{"id":50110,"date":"2024-01-20T05:26:12","date_gmt":"2024-01-20T05:26:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/is-taylor-swift-a-pentagon-asset-the-express-tribune\/"},"modified":"2024-01-20T05:26:12","modified_gmt":"2024-01-20T05:26:12","slug":"is-taylor-swift-a-pentagon-asset-the-express-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/is-taylor-swift-a-pentagon-asset-the-express-tribune\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Taylor Swift a \u2018Pentagon asset\u2019? | The Express Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nLOS ANGELES:
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A Fox News host suggested this week that Taylor Swift is a \u201cfront for a covert political agenda,\u201d echoing disinformation that has percolated in right-wing circles for months \u2013 and which experts say is likely to get worse before the 2024 US election.<\/p>\n

The Jesse Watters segment warning Swift could be a \u201cPentagon asset\u201d offered the latest conspiracy theory exploiting the singer-songwriter\u2019s fame and her past support for Democrats such as President Joe Biden. Attacks targeting Swift in recent months have ranged from personal barbs to accusations of witchcraft and speculation about her political involvement.<\/p>\n

\u201cHave you ever wondered why or how she blew up like this? Well, around four years ago, the Pentagon psychological operations unit floated turning Taylor Swift into an asset during a Nato meeting,\u201d Watters said on Tuesday, resurfacing a clip from a 2019 summit by NATO\u2019s cyber defence hub.<\/p>\n

But the video\u2019s only mention of Swift comes during a presentation on how social influence could counter misinformation when a researcher unaffiliated with Nato cited the singer as an example of a popular celebrity. \u201cAs for this conspiracy theory, we are going to shake it off,\u201d Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said, referencing one of Swift\u2019s hits.<\/p>\n

Watters also brought up a reported traffic surge on Vote.org in September \u2013 immediately after Swift posted an Instagram story encouraging fans to participate in National Voter Registration Day \u2013 to posit that someone \u201cgot to her from the White House or from wherever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reached by AFP, Swift publicist Tree Paine pointed to the non-profit CEO\u2019s response to Watters\u2019s claims. \u201cOur partnership with @taylorswift13 is helping all Americans make their voices heard at the ballot box,\u201d Andrea Hailey said on X, formerly Twitter. \u201cNot a psy-op or a Pentagon asset.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Watters \u2013 whose prime time show is the second-most watched cable news show in the United States, drawing an average audience of nearly 2.5 million viewers \u2013 conceded later during the segment that he \u201cobviously has no evidence\u201d for the claims. Fox News declined to comment on the record for this story.<\/p>\n

Already a megastar, Swift\u2019s stature grew in 2023, as she broke music records, performed the highest-grossing music tour in history and began dating American football player Travis Kelce. Time magazine named her Person of the Year.<\/p>\n

As Swift\u2019s star rose, so did attacks against her. Fringe influencers such as far-right radio host Stew Peters accused her of witchcraft at concerts and claimed she was \u201cresponsible for the murder\u201d after Kelce appeared in a vaccine ad.<\/p>\n

Doctored images shared online falsely linked her to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, while several conservative commentators have insulted her private life and appearance. Activist Charlie Kirk asked on one podcast if she has \u201cany eggs left.”
\u201cThe way in which it is happening is very gendered because it is relatively easier to attach incredulous disinformation claims to female celebrities,\u201d said Swapnil Rai, an assistant media professor at the University of Michigan.<\/p>\n

Claims that Swift is a Democratic operative were bubbling up online before Watters mainstreamed them. \u201cI SAID IT FROM THE BEGINNING,\u201d a top promoter of the QAnon conspiracy theory said after Watters\u2019s segment. \u201cNot only is Taylor ADMITTEDLY a satanic witch, but she\u2019s also being used as a PENTAGON PSYOP ASSET to swing MANY THOUSANDS of youth votes over to the Democrats.\u201d<\/p>\n

Laura Loomer, a far-right former congressional candidate who has repeatedly amplified the \u201cpsyop\u201d claims, has said that \u201c2024 will be MAGA vs Swifties.\u201d The superstar is likely to play a role in the election \u2013 albeit not as a \u201cPentagon asset.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI cannot think of another celebrity whose endorsement and activities on behalf of a candidate would be more coveted,\u201d said David Jackson, a political science professor at Bowling Green State University, adding that he expects more attacks as the election approaches.<\/p>\n

The famously tight-lipped Swift remained quiet during former president Donald Trump\u2019s 2016 campaign, but she later criticised him and endorsed Biden in 2020.<\/p>\n

More recently, she spoke against the Supreme Court\u2019s decision to overturn abortion rights and urged concertgoers to research which politicians support LGBTQ communities and vote against legislation \u201charmful\u201d to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI suspect that conservatives are concerned about the power she might have to rejuvenate interest among younger Democratic voters,\u201d said Johanna Blakley, a media scholar at the University of Southern California. \u201cPutting a disinformation [or] psyops spin on her role in the election seems like a thoroughly disingenuous effort to undermine and potentially pre-empt Swift\u2019s likely endorsement of Biden.\u201d<\/p>\n

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n