Minneapolis City Council has unanimously approved paying six influential social media users to post messages and updates approved by the city during the upcoming trial for the murder of a former officer Derek Chauvin, who has been charged with the death of George Floyd. On Friday, the council approved $ 1,181,500 for communication with the community during the trial, CBS Minnesota reports.
The city says social media partners will help dispel possible misinformation and that influencers will intentionally target black, Native American, Somali, Hmong and Latinx communities with their messaging. Each influencer will be paid $ 2,000.
The goal is to “increase access to information for communities that do not usually follow conventional news sources or city communication channels and / or do not consume information in English,” Minneapolis City Council said in a statement. communiqué. “It’s also an opportunity to create more two-way communication between the city and the communities.”
The council has not finalized how influencers will be chosen, but said the selections will be based on the recommendations of the city’s Neighborhood and Community Relations staff.
Some activists and legal experts are concerned about the decision.
Toussaint Morrison, an activist with more than 11,000 Instagram users, uses his platform to educate the community. He is concerned about the bias behind the information that will come from a city-funded influencer.
“The key word here is‘ approved by the city, ’” Morrison said. “What do you think the message will be? It will probably be pro-city. It will be anti-protest.”
Sarah Davis, executive director of the Minneapolis Legal Rights Center, said this board decision sends a clear message.
“It really reflects that they know there’s a lack of trust between the community and the city’s institutions and that’s real. Let’s be honest about it, that’s real,” Davis said.
Your company plans to offer legal experience and questions and answers during the trial.
“What we’re really trying to do is help people understand what they’re going to see, answer questions about it,” Davis said.
The city council plans to discuss more details about the new positions in an online public briefing on Monday at 10 a.m.
Floyd’s death last year sparked outrage and a wave of unrest in Minneapolis and across the country, with violence and looting seen in some cities. Many demonstrated peacefully.