A network of Youtube accounts amassed 40 million views for videos that promote the U.S. annexation of Alberta, according to a new report. 👀
“These slopaganda-type channels really ratchet up the emotional language and the polarization,” an analyst told the Star.
New from @alexboyd.bsky.social:
Yeah I wrote about those too... this made me wonder if there was any overlap in networks. Those were all about the instability of Canada, so similar themes. The 'who' is the big question. The only people who seem to be in a position to know are those at YouTube.
If you have questions about the reporting on this, I'm answering some in the comments at 1ET/11MT. (You have to sign in and/or subscribe to join, which I get annoys some , but a lot of people put in time (editors, video editors, layout, me etc.) to get stories like this out the door!
The separatists are a motley bunch and tend to not have a single view on things, and while some of them were more pro-51st state early on, they generally have backed off that idea, in some cases scrubbing it from websites. (At least publicly, I think there is awareness the US is very unpopular rn.)
I didn't put it in the story but I called separatist Jeff Rath yesterday about something else and he'd already heard about the report. He says this feels designed to turn people away from his movement. ("That stuff doesn't help us. None of us want to be annexed.")
Researchers have been watching this network of YouTube accounts for awhile--the accounts post regularly, push a consistent message and if one goes down, another pops up. They've now turned attention to Alberta separation, and US annexation.
www.thestar.com/news/investi...
All this time I thought that "is the pope a Catholic?" was a rhetorical question, but it seems to be a live one for some people
The old media regime dominated by TV and newspapers has perished, and the social media "revolution" has demonstrated its inability to fill the void left behind...now is the time for serious folks to be imagining the shape of what might come next.
Media outlets have infrastructure to support such investigations — experienced reporters and editors, newsroom lawyers, resources to fend off lawsuits. The content creators had none of that. Both women said they independently took out umbrella insurance policies to protect their houses and other assets in case they got sued. At one point Fodor, feeling increasingly overwhelmed, sent a message to Hunt: “I think we have bitten off more than we can chew here.” The influencers agreed that specific allegations needed to be broken in a news story. While reporters dug into the allegations, they kept up a public drumbeat, insisting that Swalwell was a shady character and promising the details would come out soon. The tease infuriated many on social media, who accused the influencers of being irresponsible by lobbing accusations without backing them up. But the threat of a soon-to-drop news story was enough to dry up Swalwell’s fundraising and unnerve supporters. Political operatives of all stripes were disconcerted watching the influencers play by their own set of rules, different from the norms of media outlets, and wondered if this would become a new normal in campaigns — a prospect that even unsettled the influencers. “I have a lot of fears about the blurred lines between content creators and journalists,” Hunt said. She knew her personal familiarity with Swalwell’s reputation would never have been sufficient basis for a reporter to write a story. “It was enough for me to feel confident in not getting sued, and to want to let other women know that they weren’t alone, and only from that place would we be able to break his story in a traditional news media outlet,” she said. “I don’t want this to be a green light to creators who think that they should be breaking sensitive news.”
The series of events that resulted in Swalwell's downfall bring up a really interesting (and depressing) conversation about traditional media vs. independent and how money in journalism controls who has the safety to tell the truth
www.politico.com/news/2026/04...
NEWS: Less than 24 hours after a multi-day
hearing wrapped, an Edmonton judge ordered a temporary pause on the Alberta separation referendum petition process.
Pause doesn’t mean much with the time frame at hand, but Chiefs Adam and Sunshine are happy.
From me:
ca.news.yahoo.com/cp-newsalert...
Getting your brain boiled by Internet conspiracies was pioneered by the right, but it can happen to anyone, and it's so sad. Be careful out there.
Maybe you, like me, have been obsessed with Artemis II because it's such a beautiful psychological antidote to the moment. Ivan Semeniuk's dispatches for the Globe have been amazing, both technically crisp and poetic. This one on re-entry is heart-in-throat. theglobeandmail.com/canada/scien...
Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas came out with some pretty strong words against Alberta separation — and in favour of immigration as a strength for the city — in his remarks at a Calgary Economic Development event yesterday:
Though I would quibble with the idea that the reason AI reads like AI is because it's "technically proficient"
This is an interesting read on the murkiness of what it means to "use" AI in your writing futurism.com/artificial-i...
I tried to find a photo of the bad development she cites in Calgary ("tacky towers and concrete lots") and now wonder if she wrote based on Google Street View's old construction photos because it's all park and walkable streets and Blackfoot art now. Not sure why duplexes are part of our DNA tho.
One theory has it that the APP has manufactured the 178K number knowing that the courts may prevent Elections Alberta from actually counting the signatures.
APP will then pressure Smith to call the referendum anyhow (without independent verification of the petition).
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
For Alberta separatism watchers, this is a really smart listen. Separatism has become very conservative-coded, but not every conservative agrees: podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/a...
I Work Very Hard, And I Would Like To Try Cake By A Horse Hello. I am a horse. I work very hard at my job of being a horse. When humans say move the heavy thing, I move the heavy thing. When humans sit on top of me and pull on my head, I carry them where they want to go. The main food the humans give me is hay and oats. But I am thinking it would be nice to have a different food. I am thinking I would like to try cake. Yes, yes. Cake. I know all about it. When humans eat cake, it is in glad times. It is the food for a celebration, such as when a woman becomes 47. I have seen cake on the Fourth of July. When humans have a cake, they stand around it and clap hands and smile and say happy birthday at each other. Sometimes there are beautiful markings on a cake, such as balloons or a pink shape. Sometimes the top of a cake is on fire and a boy must blow on the fire with mouth wind. This is the scariest cake. I do not want this kind. But I will eat any other cake. Any cake that is not the fire cake that tries to kill the boy. Please understand: I do not get money for doing work. I do not get to go inside the house. All I am either doing my horse job or standing in my pen or eating food off the floor. I always do these things. But I have never once gotten cake and I would like it very much. I have noticed that human children get to eat cake. But I am bigger than the children. I am more helpful to the farm. Children do not move the heavy things like me or let anyone ride on them. And yet they get cake. Maybe the humans will realize this. Maybe they will say, "You know who deserves cake? That horse. That horse whose back we are always on." Every day I dream about what it will be like if I get to eat cake. Here is what will happen. First, I will walk to the cake and putt my nose at it like hrrfff to make and stomping my hooves to make sure it is not a snake. Then I will trot in a circle to show that I am a horse and I am large. After that, I will nuzzle the cake to …
The horse op-ed is an instant classic. I can't tell you how much joy this piece gives me.
It should be taught in every introductory writing class in no small part because the horse arguments are so compelling. "I have noticed that human children get to eat cake. But I am bigger than the children."
BBC wrote up an unexpected stay in St. John's like it was the first episode of Lost and I enjoy it immensely.
Exciting news in Canadian media: widely beloved editor Alison Uncles is leading a new nonprofit outlet focused on solutions journalism! Be Giant went live today:
Glued to the Artemis 2 launch. Watch here NOW!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf_U...
(He also said they don't plan to submit signatures until the deadline on May 2, after which verification takes a max of 21 days so we're not getting an immediate answer to this.)
Mitch Sylvestre told me yesterday that his canvassers were very diligent in checking for proof of physical address, not just mailing address. He anticipates less than 2 per cent of signatures with issues once Elections Alberta begins the verification process.
Story from yesterday.One of the things that's going to be interesting to watch here is verification of addresses. You have to live in Alberta to sign this, but support for separatism is very rural, where people are more likely to have PO Boxes on their ID. www.thestar.com/news/canada/...
The milestone, while still unverified, is sure to crank up the heat on an issue that has roiled Alberta and the rest of Canada.
New from @alexboyd.bsky.social:
Totally and I welcome your thoughts!! I'm a big fan of the MEO in general but this report haunts me haha.
Not entirely, no. But I'm pretty sure Star readers have social media, too. And my hope is they'll be better informed when they see some rando claiming a referendum is now guaranteed because all Albertans love separatism.
I think about this report a lot. (And have a couple stories in the works inspired by it.) But media is no longer able to gatekeep this stuff, so there's no point pretending, imo. meo.ca/work/power-s...
At this point, political influencers have a bigger reach on social media than regular media. So, regardless of what I write or don't, the idea that the separatists have crossed the threshold is being seen by a LOT of people. I can't stop it, but I can add context.
