2019, the domain redirected to Verrit's Twitter profile, an account which as of May 2019 has been suspended.

Verrit's logo

The website's slogan said it was "media for the 65.8 million," referring to the number of votes Hillary Clinton received in the 2016 presidential election. Daou, an adviser to Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign, and prior chief executive of Shareblue[6] told Business Insider that he intended the website to "reflect the worldview" of those who voted for Clinton and described the site as an "online hub for Clinton backers so that they can find easy-to-share facts, stats and other information you can take out to social media when you're having debates on key issues people are discussing". Daou also said the website had no financial ties to Clinton.[7]

On September 3, 2017, Clinton endorsed the service. Shortly thereafter, the site went offline, which Daou blamed on a "significant and sophisticated" cyber attack.[8][9] Five months later, the site remained offline.[10] When a journalist for Splinter News contacted company representatives requesting comment on its status, he reports he was blocked by the company's Twitter account.[10]

Response

Abby Ohlheiser at The Washington Post said she guessed the site is "supposed to be something that's useful for Clinton supporters who like to argue online about politics".[6] TechCrunch called it "a fledgling media startup that's aiming to provide a platform for Hillary supporters to look at infographics with quotes on them about stuff they agree with".[11] Politico's Jack Shafer described Verrit as "a propaganda rag so shameless it would make Kim Jong Un blush".[12] The Observer wrote, "We didn't find any outright fabrications, but we did find signs that the site is more focused on advancing its messaging than proper sourcing".[13] Matthew Hews from TheNextWeb wrote, "From the get-go, it's apparent that Verrit isn't about building bridges or creating understanding, but rather pushing a particular narrative. Daou himself has said as much."[14] The Verge said it is "just another partisan showroom for original reporting, controlled by someone with an axe to grind".[15]

References
  1. Kandyba, Slav (September 3, 2017). "Peter and Leela Daou: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
  2. "Pro-Clinton site Verrit aims to "correct the record" on 2016, co-founder says".
  3. "The Pro-Hillary Site Nobody Asked for or Used Is Rebooting". February 12, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
  4. "Verrit". Verrit. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  5. Daou, Peter [@peterdaou] (March 2, 2018). "FRIENDS" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  6. Ohlheiser, Abby (September 5, 2017). "What even is Verrit, the news source endorsed by Hillary Clinton?" – via washingtonpost.com.
  7. Logan, Bryan. "Hillary Clinton promoted a news website 'for the 65.8 million' — here's what its founder says it's all about". Business Insider. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  8. "Hillary Clinton endorsed a startup — and then it fell victim to a cyber attack". Recode. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
  9. McKay, Tom. "No One Asked for Verrit, but Here We Are". Gizmodo. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  10. Uberti, David (February 12, 2018). "The Pro-Hillary Site Nobody Asked for or Used Is Rebooting". Splinter News. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  11. Matney, Lucas. "If a Hillary-endorsed media platform is tech's best solution for 'fake news' then we're screwed - TechCrunch".
  12. "This Pro-Hillary Website Looks Like North Korean Agitprop".
  13. "Verrit Walks Right Up to the Line of a Useful Innovation". September 5, 2017.
  14. Hughes, Matthew (September 4, 2017). "Why did Hillary Clinton endorse this terrible media startup?".
  15. Sottek, T. C. (September 4, 2017). "Finally, there's a website just for people who think Clinton should have won". The Verge.


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