Confession of a Hillary Shill

[berniepdx420]

...snip

1) Sexism. This was the biggest one we were supposed to push. We had to smear Bernie as misogynistic and out-of-touch with modern sensibilities. He was to be characterized as "an old white male relic that believed women enjoyed being gang raped". Anyone who tried to object to this characterization would be repeatedly slammed as sexist until they went away or people lost interest.
2) Racism. We were instructed to hammer home how Bernie supporters were all privileged white students that had no idea how the world worked. We had to tout Hillary's great record with "the blacks" (yes, that's the actual way it was phrased), and generally use racial identity politics to attack Sanders and bolster Hillary as the only unifying figure.
3) Electability. All of those posts about how Sanders can never win and Hillary is inevitable? Some of those were us, done deliberately in an attempt to demoralize Bernie supporters and convince them to stop campaigning for him. The problem is that this was an outright fabrication and not an accurate assessment of the current political situation. But the truth didn't matter - we were trying to create a new truth, not to spread the existing truth.
4) Dirty tactics. This is where things got really bad. We were instructed to create narratives of Clinton supporters as being victimized by Sanders supporters, even if they were entirely fabricated. There were different instructions about how to do it, but something like this (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/31/1443064/-Dis-heartened-Hillary-Supporter) is a perfect example. These kind of posts are manufactured to divide and demoralize Sanders supporters, and are entirely artificial in nature. (The same thing happened in 2008, but it wasn't as noticeable before social media and public attention focused on popular forums like Reddit).
5) Opponent outreach. There are several forums and imageboards where Sanders is not very popular (I think you can imagine which ones those are.) We were instructed to make pro-Sanders troll posts to rile up the user base and then try to goad them into raiding or attacking places like this subreddit. This was probably the only area where we only had mixed success, since that particular subset of the population were more difficult to manipulate than we originally thought.

...snip

https://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracy/comments/3rncq9/confession_of_hillary_shill_from/

[longship]

1. R&K with no comment.

[msongs]

2. you forgot to identify the author. oh well, anybody can write and post this sort of thing nt

[berniepdx420]

3. follow the link and read it..

[bettyellen]

4. the mods were never able to verify this poster was truthful- right?

KOS thinks it is bulshit. LOL.

[berniepdx420]

5. The names are at the bottom .. research it yourself..

[bettyellen]

7. was debunked at Reddit and copied into their "conspiracy theory" forum with all the other garbage

that no one can verify. Look at the forum it is in! They deleted it from the forums where people care about the veracity of the content, because the OP disappeared when asked for any info to verify it.

LOL. This was debunked a while back.

[berniepdx420]

9. We can disagree... I am positive this type of stuff goes on..

[bettyellen]

14. It is a CT only at this point. Believe what you want, IDC.

[berniepdx420]

15. false

[bettyellen]

17. you're counting on no one following the link to the CT forum on Reddit, LOL....

so you can fool them. sadly that is likely to work, LOL. Suckers!

[DisgustipatedinCA]

10. Was it debunked or not proven? If debunked, please do iterate.

[bettyellen]

11. The mods tried to contact the poster immediately, and they never responded at all. It was posted 2X

and both forums require some verification from the OP. A paystub, copies of official paperwork or a reference.... They contacted the poster immediately after posting, and they just disappeared, never to respond. So both posts were deemed bullshit and removed. Someone reposted it in the conspiracy forum, the only place with no standards at all.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

13. Thank you. nt

[CoffeeCat]

19. Actually, it wasn't debunked

Reddit could not verify that this was true. That does not mean that the account was untrue. It was simply unverifiable. If I'm remembering correctly, the author did not want to give out his identity, as he feared retribution. So, no one was able to call him and verify his story.

So...it wasn't "debunked" as you said.

I will say this. What this person is describing is exactly what we see on social media. The same type of constant, intentional mocking and demoralization. It goes beyond talking about the issues. Some posters are hell bent on demoralizing people on a personal level.

I have worked in PR for many years. It is common knowledge that some PR agencies hire out junior people to shill for corporations. BP is one of the well known cases. Those shills were God-awful and sociopathic. The Public Relations Society of America calls out astroturfing like this, as unethical. And it is. It is lying. It is being paid to represent a viewpoint that does not exist organically. It is a paid action. If campaigns do this, it is a subversion of democracy and our political process. If companies do this, as BP did, it is creating a fake reality intended to dispirit and quiet voices who cared about the environment.

What the author describes is EXACTLY how those BP astroturfers behaved. Manipulations. Intentional misrepresentation of reality. Lies. Attempting to get inside someone's head--and break them into giving up on a candidate or on a cause. And make no mistake, this behavior fits the definition of torture. It is literally torture to do that to a person. It's a technique that was used to control "enemy combatants" in Iraq. In the book Torture Memos by David Cole, he discusses how dispiriting someone and attempting to get them to second guess themselves or their choices, is a form of psychological torture.

We'll never be able to verify that this "shill" account is true. But that doesn't mean that it's untrue. It reads EXACTLY like the methods and the goals of paid shills who are hired out by PR agencies. This is not uncommon.

I totally believe the account and it jives with what I know about the PR world and some PR agencies who hire people to behave this way.

[PufPuf23]

22. Thank you. I think what you describe is an ethical issue and ubiquitous.

IMO posters that are professional (and others that economically benefit) have an ethical obligation to disclose at DU.

Obviously, this does not happen.

The techniques you describe are also employed, at DU and the internet at large.

These types of posters are unethical individuals that do not believe in democracy.

I say this most harshly.

[Android3.14]

29. ^^^^THIS^^^^

"ethical obligation to disclose at DU"
It should be in their sig lines.

[bettyellen]

23. no- the "author" never responded. they posted it and ran. so Reddit consider it bunk and deleted it

Reddit promises anonymity, but they wanted to see something - anything- to back up the claim. He could have shown a pay stub for the company and blocked out his name. he declined to even reply after he posted.

Ironic you're shilling for this post to be "real" when you acknowledge how much bullshit gets posted, LOL. So much integrity.

no kidding it corresponds to the many conspiracy theories people have been telling themselves on reddit as well as here- what do you think the source material was?

[CoffeeCat]

35. Facts are facts, sorry that you don't like them. This alleged shill's story was never "debunked"

We both agree that this alleged shill's story could not be verified. Unverified does not mean "debunked". Debunked means that evidence revealed that the story was false. That is not the case.

Unless this former shill steps forward, his story will remain unverified. However, what this person is alleging, jives with what I know from working in the PR world. I believe him.

I've worked in public relations/media relations for decades; in-house for corporations, in agencies and as a freelance consultant. I belong to the Public Relations Society of America and I have friends who own agencies. Don't suggest to me that paid shills don't exist. It's common knowledge in the industry that they do exist, and that they are a stain on the industry. There is a great deal of emerging law and regulation regarding trolls and bloggers. Clearly, this is real.

The Public Relations Society of America has denounced trolls as unethical. I attended a local PRSA conference at which an agency exec discussed the proliferation of paid social-media trolls. I also get HARO (Help a Reporter Out) queries, which is a daily digest of reporters who are looking for experts/sources for articles. I've seen a few reporters seeking communications-law and PR experts for quotes about shills/trolls.

Corporations, including BP, have been outed for using paid shills. BP hired Olgilvy & Mather to "manage" the BP America Facebook page. I suggest you take a gander at BP's Facebook page and scroll back to spring of 2010, and see the craven tactics which are glaringly obvious--paid shills mocking, attacking and ganging up on anyone who suggested that BP should be held accountable. (The shilling didn't work, as BP's brand suffered immensely and their stock price plummeted).

Most PR pros are ethical. Shills are not. They're equivalent to hackers in the IT world. Unfortunately, there are people in every industry who are willing to sell their integrity and use their skill set in nefarious ways. The industry defines fake online posters who attempt to manipulate and mock as "predatory trolls."

Articles, for additional info. Some are about the BP situation. Others highlight how the PR profession is handling and responding to social-media shills and online disruptors.

BP ACCUSED OF USING INTERNET TROLLS
http://www.techeye.net/business/bp-accused-of-using-internet-trolls

BYFIELD LOBBYING FOR TOUGHENING OF LAWS ON INTERNET 'TROLLS'
http://www.prweek.com/article/1131751/byfield-lobbying-toughening-laws-internet-trolls

WHAT DOES ETHICS HAVE TO DO WITH SOCIAL MEDIA ANYWAY?
http://comprehension.prsa.org/?p=1188

THE TROLLS AMONG US
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/foreigners/2014/11/internet_trolls_pose_a_threat_internet_commentators_shouldn_t_be_anonymous.html
http://www.techeye.net/business/bp-accused-of-using-internet-trolls

[bettyellen]

42. Ironic you'd argue against standards that are there to prevent trolling.

I know they exist- but this particular story was relegated to the CT forum for good reasons.
This place went so apeshit paranoid this year it is just sad to see. Members who have been here 8-10 years or more were repeatedly called paid trolls and operatives by relatively new people because they had qualms about SBS's campaign. Because they thought he could have used some advice.

Sometimes I wonder if those relatively new people are trolls- since they chased off the regular membership who are staying out of GDP for the duration of the primary. The tenor of discussion here has hit a record now with personal insults being the norm. Would Bernie hire trolls? Probably not- but Republicans sure would, to repeat the idea that 99% of Dems are horrible people, over and over again. Sound familiar? Even though I have no proof- should I post that as fact. Nope. Because I don't further CT theories.

[JonLeibowitz]

60. CoffeeCat is not arguing against the standards, only a myopic reading would yield that

She is saying that unverified does not equal debunked. And she's right.

Whether you choose to believe the unverified story is of course completely up to you. I completely understand the skepticism in those that do not believe it.

[MrMickeysMom]

30. ^^^^^^^ THIS ^^^^^^^

The best offense that money can buy can't even stomach themselves after a long enough streak of lies....

[nadinbrzezinski]

36. It is also bully behavior

I recognize it from my extensive reading into it

[CoffeeCat]

38. Absolutely, it is bullying

There is a more benign form of trolling--such as a company hiring someone to write favorable reviews of laundry detergent or potato chips. Although unethical, this is different from paid, predatory trolling.

As I said, this is a form of torture. That is not hyperbole. Attempting to get inside someone's head and manipulate them into leaving a site or giving up on a belief--is torture. This has been heavily discussed in the PR world.

It is wrong. It is indeed bullying and there is a push to make it illegal. It has certainly been deemed unethical by the Public Relations Society of America and all ethical PR pros denounce the behavior.

I imagine that most online trolls are either junior agency people; or "freelancers" hired by companies or agencies. They are not paid well. As far as they're concerned, it's a good gig and they're receiving a paycheck. However, they are being used for highly unethical and abusive purposes. I imagine that it takes an emotional toll on the poster.

[nadinbrzezinski]

40. Well the DOJ just convicted for life three people for cyberstalking

I posted that both at RDS and here. The feds are starting to take this shit very seriously.

[rosesaylavee]

50. I think I am dealing with one of these from

BP now in real life. Any way you know how to find out for sure? Seriously... The light bulb just went off and would explain some highly illogical verbal abuse from this person.

I am good at researching if I have a clue where to look.

I know ... pretty random question. Thanks for a reply.

[nashville_brook]

54. PR professional here too ^^ totally agree.

i've seen these tactics in all areas industries. politics is by no means the only arena for guerrilla work. it just happens to be a field where there's an abundance of interns who'll do anything to climb the ladder for leaders who'll reward people doing their dirty work.

[merrily]

28. Meh. At least it wasn't a one- or two-sentence post, but had some actual substance.

[ViseGrip]

6. disgusting, all because there is tooooo much money involved. the shills are paid.

[bettyellen]

8. It would be, if it was more than a debunked CT, deleted from reddit politics.

[Cali_Democrat]

12. LOL....you pulled a post from the reddit conspiracy forum...

[CoffeeCat]

20. Well, wait a minute--that's a misrepresentation

Reddit had the post up for a long time. It's my understanding--from what I read on Reddit, that Reddit could not verify that this person was a paid shill, because he refused to give up his anonymity on the Internet. He had fears about revealing who he was.

That doesn't mean that his account was "disproved" or that it is a "conspiracy."

Reddit agreed to put it in the conspiracy forum because the anonymous source was unwilling to be publicly identified.

This person is probably a writer or a PR person who wants to continue working (and paying rent!).

[bettyellen]

43. Nope- he posted and ran. People SPECULATED why they refused to reply to moderator's every

question, but no there was no "refusal to give up anonymity". That is a lie. The poster ran off. Reddit mods never discloses names. LOL.
It's like you're turing what Reddit deemed trolley into another Snowden merely because you want to believe. Please stop pushing the propaganda. Reddit knows better.

[chknltl]

16. I'd like to see better proof of authenticity.

At provided link, reddit folks also requested proof from the author. From what I could tell in the comments section below, the author brought forth no further information to substantiate his or her claim of being a paid shill or troll. As much as I might want to believe this 'confession' to be true, without proof from the author I am left with considerable skepticism.

[bettyellen]

18. it was reposted in the CT after being removed by the mods, because the poster ran off...

[Califonz]

24. The politics subreddit

is flooded with anti-Bernie commenters whose accounts were created recently.

[azurnoir]

21. Interesting indeed

[renate]

25. I don't doubt it; it would be silly to assume otherwise

Obama won in 2008 because, in large part, his team understood the internet much better than McCain's campaign did. Eight years later it would be absolutely absurd to think that all candidates these days don't have people trolling or pretending to be an opponent's supporter behaving obnoxiously et cetera. It'd be political malpractice if they didn't.

That's not to say that there aren't perfectly sincere people making claims of sexism or ageism or whateverism online. But I certainly believe there are Hillary shills. And Bernie shills and Trump shills and Cruz shills and (however sad this may be) Kasich shills. There are probably even Rubio shills working 24/7 and hoping that a contested convention vote will go their way.

It's a shame, but there it is. The internet is not a cute place.

[artislife]

26. This is the whole of last year in a nutshell.

The h supporters did their best each and every day.

[leveymg]

27. It's an accurate enough description about how politics gets done, regardless

of whether the writer actually got paid by that candidate's campaign to spin memes.

[itsrobert]

31. The latest from Camp Pinocchio

Just a fake story. Camp Pinocchio, what is next? "How I murdered baby kittens for Hillary"?

[JonathanRackham]

32. Does Hillary use Shill corporations to hide her money?

[Fla Dem]

33. Is that you berniepdx420!

Still on the payroll. You write a great story.

[alcibiades_mystery]

34. The desperate dishonesty from the Bernie Camp continues

I'm going to really enjoy rubbing some of these liars noses in the dogshit when Bernie loses. Oh, there's going to be DAYS of it.

[JudyM]

37. Since your candidate's campaign has boatloads of dogshit you will be well armed, no doubt.

[IamMab]

39. The marketing money for Sanders' online army won't last forever.

If they're posting like it's their job, it probably is.

[BeanMusical]

48. Welcome back!

[SidDithers]

41. +1...

I'm gonna gloat the fuck out of the Hillary victory in the Primary.

Sid

[berniepdx420]

46. Go O's

[BeanMusical]

47. But, but I was sad for you when Harper lost in October!

[SheenaR]

44. It is baffling to me that people dismiss this

I have been on state and national campaigns. This goes on in politics. It's real. If you told me people were hired to do this for Bernie I would believe it too

What the author said though, is to a letter what has happened all over the internet, ESPECIALLY in the last few months here.

[Hydra]

49. The only people disagreeing are the ones who are doing it

Which is sort of par for the course. As usual, they'd be better off saying nothing, but they can't help it. They illustrate the point perfectly.

[AgerolanAmerican]

51. yup

even if it's fake, it's a spot-on description of exactly what we see going on around here

[ibegurpard]

56. What's baffling

Is these baaaad writers actually expect anyone to take their protestations seriously.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

45. Wow! Thank you, Shill. Very informative.

[pa28]

52. You have to feel sorry for them. Sort of.

By all accounts paid internet trolls make pennies for their work when they could be spending their time building a career around something positive or useful.

Auto detailing, landscape gardening, can recycling. Almost anything would be more renumerative and they would probably feel better about themselves too.

Sounds like there is some hope for this guy at least.

[snot]

53. so this is now totally untraceable, but

fwiw, this would be a lot more convincing/useful if the poster provided the actual instructions from the Clinton campaign, rather than summaries, preferably with dates and other authenticating details.

I am an avid Bernie-ite; and as such, I require reality.

If the reddit poster can still find any of that sh*t, I hope they will.

For everyone, going forward, SAVE that sh*t on your personal drives (and not just the cloud).

[ibegurpard]

55. DU has been crawling with them just lately

I really wish they could find some who are at least entertaining.
I guess failed writers have to make a living somehow...

[senz]

57. Perfect description of what I saw here on DU.

All of it. Reading it was like a replay of the past nine months.

Some very loathsome things out there.

[berniepdx420]

58. Right.. it is definitely happening here... and they are my ignore list...

[azurnoir]

59. sounds exactly right all one has to do is observe