Paramount Caught Using 'Astroturf' Group to Drum Up Fake Support for Merger
Recorded: Sept. 8, 2026, 3:08 p.m.
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Paramount Caught Using ‘Astroturf’ Group To Drum Up Fake Support For Merger | Techdirt
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Funniest/Most Insightful Comments Of The Week At Techdirt Failures from the desperate-measures dept Tue, Sep 8th 2026 05:28am - We’ve well established how the $111 billion Paramount and Warner Brothers merger is terrible for labor, creatives, consumers, and markets. But the kind of behaviors Paramount leadership have been engaged in to sell the deal also give a pretty clear indication what kind of company we’re dealing with, and why they shouldn’t be allowed to control an even bigger slice of U.S. media. “In text messages to Californians that went out earlier this week, Neighbors for Strong Communities asked recipients to send Bonta messages raising the concern that his opposition to the merger will cost the state thousands of jobs — because of Ellison’s reported threat to move Paramount to Texas.” In reality, mergers like this — particularly when involving Warner Brothers — have a long history of resulting in mass layoffs, higher prices, and lower-quality product as the merged company tries to pay down debt from the deal. There’s also nothing stopping Ellison from offshoring film and TV production if the deal is approved, continuing an existing trend for Hollywood. “The sender organization’s website is less than three months old. It discloses no founders, board members, staff, or funders, and the organization does not appear in ProPublica’s nonprofit database. Its newly updated address (1902-A Lincoln Blvd, Suite 1314, Santa Monica, CA) is a private PO Box at a UPS store. These are classic hallmarks of a corporate-backed astroturf campaign designed to manufacture the appearance of grassroots opposition.” As is always the case with these groups, there’s usually no discernable paper trail, allowing both Paramount and Neighbors for Strong Communities to confidently insist the entire effort is authentic. And when you have to covertly pay organizations to support your giant merger, you just know the giant merger is great for everyone involved. Filed Under: astroturf, california, consolidation, david ellison, labor, larry ellison, layoffs, media, mergers, rob bonta Companies: neighbors for strong communities, paramount, warner bros. 1 CommentLeave a Comment If you liked this post, you may also be interested in... Tom Cruise Parrots Paramount's Empty Merger Promises Because He Loves His 'Hollywood Family' LA Mayor Karen Bass The Latest Democrat To Wimp Out On Paramount Merger Iowa AG Brenna Bird Makes Silly, Empty Legal Threats To Try And Save Larry Ellison's Paramount Merger ICE Tries, Fails To Illegally Raid An Immigration Law Office; Settles For Empty Threats Instead Jeff Bezos' Washington Post Forced To Rehire Columnist Fired For Quoting Deceased Bigot Charlie Kirk Rate this comment as insightful Insightful Funny Abusive/trolling/spam Insightful badge Funny badge Comments icon Comments on “Paramount Caught Using ‘Astroturf’ Group To Drum Up Fake Support For Merger” Subscribe: Leave a comment Filter comments in by Time Filter comments as Threaded Filter only comments rated Insightful Filter only comments rated funny LOL Filter only comments that are Unread 1 Comment impurify (profile) says: September 8, 2026 at 6:53 am The semiotics of identity, and the hermeneutics of anonymous texts. The article, quoting the Committee for the First Amendment: “The sender organization’s website is less than three months old. It discloses no founders, board members, staff, or funders, and the organization does not appear in ProPublica’s nonprofit database. Its newly updated address (1902-A Lincoln Blvd, Suite 1314, Santa Monica, CA) is a private PO Box at a UPS store. These are classic hallmarks of a corporate-backed astroturf campaign designed to manufacture the appearance of grassroots opposition.” I caution that the right to anonymous speech is too important to draw conclusive presumptions. Rather, absent further evidence, the organization’s advocacy should be interpreted as an anonymous text—strictly within the four corners of its internal evidence. Reply View in chronology Make this comment the first word
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Paramount Caught Using 'Astroturf' Group To Drum Up Fake Support For Merger
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The article details allegations that Paramount has employed an astroturf organization to fabricate public support for its massive merger with Warner Brothers, contrasting this behavior with established concerns regarding the deal's impact on labor, creatives, consumers, and markets. The author notes that Paramount leadership has engaged in aggressive tactics, including labeling critics as antisemitic, threatening legal repercussions against California state enforcement of antitrust laws, and running coordinated public relations campaigns, often in collaboration with allies, to promote the narrative that media consolidation benefits the United States. A specific example of this deceptive practice involves the use of the organization Neighbors for Strong Communities, which utilized text messages to urge Californian residents to pressure Attorney General Rob Bonta to withdraw his antitrust lawsuit against the company under the pretext that enforcement action would result in job losses due to Larry Ellison's reported threat to relocate Paramount to Texas. Critics argue that this effort is manufactured rather than organic grassroots support. Consumer rights groups, such as the Committee For The First Amendment, have further scrutinized the astroturf group, pointing out that it was established only three months prior and intentionally lacks transparency regarding its founders, board members, staff, or funders, operating without registration in public nonprofit databases like ProPublica's. The organization’s operational characteristics, such as its newly updated address being a private postal box and the absence of publicly disclosed leadership, are cited as hallmarks of a corporate-backed campaign designed to simulate authentic public opposition. The text contextualizes these corporate maneuvers against the historical consequences of media mergers, asserting that such deals typically result in mass layoffs, increased pricing, and diminished product quality while the merged entity attempts to manage debt. Furthermore, concerns exist regarding potential offshoring trends within Hollywood if the merger is approved, allowing production to move outside the United States. The author concludes by suggesting that the lack of verifiable paper trails indicates that any perceived authentic support for the merger is likely manufactured, serving the interests of the corporate entities involved rather than genuine public sentiment. |