James O'Keefe | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) O'Keefe in 2023 | |
| Born | James Edward O'Keefe III June 28, 1984 |
| Education | Rutgers University B.A. in Philosophy (2006)[1] |
| Occupation(s) | Conservative filmmaker and activist |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Organization(s) | Project Veritas Project Veritas Action O'Keefe Media Group |
| Known for | Activism[2] |
| Notable work | ACORN 2009 undercover videos controversy, Project Veritas videos |
| This article is part of a series on |
| Conservatism in the United States |
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James Edward O'Keefe III (born June 28, 1984) is an American political activist who founded Project Veritas, a far-right[3] activist[2] group that uses deceptively edited videos and information gathering techniques to attack mainstream media organizations and progressive groups. Both O'Keefe and Project Veritas have produced secretly recorded undercover audio and video encounters in academic, governmental, and social service organizations, purporting to show abusive or illegal behavior by representatives of those organizations; the recordings are often selectively edited to misrepresent the context of the conversations and the subjects' responses.[4] O'Keefe served as chairman until he was fired from the organization in February 2023.[5][6][7]
O'Keefe first gained national attention for his selectively edited video recordings of workers at Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) offices in 2009, his arrest and misdemeanor guilty plea in 2010 for entering the federal office of then-U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) under false pretenses, and the release of misleading videos of conversations with two high-ranking, now former, NPR executives in 2011.
When his videos – heavily edited to portray ACORN workers seemingly aiding a couple in criminal planning – were publicized, the U.S. Congress voted to freeze funds for the non-profit. The national controversy resulted in the non-profit also losing most of its private funding before investigations of the videos concluded no illegal activity occurred. In March 2010, ACORN was close to bankruptcy and had to close or rename most of its offices.[8][9] Shortly thereafter, the California State Attorney General's Office and the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) released their related investigative reports. The Attorney General's Office found that O'Keefe had misrepresented the actions of ACORN workers in California and that the workers had not broken any laws. A preliminary probe by the GAO found that ACORN had managed its federal funds appropriately.[10][11] One of the fired ACORN workers sued O'Keefe for invasion of privacy; O'Keefe issued an apology and agreed to pay $100,000 in a settlement.
O'Keefe has gained support from right-wing and conservative media and interest groups, as well as from the far right.[12] In 2009, Andrew Breitbart commissioned him for the option to publish new videos exclusively on BigGovernment.
The Project Veritas board removed O'Keefe from leadership positions in February 2023 for what it said was financial malfeasance with donor money.[13] On March 15, 2023, O'Keefe launched a new organization called O'Keefe Media Group.[14] Project Veritas subsequently sued O'Keefe and two others, alleging that they had created the competing O'Keefe Media Group while still employees, approaching PV's donors and using company funds for this purpose. O'Keefe was also alleged to have improperly spent company funds on himself.[15][16]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
highjinkswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Activist...
- Scherer, Jasper (January 11, 2023). "Conroe brewery backs out of 'rally against censorship' featuring Kyle Rittenhouse". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
Cassandra Spencer, a Defiance Press publishing manager who previously worked for the conservative activist group Project Veritas, is also set to appear at the rally
- "Trump applauds far-right social media provocateurs". AP NEWS. April 21, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
Trump singled out for praise James O'Keefe, the right-wing activist whose Project Veritas organization once tried to plant a false story in The Washington Post.
- Barry, Dan (November 6, 2022). "In Affluent Greenwich, It's Republicans vs. 'Trumplicans'". The New York Times. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
The Greenwich Republican ecosystem is such that James O'Keefe, the founder of the conservative activist group Project Veritas, is practically a local celebrity.
- DePeau-Wilson, Michael (January 31, 2023). "Video of Pfizer Employee Explaining COVID Vaccine Research Debunked". www.medpagetoday.com. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
Project Veritas, a conservative activist group known for spreading misinformation, recently published a concealed-camera video allegedly showing a Pfizer employee describing the company's COVID-19 vaccine research efforts
- Greene, David (November 29, 2017). "A Conservative On Project Veritas". Morning Edition. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
The conservative activist James O'Keefe and his nonprofit Project Veritas have sprung sting operations on many media organizations, including NPR. In 2011, after one such scheme, NPR pushed out our CEO and also our top fundraiser. These operations often involve undercover videos edited in misleading ways.
- Al-Rawi, Ahmed; Celestini, Carmen; Stewart, Nicole; Worku, Nathan (March 21, 2022). "How Google Autocomplete Algorithms about Conspiracy Theorists Mislead the Public". M/C Journal. 25 (1). doi:10.5204/mcj.2852. eISSN 1441-2616. S2CID 247603535.
The same misleading label can be found via searching for James O'Keefe of Project Veritas, who is positively labelled as "American activist". Veritas is known for releasing audio and video recordings that contain false information designed to discredit academic, political, and service organisations
- Jackson, Sam (2020). The Oath Keepers : patriotism and the edge of violence in a right-wing antigovernment group. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 9780231550314.
Groups like Oath Keepers pounced on information provided by Project Veritas—a conservative activist group known for conducting manipulative video stings of progressive organizations—that allegedly documented organized attempts by Democrats to rig the election
- Scherer, Jasper (January 11, 2023). "Conroe brewery backs out of 'rally against censorship' featuring Kyle Rittenhouse". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
- ^ Far-right...
- Tumber, Howard; Waisbord, Silvio (March 24, 2021). The Routledge Companion to Media Disinformation and Populism. London, England: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-000-34678-7. Retrieved March 19, 2021 – via Google Books.
False information can make movements defend the accuracy of their own claims and materials because of doubt sowed by countermovements and governments (Tufekci 2017). For instance, Project Veritas, an alt-right group, has a track record of attacking movements through misleading editing of videos and through fabricated 'sting' operations (Benkler et al. 2018).
- Coleman, Aidan J.; Janes, Katharine M. (July 26, 2021). "Caught on Tape: Establishing the Right of Third-Party Bystanders to Secretly Record the Police". Virginia Law Review. 107. Charlottesville, Virginia: University of Virginia School of Law: 168. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
Project Veritas, a far-right non-profit organization whose methods have sparked controversy, brought a separate challenge to Section 99 that, on appeal, was consolidated with K. Eric Martin and Rene Perez's suit against the Suffolk County District Attorney.
- Karbal, Ian W. (December 14, 2020). "The best journalism of 2020: Covering Trump". Columbia Journalism Review. Archived from the original on December 17, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
Throughout his presidency, Trump has boosted far-right outlets with a loose relationship to truth, like Breitbart and One America News, into household names. Another such outlet, Project Veritas, apparently directed an employee to plant a false story in the Washington Post about a sexual encounter with Senate candidate Roy Moore. [...] However, careful reporting by Post journalists exposed the sting and revealed the deceitful tactics of far-right actors who brand themselves as journalists.
- Covucci, David (January 14, 2020). "James O'Keefe claims Bernie Sanders will throw Trump fans in gulags". The Daily Dot. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
O'Keefe is the head of Project Veritas, a far-right outlet that uses misleading edits and various forms of entrapment to try and catch Democrats, liberals, and media members in "shocking" statements.
- Wilson, Jason (July 27, 2018). "What is 'shadow banning', and why did Trump tweet about it?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
- Seidman, Andrew; Terruso, Julia (January 5, 2021). "Congress is about to formalize Biden's win. Busloads of Pa. Trump supporters are heading to D.C. to protest". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
...refers to posts on far-right websites like Project Veritas.
- Reimann, Nicholas (November 10, 2020). "Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Offering Up To $1 Million For Evidence Of Voter Fraud". Forbes. Archived from the original on February 1, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
The far-right conspiracy theory-driven group Project Veritas is offering rewards of $25,000 for tips relating to election fraud in Pennsylvania.
- Olalde, Mark (December 4, 2020). "Climate Point: Climate change disrupts life from the Hopi Reservation to Louisiana". USA Today. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
the Mercer family, who are ardent supporters of President Donald Trump, have given vast sums of money to conservative causes and partly funded the far-right Project Veritas, which tries to secretly record and smear journalists, nonprofits and other targets.
- Miao, Hannah (December 4, 2020). "New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy slams New York Young Republican Club for hosting large, maskless gala in Jersey City amid Covid surge". CNBC. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
Featured attendees at the gala included keynote speaker James O'Keefe, founder of far-right group Project Veritas
- "US House race to watch: Lois Frankel vs Laura Loomer". Al Jazeera. October 31, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
She previously worked undercover for Project Veritas, a far-right organization known for targeting leftists and anti-fascists.
- Mathers, Matt (December 7, 2020). "AOC embroiled in fresh Twitter row with Marco Rubio over PPP loans". The Independent. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
Project Veritas is a far-right activist group, which says it uses undercover techniques to reveal so-called liberal bias and corruption.
- Foster, Ally (November 12, 2020). "Trump supporters plan massive protests". News.com.au. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
His claims were publicized by Project Veritas, a far-right activist group
- Adler-Bell, Sam (May 23, 2018). "Prosecutors Withheld Evidence That Could Exonerate J20 Inauguration Protesters, Judge Rules". The Intercept. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
The video of the planning meeting was provided to investigators by Project Veritas, a controversial far-right media group known for "sting" operations against its political opponents and the publication of selectively edited videos.
- Min, Janice (March 22, 2021). "Pinterest and the Subtle Poison of Sexism and Racism in Silicon Valley". Time. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
Later, Ozoma's cell-phone number and internal company emails appeared on extremist platforms including 4chan and 8chan following leaks by a white male colleague, a software developer, to Project Veritas, the far-right activist group founded by James O'Keefe. She received threats of rape and death.
- Choi, Joseph (April 14, 2021). "Matt Gaetz makes six-figure ad buy targeting CNN amid sex trafficking allegations". The Hill. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
The ad includes footage by the far-right activist group Project Veritas that shows a man identified as a CNN employee talking about news coverage of Gaetz, Politico reported. Project Veritas is known for publishing undercover sting footage that has been deceptively edited to reflect badly on organizations and people it disagrees with.
- Tumber, Howard; Waisbord, Silvio (March 24, 2021). The Routledge Companion to Media Disinformation and Populism. London, England: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-000-34678-7. Retrieved March 19, 2021 – via Google Books.
- ^ Deceptive edits...
- Tumber, Howard; Waisbord, Silvio (March 24, 2021). The Routledge Companion to Media Disinformation and Populism. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-000-34678-7. Archived from the original on April 4, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021 – via Google Books.
False information can make movements defend the accuracy of their own claims and materials because of doubt sowed by countermovements and governments (Tufekci 2017). For instance, Project Veritas, an alt-right group, has a track record of attacking movements through misleading editing of videos and through fabricated 'sting' operations (Benkler et al. 2018).
- Karbal, Ian W. (December 14, 2020). "The best journalism of 2020: Covering Trump". Columbia Journalism Review. Archived from the original on December 17, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
Throughout his presidency, Trump has boosted far-right outlets with a loose relationship to truth, like Breitbart and One America News, into household names. Another such outlet, Project Veritas, apparently directed an employee to plant a false story in the Washington Post about a sexual encounter with Senate candidate Roy Moore. [...] However, careful reporting by Post journalists exposed the sting and revealed the deceitful tactics of far-right actors who brand themselves as journalists.
- Choi, Joseph (April 14, 2021). "Matt Gaetz makes six-figure ad buy targeting CNN amid sex trafficking allegations". The Hill. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
The ad includes footage by the far-right activist group Project Veritas that shows a man identified as a CNN employee talking about news coverage of Gaetz, Politico reported. Project Veritas is known for publishing undercover sting footage that has been deceptively edited to reflect badly on organizations and people it disagrees with.
- Seidman, Andrew; Terruso, Julia (January 5, 2021). "Congress is about to formalize Biden's win. Busloads of Pa. Trump supporters are heading to D.C. to protest". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
...refers to posts on far-right websites like Project Veritas.
- Reimann, Nicholas (November 10, 2020). "Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Offering Up To $1 Million For Evidence Of Voter Fraud". Forbes. Archived from the original on February 1, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
The far-right conspiracy theory-driven group Project Veritas is offering rewards of $25,000 for tips relating to election fraud in Pennsylvania.
- Olalde, Mark (December 4, 2020). "Climate Point: Climate change disrupts life from the Hopi Reservation to Louisiana". USA Today. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
the Mercer family, who are ardent supporters of President Donald Trump, have given vast sums of money to conservative causes and partly funded the far-right Project Veritas, which tries to secretly record and smear journalists, nonprofits and other targets.
- Goss, Brian Michael (March 12, 2018). "Veritable Flak Mill". Journalism Studies. 19 (4). Abingdon, England: Routledge: 548–563. doi:10.1080/1461670X.2017.1375388. ISSN 1461-670X. S2CID 149185981.
- Elliott, Philip (June 1, 2017). "James O'Keefe's Targets Sue Undercover Filmmaker for $1 Million". Time. New York City: Time, Inc. Archived from the original on August 3, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
- "Trump suggests U.S. should sue Facebook and Google". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. June 26, 2019. Archived from the original on June 29, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
- Poniewozik, James (March 13, 2011). "The Twisty, Bent Truth of the NPR-Sting Video". Time. New York City: Time, Inc. Archived from the original on June 14, 2019. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
- Friedersdorf, Conor (March 8, 2013). "Andrew Breitbart and James O'Keefe Ruined Him, and Now He Gets $100,000". The Atlantic. Washington, D.C.: Emerson Collective. Archived from the original on August 30, 2019. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
- Bennett, W. Lance; Livingston, Steven (October 2020). "The Coordinated Attack on Authoritative Institutions". The Disinformation Age. Cambridge University Press. pp. 261–294. doi:10.1017/9781108914628.011. ISBN 978-1-108-91462-8.
In this case, Project Veritas was made to look foolish, just as it had in 2012 when it attempted a videotape sting operation against the voter registration group ACORN. In that instance, a judge even ordered James O'Keefe, Project Veritas's provocateur-in-chief, to pay $100,000 in damages to two ACORN employees. But rather than damaging O'Keefe and his organization, the ACORN scandal enamored him with the libertarian far-right.
- Damann, Taylor (January 8, 2019). "Project Veritas and the Changing Face of Fake News". Gateway Journalism Review. 47 (351). Southern Illinois University Carbondale. ISSN 2158-7345. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
Project Veritas seems to only consider influencing political outcomes, though. O'Keefe's open pride in affecting the employment of several individuals in leadership for various liberal media outlets, his hand in influencing political elections, or even influencing public opinion on abortion are striking. Conducting guerrilla journalism that seeks to expose only liberals and Democrats is inherently ideological.
- Perry, Tony (March 8, 2013). "Conservative activist James O'Keefe 'regrets any pain' to ACORN worker". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. Archived from the original on November 5, 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
- Fund, John (September 21, 2009). "Acorn Who?". The Wall Street Journal. New York City: Dow Jones & Company. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on July 8, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
- Kroeger, Brooke (August 31, 2012). "Watchdog". Undercover Reporting: The Truth About Deception. Northwestern University Press. pp. 249–254. ISBN 978-0-8101-2619-0. JSTOR j.ctt22727sf.17. Archived from the original on December 6, 2020. Retrieved November 7, 2020 – via JSTOR.
- Tumber, Howard; Waisbord, Silvio (March 24, 2021). The Routledge Companion to Media Disinformation and Populism. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-000-34678-7. Archived from the original on April 4, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Project Veritas founder James O'Keefe out at right-wing org". Associated Press. February 20, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ Stanley-Becker, Isaac (February 20, 2023). "James O'Keefe is out at Project Veritas after internal power struggle". Washington Post. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ Schmidt, Michael S.; Fahrenthold, David A.; Goldman, Adam (February 20, 2023). "James O'Keefe Leaves His Post as the Leader of Project Veritas". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ Urbina, Ian (March 20, 2010). "Acorn on Brink of Bankruptcy, Officials Say". The New York Times. New York City. Archived from the original on April 25, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
- ^ "Just How Heavily Edited Was the ACORN-Sting Video?". Intelligencer. April 2, 2010. Archived from the original on May 3, 2021. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
huff-acorn-vindwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
cnn-acorn-vindwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Bennett, W. Lance; Livingston, Steven (October 2020). "The Coordinated Attack on Authoritative Institutions". The Disinformation Age. Cambridge University Press. pp. 261–294. doi:10.1017/9781108914628.011. ISBN 978-1-108-91462-8.
In this case, Project Veritas was made to look foolish, just as it had in 2012 when it attempted a videotape sting operation against the voter registration group ACORN. In that instance, a judge even ordered James O'Keefe, Project Veritas's provocateur-in-chief, to pay $100,000 in damages to two ACORN employees. But rather than damaging O'Keefe and his organization, the ACORN scandal enamored him with the libertarian far-right.
- ^ "Project Veritas founder James O'Keefe out at right-wing org". Associated Press. February 20, 2023.
- ^ Morton, Victor. "OMG: Ousted Project Veritas founder James O'Keefe launches new media venture". The Washington Times. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
- ^ Sommer, Will (May 31, 2023). "Project Veritas sues founder James O'Keefe over his messy departure". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
- ^ Sheth, Jacob; Shamsian, Sonam (May 31, 2023). "Project Veritas sues its founder James O'Keefe, alleging he set up a competitor and wooed donors while on the company's payroll". Business Insider. Retrieved June 1, 2023.