Verrit

Submission 15,190

Part of a series on Hillary Clinton. [View Related Entries]

About

Verrit is a political website created by former digital adviser for Hillary Clinton Peter Daou in which people can upload verified quotes on politics, which will then be turned into easily-shareable cards which one can use in political debate online. The cards come with an "authentication code" that links back to the source of the quote. The site, whose mantra "Media for the 65.8 Million" is a reference to the amount of votes Clinton won in the 2016 United States Presidential Election, is intended to be a site that reflects the worldview of Clinton voters. However, shortly after its creation and subsequent endorsement from Clinton herself, the site was victim of a cyber-attack and became a target of mockery.

History

Though Verrit does not have its launch date listed, its Twitter account^[1] launched on June 5th, 2017 (first tweet shown below). The site was launched by Peter and Leela Daou, the former of which has been an outspoken supporter of Clinton on Twitter, particularly since the election.

In the site's mission statement,^[3] it clearly states it is intended to appeal to Clinton voters, saying:

"With the essence of American democracy at stake, 65.8 million people saw through the lies and smears and made a wise, patriotic choice. But they continue to be marginalized and harassed. Verrit’s purpose is to become their trusted source of political information and analysis; to provide them (and anyone like-minded) sanctuary in a chaotic media environment; to center their shared principles; and to do so with an unwavering commitment to truth and facts."

The site came into the public eye on Sunday, September 3rd, 2017, when Hillary Clinton tweeted^[2] an endorsement of Verrit, writing "I'm excited to sign up for @Verrit, a media platform for the 65.8 million! Will you join me and sign up too?" (shown below).

Nearly immediately after Clinton endorsed the site, it was hit with a cyber-attack that kept it down for several hours.^[4]

Criticism and Parodies

After Clinton tweeted her support of the site, many criticized the site for its views as well as its efficacy. Many pointed out that one of the first articles the site had published^[5] argued that Bernie Sanders and the mainstream media helped Donald Trump win the election, a claim that continues to bristle Sanders supporters. New York Magazine^[6] writer Brian Feldman pointed out that the site clearly demonstrated its center-left bias by pointing out "Verrit is a site where '12% of Sanders supporters cast their vote for Trump over Clinton' is a fact with an authentication code, but 'the majority of white women voted for Trump' isn’t." He also wrote:

"(Verrit) is for people who believe that Hillary Clinton lost not through a complex mélange of misogyny, bad campaign strategy, a decades-long political track record full of stumbles, and countless other aspects, but because Bernie Sanders was employed by Putin to disrupt the election by saying health care shouldn’t bankrupt anyone."

Other's trolled the site by uploading fake Verrit quotes, noting that the site's inherent problem is that by providing quotes with context provided in an "authentication code," it would be easy to take a quote out of context. Twitter user @JoshuaMound^[7] demonstrated this by taking a tweet by Daou that said ""Bernie would have won" is an instant block.
Useless and baseless conjecture. Betrays someone unfocused on the challenge ahead"^[8] and using it to create a Verrit card that displays Daou once said "Bernie Would Have Won" (shown below).

Others mocked the site by creating various fake cards and making fun of Daou himself. Jokes like these were covered by Mediaite.^[9]

"You Liked a Tweet From an Account With a Mock Verrit Insulting Me."

On September 6th, amidst mockery directed at his platform, Peter Daou tweeted at New York Times writer Sopan Deb saying, "You too, @SopanDeb? Wow, if anyone has any doubt why Hillary was trashed in the press, look no further than the reaction to @Verrit." Deb, confused, replied "uh did I say something about Verrit?" to which Daou replied "You liked a tweet from an account with a mock Verrit insulting me."^[9]

Daou's response to someone liking a tweet mocking his website fueled his and Verrit's critics further, and inspired another round of jokes making fun of Daou. These were compiled by Select All^[10] on the 7th.