After omitting the story on their morning and evening newscasts on Thursday, Friday was the day NBC’s Today finally decided that they should mention that the China-own social media platform TikTok had been promoting a letter written by late Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden. But instead of piling on the criticism of the app used by the Chinese Communist Party to harm Americans, NBC senior Washington correspondent Hallie Jackson ran defense by parroting TikTok’s deflection to other platforms.
“It might sound stunning that a letter written two decades ago by a terror leader is now getting traction online in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war. But that is the reality with social media companies now scrambling to pull down those posts,” Jackson announced ahead of her report.
After noting that the letter criticized “U.S. support for Israel and policies on Palestinian territories and citing anti-Semitic and homophobic tropes,” Jackson noted that the far-left, U.K.-based newspaper “The Guardian, which published the letter in 2002, removing it criticizing how it's been ‘widely shared without the full context.’”
Stepping up to defend the Chi-Com app, Jackson added: “TikTok now stripping the hashtag #lettertoAmerica from its search function.”
In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, TikTok tried to claim the trend didn’t originate on their platform and tried to shift blame to their competitors (bolding theirs): “The number of videos on TikTok is small and reports of it trending on our platform are inaccurate. This is not unique to TikTok and has appeared across multiple platforms and the media.”
Content promoting this letter clearly violates our rules on supporting any form of terrorism. We are proactively and aggressively removing this content and investigating how it got onto our platform. The number of videos on TikTok is small and reports of it trending on our… https://t.co/n9Zo7l94r2
— TikTok Policy (@TikTokPolicy) November 16, 2023
Without mentioning that that was TikTok’s line defense, Jackson used her report to make that argument for them and shifted the blame to X and YouTube:
New research shows searches for Bin Laden up 400 percent on YouTube and X, formerly Twitter, references to him up 4,000 percent since Tuesday. One journalist's post on that platform compiling some of the videos getting more than 25 million views.
TikTok saying interest spiked only after tweets and media attention from fewer than 2 million views to 13 million on its app. A spokesperson telling NBC News, “Content promoting this letter clearly violates our rules on supporting any form of terrorism,” adding, they’re proactively and aggressively” removing it. YouTube saying, “Our community guidelines apply consistently,” guidelines which prohibit terrorist content. X did not respond to our request for comment.
Jackson did note that “Jewish celebrities and creators confronted TikTok executives about doing more to fight anti-Semitism on that platform” with TikTok telling NBC “in a statement, ‘Leadership has been meeting with creators and experts and others for feedback on how TikTok can remain a place for community, discovery, and sharing authentically.’”
But she failed to inform viewers that TikTok was controlled by the Chinese government and that there was growing talk about cracking down on the app and possibly banning it in America. Banning TikTok was even brought up by moderators at the third GOP debate hosted by NBC News.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
NBC’s Today
November 17, 2023
7:10:57 a.m. EasternHODA KOTB: Now to an unexpected and troubling trend on social media tied to the war that has social media companies cracking down on posts about Osama Bin Laden. NBC Senior Washington correspondent Hallie Jackson is on the story. Hey, Hallie, good morning.
HALLIE JACKSON: Hey, Hoda, good morning. It might sound stunning that a letter written two decades ago by a terror leader is now getting traction online in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war. But that is the reality with social media companies now scrambling to pull down those posts.
[Cuts to video
JACKSON: The videos, viral this morning.
UNIDENTIFIED TIKTOKER: I need you to stop what you're doing and go read “A Letter to America.”
JACKSON: Referencing Osama Bin Laden’s so-called “Letter to America” written by the late terrorist leader about a year after the 9/11 attacks. And now, the propaganda getting new attention on social media in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war.
Bin laden, in the decades-old letter, criticizing U.S. support for Israel and policies on Palestinian territories and citing anti-Semitic and homophobic tropes.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: The way it's going viral is giving me the greatest sense of relief.
JACKSON: The Guardian, which published the letter in 2002, removing it criticizing how it's been “widely shared without the full context” and TikTok now stripping the hashtag #lettertoAmerica from its search function.
New research shows searches for Bin Laden up 400 percent on YouTube and on X, formerly Twitter, references to him up 4,000 percent since Tuesday. One journalist's post on that platform compiling some of the videos getting more than 25 million views.
TikTok saying interest spiked only after tweets and media attention from fewer than 2 million views to 13 million on its app. A spokesperson telling NBC News, “Content promoting this letter clearly violates our rules on supporting any form of terrorism,” adding, they’re proactively and aggressively” removing it. YouTube saying, “Our community guidelines apply consistently,” guidelines which prohibit terrorist content. X did not respond to our request for comment.
The issue even reaching the White House with a spokesperson saying, “There is never a justification for spreading the repugnant, evil and anti-Semitic lies that the leader of Al Qaeda issued just after committing the worst terrorist attack in American history.”
It all comes as demonstrations, pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian, stretch coast to coast.
[Cuts back to live]
All of this puts yet another spotlight on the issue of moderating content at a time of war. The New York Times is now reporting, overnight, this “Letter to America” came up during a private meeting Wednesday night in which Jewish celebrities and creators confronted TikTok executives about doing more to fight anti-Semitism on that platform, according to a recording obtained by The Times. TikTok tells us in a statement, “Leadership has been meeting with creators and experts and others for feedback on how TikTok can remain a place for community, discovery, and sharing authentically.”
Hoda, back to you.
KOTB: All right. Hallie Jackson for us there in D.C. Hallie, thank you.
