The White House is now on Reddit, it was revealed this week. In response to Hurricane Helene, which made landfall towards the end of September, and the onset of Hurricane Milton, the Biden-Harris Administration has taken to the popular social network to disseminate health and safety information.
With conspiracy theories circulating on X, among other social media platforms, the federal government has moved to dispel rumors that the hurricane was “engineered” and is being “manipulated” – as paranoia and distrust reaches scarcely believable levels. Politicians including Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene have stoked these fears.
It marks a presidential administration’s first foray into the media and networking platform, which has previously been accused of enabling extremist rhetoric. The news points to a growing rift between the Democratic Party and Big Tech, with X CEO Elon Musk joining Republican hopeful Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania last week.
White House Using Reddit to Provide Storm Safety Updates
On Tuesday, the White House unveiled its Reddit account, “whitehouse,” with a series of posts in “r/NorthCarolina” and “r/Georgia,” outlining the federal government’s response to the crisis. It has since posted in a number of subreddits dedicated to different states, as well as sharing a photo depicting a presidential briefing on “Hurricane Milton preparation and Hurricane Helene response.”
The account, which is partly run by Deputy of Platforms Director Megan Coyne, seemed to acknowledge the surprising turn of events, joking “Yep, it’s really us!” in one early post. While the account’s “cake day” – the day it was created, in Reddit-speak – is recorded as January 7th, 2021, this is apparently the first time it has shared anything.
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“whitehouse” has already seen one of its posts removed. An update shared with “r/Georgia” was found to be in violation of the subreddit’s specific rules pertaining to post titles matching headlines. It has since been reinstated.
Hurricane Conspiracies Abound on X and TikTok
Extraordinarily, false claims that the federal government is somehow controlling Hurricane Milton are circulating on social media sites like X and TikTok. The allegations represent a remarkable new low for the platforms and their attempts to ward off misinformation ahead of the upcoming presidential election.
President Biden has blasted the claims, describing them as “beyond ridiculous,” and adding “it’s so stupid, it’s got to stop,” with more than a note of exasperation, as reported by BBC.
Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, herself no stranger to controversy, appeared to suggest that the government was behind the deadly weather. “Yes they can control the weather. It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done.” she posted on X last week.
Battle Lines Drawn In Midst of Misinformation Row?
While the Biden Administration does regularly post on the likes of X, Facebook, and Instagram, the decision to share crucial information on a previously unexplored platform is a notable one – particularly at a time when faith in traditional sources of information is being eroded.
The ongoing misinformation debate, which largely plays out in the arena of mainstream social media, has dominated discourse in the run-up to the November election. Just last week, Musk made a surprise appearance at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania, spouting a series of inflammatory and factually inaccurate claims. Among them, he reiterated the falsehood that Democrats are trying to roll back the Second Amendment.
It’s not outlandish to suggest that the relationship between the Musk-helmed X and the Biden Administration has broken down, as the clock counts down on one of the most feverishly anticipated elections in modern US history.
