TikTok stars are being briefed by the White House on the events unfolding in Ukraine. 30 influencers are understood to have been invited to a Zoom call with government officials, including press secretary Jen Psaki, to be given information on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as well as the US response to the crisis.
In a recording of the call obtained by the Washington Post, Biden officials tell the young content creators that they want them to receive the "latest information from an authoritative source." This suggests that the Biden administration is aware of TikTok's dominance as a source of news among young people, and is looking to leverage this.
Related: Here Are Ukrainian Video Game Studios You Can Support Right Now
Several TikTok creators spoke to the Post about the meeting, saying that they felt "empowered" as a result, and more confident in combating misinformation.
However, Jules Suzdaltsev - the host of Good Morning Bad News who was born in Ukraine himself - wasn't as full of praise as his colleagues. "The energy of the call felt like a press briefing for kindergartners", Suzdaltsev said, going onto explain that the officials apparently "dodged questions".
Similarly, Kahlil Greene was disappointed with an answer to his question regarding the lack of support for other countries facing similar invasions and occupations, such as Palestine. While the White House did admit that such a double standard exists, they did not go as far as to condemn America's own involvement in some instances.
Overall, it appears that the meeting went over a good deal of subjects. In the video above, Marcus Dipaola shares three pieces of information they were given. This includes the claim that Russia will not win in Ukraine, as its
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