The Sixteen Thirty Fund, a liberal dark money organization, is secretly funding Democratic influencers through its Chorus Creator Incubator Program. This initiative pays up to $8,000 monthly to participants, a figure that highlights the significant financial investment behind shaping political narratives on social media. The program, launched last month, encompasses over 90 creators whose combined audience exceeds 40 million followers. This extensive reach underscores the program’s potential impact on public opinion and political discourse.
According to Wired, the contracts between the Sixteen Thirty Fund and its influencers prohibit participants from disclosing their payments or identifying funders, raising concerns about transparency and the potential for undue influence. The requirement for influencers to attend advocacy training and messaging check-ins further illustrates the organization’s effort to control the message and ensure alignment with its political agenda. Chorus, the program’s managing entity, retains approval rights over any political content produced with program resources, ensuring that the messaging remains consistent with the fund’s objectives.
The Sixteen Thirty Fund’s substantial financial support to left-leaning causes in 2020, amounting to over $400 million, demonstrates its commitment to advancing progressive agendas. This financial backing, now extended to social media influencers, suggests a strategic shift toward leveraging digital platforms to amplify its message. Critics argue that such secret funding undermines the integrity of political discourse by obscuring the sources of influence and potentially swaying public opinion without adequate transparency.
The implications of this funding model raise important questions about the role of dark money in political campaigns and the regulation of influence in the digital age. As the influence of social media continues to grow, the ethical considerations surrounding the funding of political content by anonymous entities become increasingly critical. The case of The Sixteen Thirty Fund serves as a cautionary example of the potential misuse of financial resources to shape public opinion in ways that may not be fully transparent or democratic.