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Journalist Accused Of ‘Performative Activism’ After Being Filmed Faking Photo
By Thanussha Priyah, 03 Jun 2020
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Image via Heather Shimmin / Shutterstock.com
With the racial injustice protests going on in the US, a Twitter user has posted a video of a lady in Santa Monica borrowing a drill from a construction worker only to snap a quick photo before running back into the car.
The post immediately garnered traction, as people called out the lady’s behavior as an example of “performative activism.”
The post was captioned with the message, reading, “This lady stopped someone boarding up a store in Santa Monica so she could hold the drill for a picture, then drove away. Please don't do this.”
“Influencer culture at its worst,” the official Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) Twitter account wrote in response.
The New York Times technology reporter Taylor Lorenz had identified the lady as Fiona Moriarty-McLaughlin, a “Commentary” journalist with the Washington Examiner and former employee of Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter.
Moriarty-McLaughlin’s social media accounts have since been set to private due to the backlash.
This lady stopped someone boarding up a store in Santa Monica so she could hold the drill for a picture, then drove away. Please don’t do this. #santamonicaprotest #BlackLivesMatter #BlackLivesMatterLA pic.twitter.com/lgt2rZogk9
— ewu (@ewufortheloss) June 1, 2020
So utterly awed by this. Influencer culture at its worst.
— RAICES (@RAICESTEXAS) June 2, 2020
the literal definition of performative activism pic.twitter.com/649eeVcPrp
— s‧͙⁺˚*・༓☾ (@sushihad) June 2, 2020
That’s @factswithfiona and she has since made her account private. Shameful.
— Andy in Miami (@MiamiDadeRaised) June 2, 2020
It’s an instagram photo shoot for her. So pathetic. This crop of youth do not live in the real world. Their self worth derives from their virtual world.
— kelly pai (@kellypai3) June 2, 2020
[via INSIDER, cover image via Heather Shimmin / Shutterstock.com]
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