After rumors that the streaming company had donated$ 7 million to Vice President Kamala Harris ‘ presidential campaign erupted, a boycott of Netflix was a result of social media.
While Reed Hastings, co-founder and professional president of Netflix, did create a large payment, the firm has clarified that it did not contribute any money to Harris’s vote efforts.
The propaganda began circulating digitally on August 2, 2024, with a popular Facebook article claiming,” Netflix really donated$ 7 million to Kamala, BYE BYE Netflix! Cancel your subscriber today”.
Similar information quickly spread across programs like X, TikTok, Instagram, and even in Spanish-language articles following President Joe Biden’s departure from the 2024 race and his support of Harris.
Clarification from Netflix
In response to the claims, a Netflix said, as quoted by AFP on August 1, 2024,” This is a personal donation from Reed] Hastings ] and has no connection to Netflix”. The business stressed that Harris ‘ campaign has received no funding from the business. Corporate donations to federal campaigns are prohibited, according to the Federal Election Commission ( FEC ), but they can form political action committees ( PACs ) to support candidates indirectly.
The origin of the payment
Hastings, known as a major donation to the Democratic Party, physically gave$ 7 million to a PAC supporting Harris’s political charge. According to a July 2024 statement from The Information, Hastings stated that this was his largest contribution possibly to a single candidate. This wealth was channeled to a super PAC, which can take infinite efforts, rather than straight to Harris’s plan.
Andrew Mayersohn, a researcher at OpenSecrets, a nonprofit that monitors political spending, explained that direct contributions to presidential candidates are capped at$ 3, 300 per election, or$ 6, 600 for both primary and general elections. Larger funds are usually directed to PACs, which have different requirements.
Fact-checking the says
Other fact-checking organizations have confirmed that Hastings ‘ donation was made to a super PAC called Republican Accountability PAC rather than Harris ‘ campaign, despite the popular posts.
The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1972, which was passed in response to concerns raised by the Watergate scandal, was strictly prohibited from companies and unions, according to Anne Zald, an analyst on federal legislation. This rule was changed frequently and was changed.
