Maffick

Last updated

Maffick LLC
Industry digital media
PredecessorMaffick Media GmbH
FoundedJuly 2019 in Los Angeles, California
Founder Anissa Naouai
Headquarters2917 W Temple St. suite 102, Los Angeles, California
OwnerAnissa Naouai
Website https://wearemaffick.com/#home

Maffick LLC is a social media digital content company based in Los Angeles, California that has been labelled a Russian state-backed entity by Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube due to its connections to German-based Maffick Media GmbH, which was majority owned by RT (Russia Today) subsidiary Ruptly. [1] [2] In December 2021, Maffick LLC registered under the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) as being financed by ANO TV-Novosti. [3] It was incorporated in 2019, while its main channel is In the Now, launched in 2016.

Contents

On February 28, 2022, CEO Anissa Naouai terminated Maffick's service agreement with RT following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. [4] [5]

Brands

According to CNN, Maffick "videos are generally critical of U.S. foreign policy and the mainstream American media, while largely avoiding criticism of the Russian government." [6] Its content is targeted at American millennials. [7]

The company operates three major channels: In the Now (ITN), Wasted-ED, and Soapbox. [8] By mid-2018, In The Now had three million likes on Facebook; [9] by mid-2020, it had five million followers. [10] Maffick appears affiliated with a similar group, Maffick Moscow, which runs a Russian-language website and social media accounts. [11]

Maffick launched a political podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and Audible in October 2021, under the brand Maffick Podcasts, called Left Bitches (who are Right). [12]

History

In The Now

In The Now began as a programme on RT, fronted by Anissa Naouai, which became a stand-alone entity in June 2016. BuzzFeed News described it as "news served hot with a side of smile and a big dollop of propaganda". [6] [13] In The Now changed its Twitter handle from @InTheNowRT to @InTheNow_Tweet, but used the same IP address as RT. [14]

NBC observed Maffick's content, for instance on the Syrian civil war, promoted pro-Russian geopolitical positions. [14] Early viral hits included Canadian blogger Eva Bartlett defending the legitimacy of the 2014 Syrian presidential election, another attacking Syria's White Helmets civil defence volunteers, and one of Naouai describing messages from civilians in besieged Aleppo as "a coordinated PR campaign". Both videos were promoted by RT, Russian embassies, and then right-wing social media personalities, although RT stated that the platform was editorially independent from the main news channel. [13] [15] [16]

According to the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRL), RT's parent company, ANO TV-Novosti, had registered In The Now's website. [17] DFRL also reported that its audience in the US was concentrated among 18-24 year olds. [17] The DFRL described the content as mostly non-ideological, but added that the 8% of content which was deemed ideological had a strong pro-Russian slant; the report alleged various inaccuracies in this content, such as the statement that NATO was involved in the Bosnian conflict to “surround Russia” or that Google censored anti-Hillary Clinton websites. In particular, the DFRL noted strong anti-Clinton bias in the 2016 U.S. presidential election coverage, including running several stories previously debunked by fact-checking website Snopes. [17]

Maffick Media

Maffick Media GmbH was a Berlin-based subsidiary of Ruptly, which has been accused of being under editorial control of the Russian government. [18] Maffick Media was 51% owned by Ruptly and 49% by Anissa Naouai. [6] It shared an address in Berlin with Ruptly and with Redfish, another RT spin-off brand. [18] [19] It was originally set up as a holding company for In The Now. [6] Maffick ran three other Facebook pages: Soapbox, focusing on current affairs, Waste-Ed, on environmental issues, and Backthen, a history channel. The three pages had over 30 million video views in the first months. [6] From September 2018, it hired several contractors in Los Angeles. [6]

In summer 2018, its video of Anna Dovgalyuk, a Russian social media star, campaigning against manspreading was watched by millions, but the European Union's EUvsDisinfo website alleged that it had been staged as a Kremlin propaganda operation, and it was removed by YouTube. [9] EUvsDisinfo also accused the channel of promoting disinformation about the Douma chemical attack, including the screening of an interview with a child in Russian military custody. [20]

Maffick Media's Facebook accounts were suspended in 2019 after investigations by CNN and T-online revealed ties to RT and Ruptly. Maffick was defended by RT, which said no official requests to explain the websites were filed with Maffick, and blamed CNN for the controversy. It was also defended by RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. [7] The pages were restored later that month after they began disclosing their ownership. For example, Soapbox's "About" section now read: "'Soapbox' is a political opinion brand of Maffick, which is owned and operated by Anissa Naouai and Ruptly GmbH, a subsidiary of RT". [21]

The vimeo account for Maffick Video, the account that carried Maffick Media video clips, continues to carry Maffick LLC productions, and as of March 2021, the account continues to refer to itself as "a video startup based in Berlin" [22]

Maffick Media continued to be registered in Germany with Naouai as the head until May 7, 2021, when the company was liquidated. [23]

State propaganda accusations

Maffick and Russian state ownership

Maffick LLC was incorporated in Summer 2019 by Maffick Media CEO and minority shareholder Anissa Naouai. Naouai founded Maffick LLC in 2019 after moving to Los Angeles and reincorporating its former channels in the new company. [24] The disclosure about Russian state ownership was removed from Maffick's accounts after the new incorporation. [24]

State media label and Facebook lawsuit

In June 2020, Facebook labeled Maffick LLC's accounts "state-controlled" due to their connections to Maffick Media. [10] The company sued Facebook in the Northern District of California in July 2020 for defamation and monetary damages from lost internet traffic. [25] [26] [27] Maffick's case was dismissed after it was ruled that the company had not proven permanent damage and had largely not disputed Facebook's allegations. [28]

In July 2020, Twitter also began labelling Maffick content as “Russian state-affiliated”. Naouai said she would contest this. [29]

Reception

NBC describes Maffick as platforming

sophisticated English-language video and text content for years that experts say is edited and curated in a way designed to exacerbate American political tensions. A lot of it is aimed at younger viewers and the political left, designed to peel them off from the Democratic party, experts say. Some is tailored to gin up outrage on the right. [27]

Franklin Foer in The Atlantic says that In the Now "build[s] audiences with ephemera (“Man Licks Store Shelves in Online Post”), then hit[s] unsuspecting readers with arguments about Syria and the CIA." [30]

Related Research Articles

Euronews is a pan-European television news network, headquartered in Lyon, France. It is a provider of livestreamed news, which can be viewed in Europe and North Africa via satellite, and in most of the world via its website, on YouTube, and on various mobile devices and digital media players.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RT (TV network)</span> Russian state-controlled international television network

RT, formerly Russia Today, is a Russian state-controlled international news television network funded by the Russian government. It operates pay television and free-to-air channels directed to audiences outside of Russia, as well as providing Internet content in Russian, English, Spanish, French, German, Arabic, Portuguese and Serbian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LiveLeak</span> 2006–2021 UK-based video sharing website

LiveLeak was a controversial British video sharing website, headquartered in London. The site was founded on 31 October 2006, in part by the team behind the Ogrish.com shock site which closed on the same day. LiveLeak aimed to freely host real footage of politics, war, and many other world events and to encourage and foster a culture of citizen journalism, although later being known to host gore and horribly violent videos.

BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City, BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John S. Johnson III to focus on tracking viral content. Kenneth Lerer, co-founder and chairman of The Huffington Post, started as a co-founder and investor in BuzzFeed and is now the executive chairman.

<i>Russia Beyond</i> Russian state media outlet

Russia Beyond is a Russian multilingual project operated by RT parent ANO TV-Novosti, founded by the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RT America</span> Part of the RT TV network that folded in 2022

RT America was a U.S.-based news channel headquartered in Washington, D.C. Owned by TV Novosti and operated by production company T&R Productions, it was a part of the RT network, a global multilingual television news network based in Moscow and funded by the Russian government. The channel said it reached an audience of 85 million people in the United States, but this figure is disputed. It was distributed through select cable providers, over-the-top services, a live stream through its website, and three low-power digital subchannels. Since the channel's closure, viewers who tune into the cable channel or their live stream are being shown a live feed of an RT International broadcast instead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RT Documentary</span> Television channel

RT Documentary is a Russian free-to-air documentary channel presented in both the English and Russian languages. It was launched on 23 June 2011 by the erstwhile President Dmitry Medvedev who visited RT's studio in Moscow, and deals with a wide variety of topics including Russian culture and life in Russia. The channel shows documentaries mostly on Russia but also from around the globe.

Lizzie Phelan is the managing director of redfish GmbH, a Berlin-based media company owned by Ruptly that focuses on creating short documentaries. Phelan was formerly employed as a reporter by RT, and specializes in reporting as a war correspondent, having reported on the First Libyan Civil War, the Syrian Civil War, and war on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Ruptly GmbH is a Russian state-owned video news agency specializing in video-on-demand, based in Berlin, Germany. It is a subsidiary of the Russian state-controlled television network RT. Ruptly owns the media channel Redfish and is the major shareholder of the digital content company Maffick. Its chief executive is Dinara Toktosunova. Upon Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the company faced a staff exodus. In January 2023, Toktosunova was sanctioned by Ukraine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AJ+</span> Online news service

AJ+ is a social media publisher owned by Al Jazeera Media Network which focuses on news and current affairs. AJ+ content exists in English, Arabic, French, and Spanish. It is available on its website as well as platforms YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter; with written content on Medium.

Sputnik is a Russian state-owned news agency and radio broadcast service. It was established by the Russian government-owned news agency Rossiya Segodnya on 10 November 2014. With headquarters in Moscow, Sputnik maintains regional editorial offices in Washington, D.C., Cairo, Beijing, Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Montevideo and Rio de Janeiro. Sputnik describes itself as being focused on global politics and economics and aims for an international audience.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RT UK</span> Defunct English language television channel

RT UK, also known as Russia Today, was a free-to-air television news channel based in the United Kingdom. It was part of the RT network, a Russian state-controlled international television network funded by the federal tax budget of the Russian government. The channel's head was Nikolay Bogachikhin. Launched in 2014, it ran live broadcasts for seven years and ceased broadcasting from London in July 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State propaganda in the Russian Federation</span> Propaganda promoting views, perceptions or agendas of the Russian federations government

The propaganda of the Russian Federation promotes views, perceptions or agendas of the government. The media include state-run outlets and online technologies, and may involve using "Soviet-style 'active measures' as an element of modern Russian 'political warfare'". Notably, contemporary Russian propaganda promotes the cult of personality of Vladimir Putin and positive views of Soviet history. Russia has established a number of organizations, such as the Presidential Commission of the Russian Federation to Counter Attempts to Falsify History to the Detriment of Russia's Interests, the Russian web brigades, and others that engage in political propaganda to promote the views of the Russian government.

Russia Insider is a news website that was launched in September 2014 by American expatriates living in Russia. The website describes itself as providing an alternative to how Russia is portrayed in the Western media. Other sources have described it as being "pro-Russian," "pro-Kremlin", advocating and pushing antisemitism and featuring false or misleading content.

<i>Joe</i> (website) Irish website

JOE is a Millennial-focused distributed social media publisher in Ireland and the United Kingdom, with over 2 million unique visitors per month. It is owned by Greencastle Media Group, which is itself owned by David Sefton, John Quinlan and Paul O'Donohoe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anissa Naouai</span> American journalist

Anissa Naouai is an American journalist and former television presenter. She is the CEO of Maffick Media, a Berlin-based digital media company with Russian links, as of February 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eva Bartlett</span> Canadian activist and blogger

Eva Karene Bartlett is an American Canadian activist, commentator, and blogger who has propagated conspiracy theories in connection to the Syrian civil war, most notably the disproven allegation that the White Helmets stage rescues and "recycle" children in its videos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russian information war against Ukraine</span>

The Russian information war against Ukraine was articulated by the Russian government as part of the Gerasimov doctrine. They believed that Western governments were instigating color revolutions in former Soviet states which posed a threat to Russia.

<i>NewsFront</i> (website) Crimean disinformation website

NewsFront is a website based in Russian occupied Crimea, described by the United States Department of the Treasury as "a Crimea-based disinformation and propaganda outlet...particularly focused on supporting Russia-backed forces in Ukraine." According to owner Konstantin Knyrik, however, NewsFront is fighting an "information war" against unfair attacks on Russia. NewsFront describes itself as "a news agency that runs news in ten languages including Russian, German, English, Bulgarian, Georgian, French, and Spanish."

Patrick Lancaster is an American vlogger, podcaster and influencer. Although described as pro-Kremlin, Lancaster has been called a double agent, and his videos covering the Russian invasion of Ukraine while attempting to spread Russian propaganda have actually often revealed compromising Russian military information, which has been used against Russia by Ukrainian forces, western intelligence agencies, and western media. Lancaster is known for regularly filming staged scenes and attempting to pass them off as real, and has been referred to as a fake master.

References

  1. ↑ "Facebook Sued Over 'Russia State-Controlled Media' Label". www.mediapost.com. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  2. ↑ "TikTok". www.tiktok.com. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Foreign Agent Registration Act" (PDF). efile.fara.gov. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  4. ↑ Anissa Naouai [@AnissaNow] (February 28, 2022). "Today I cut all ties with @RT. I have terminated @Maffick's service agreement with the channel and severed all contact. Full stop" (Tweet). Archived from the original on February 28, 2022 – via Twitter.
  5. ↑ Buckby, Jack (March 9, 2022). "Putin's Propaganda Arm Is Toast: Russia Today (RT) Is Dying". 19fortyfive.com. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Griffin, Drew; Devine, Curt; Shubert, Atika (February 16, 2019). "Russia is backing a viral video company aimed at American millennials". CNN. Archived from the original on January 27, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  7. 1 2 Villasanta, Arthur (November 15, 2020). "Russia's RT Slams Facebook For Suspending Anti-US, Pro-Kremlin Viral Video Channels". International Business Times. Archived from the original on January 30, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Welcome to wearemaffick.com". wearemaffick.com. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  9. 1 2 Binder, Matt (July 30, 2020). "Facebook sued by news media outlet over 'Russia state-controlled' label". Mashable. Archived from the original on February 1, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Video and films". Maffick. Archived from the original on February 28, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Left Bitches (who are right) on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Archived from the original on March 23, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  12. 1 2 Daro, Ishmael N. (December 16, 2016). "This Quirky New Viral Video Channel Is Funded By The Russian Government". BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  13. 1 2 "How Russian propaganda evades YouTube's flagging system". NBC News. April 19, 2018. Archived from the original on January 10, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  14. ↑ Worrall, Patrick (December 20, 2016). "FactCheck: Eva Bartlett's claims about Syrian children". Channel 4 News. Archived from the original on December 23, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  15. ↑ "5 Major Myths About Syria Debunked". HuffPost. January 10, 2017. Archived from the original on May 9, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  16. 1 2 3 @DFRLab (January 30, 2018). "Russia's Bid for Millennials". Medium. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  17. 1 2 Wiebe, Jan-Henrik (October 18, 2018). "Wie russische Medien mitten in Berlin Meinung machen". www.t-online.de (in German). Archived from the original on May 9, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Russia's Network of Millennial Media". Alliance For Securing Democracy. February 15, 2019. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  19. ↑ "ICYMI and In The Now: The Support Vessels of the RT Flagship⁩". EU vs DISINFORMATION. May 7, 2018. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  20. ↑ Birnbaum, Emily (February 25, 2019). "Facebook restores previously suspended Russia-linked pages". TheHill. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Maffick Video". Vimeo. Archived from the original on March 30, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  22. ↑ "Unternehmensregister". www.unternehmensregister.de. Archived from the original on June 25, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  23. 1 2 "Facebook, FARA and Foreign Media". Lawfare. September 16, 2020. Archived from the original on September 9, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  24. ↑ ""United States District Court Northern District of California"" (PDF). Courtlistener.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  25. ↑ "Social Media Company Sues Facebook for 'Russia State-Controlled Media' Label - The Recorder". The Recorder. July 30, 2020. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  26. 1 2 "Russian-backed sites keep targeting U.S. voters after Facebook actions". NBC News. October 9, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  27. ↑ "United States District Court Northern District of California" (PDF). www.courtlistener.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 7, 2020. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  28. ↑ "Tech platforms struggle to label state-controlled media". Committee to Protect Journalists. August 12, 2020. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  29. ↑ Foer, Story by Franklin. "Putin Is Well on His Way to Stealing the Next Election". The Atlantic. ISSN   1072-7825. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
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