Paramount Caught Using 'Astroturf' Group to Drum Up Fake Support for Merger
Points and comments are a snapshot, not live.
Paramount used a fake grassroots group to manufacture support for its merger with Warner Bros.
Paramount employed Neighbors for Strong Communities, a nonprofit formed three months ago with no disclosed donors or leadership, to send text messages urging Californians to pressure Attorney General Rob Bonta into dropping his antitrust lawsuit. The group claims blocking the $111 billion Warner Bros. merger will cost California jobs, though such mergers historically lead to mass layoffs. The Committee For The First Amendment identified the group's UPS store PO Box as a classic astroturf hallmark.
What commenters are saying
Commenters largely condemned astroturfing as emblematic of broader media manipulation. Some questioned whether average people care about mergers, but others noted historical concern over monopolies, citing trust-busting and media consolidation's impact on content diversity. A few defended misperceived merger benefits (e.g., IP revival, stock gains) but acknowledged this merger is corrupt. One commenter warned that Ellison's Zionist ties and censorship at CBS/TikTok pose risks beyond economics.