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Transcript/ScriptE24 0622 Biden Trump TikTok
HEADLINE: Trump, Biden woo voters on TikTok. Will it make a difference?
TEASER: The short-form video platform attracts millions of young people in the U.S., but they’re not there for news or politics.
PUBLISHED AT: 06/21/2024, 10:40 am
BYLINE: Tina Trinh
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: New York, NY
VIDEOGRAPHER:
VIDEO EDITOR:
ASSIGNING EDITOR: Scott Stearns
SCRIPT EDITORS: Page, DLJ
VIDEO SOURCE (S): Reuters, AP, TikTok, VOA original (MS Teams)
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _x_ RADIO _x_
TRT: 2:22
VID APPROVED BY: Reifenrath
TYPE:
EDITOR NOTES:
((INTRO)) [[President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump agree on few things, but a ban of the Beijing-based social network TikTok is one of them. Now with a presidential election at stake, both are joining the platform they previously attempted to take down. Will it make a difference on Election Day? Tina Trinh reports.]]
((NATS))
((Mandatory CG: TikTok / @realdonaldtrump))
“The president is now on TikTok.”
“It’s my honor.”
((NARRATOR))
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump ((end courtesy)) joined TikTok this month.
((NATS))
((Mandatory CG: TikTok / @bidenhq))
“Chiefs or Niners?”
“Two great quarterbacks, hard to decide …”
((NARRATOR))
President Joe Biden did the same in February. ((end courtesy))
It seems the often-maligned social network is no longer a problem when there’s a presidential election on the line.
((FOR RADIO: Teddy Goff is the co-founder of Precision Strategies, a marketing communications firm))
((Teddy Goff, Precision Strategies)) ((Source: Microsoft Teams))
“The entire social media world has changed in the four years between the last presidential election and this one. This is the first one in which TikTok is the dominant force that it is now.”
((NARRATOR))
Both Biden and Trump were in favor of banning TikTok in the U.S., citing security concerns over its parent company’s ties to the Chinese government.
But with 170 million users in the U.S., 44 percent of them aged 18 to 29, TikTok represents a critical opportunity to win over young voters.
Still, even as more Americans get their news on social media, a recent study finds it’s not why they’re there.
((FOR RADIO: Elisa Shearer is a senior researcher at the Pew Research Center))
((Elisa Shearer, Pew Research Center)) ((Source: Microsoft Teams))
“When we asked about what reason you turn to these sites, I think entertainment was the top reason for every single one of them, and especially for TikTok, entertainment was a huge reason and news was not a major reason that people were turning to the sites.”
((NARRATOR)) ((Mandatory CG: TikTok / @bidenhq))
TikTok users come across news indirectly, through opinion or humor-based posts referencing current events, and unlike Facebook or Instagram, they’re not posts by friends or family.
((Elisa Shearer, Pew Research Center))
“On TikTok, the most common source of news is actually other people they don't ((Mandatory CG: TikTok / @tiktoknewsroom)) know personally.”
“The algorithm is feeding people things more so than they're following someone specifically.” ((end courtesy))
((Teddy Goff, Precision Strategies))
“It's very, very difficult for any single social media account, even if it is the account of the president or the former president to get all that much attention in the extremely crowded and chaotic landscape of social media presence.”
((Mandatory CG: TikTok / @tiktoknewsroom))
((NARRATOR))
Marketing experts say building on the reach and reputation of online influencers is key. ((end courtesy))
((Teddy Goff, Precision Strategies))
“You need to have multiple voices putting out that message. Influencers obviously also have
((Mandatory CG: TikTok / @tiktoknewsroom))
relationships with their followings. They're more trusted than perhaps a politician may be. ((end courtesy)) “You've got to figure out a way to convey your message and you know, explain why you'd be a better president,
((Mandatory CG: TikTok / @realdonaldtrump))
in a way that's going to make sense and not turn people off on this platform that they've come to for fun. They haven't come to ((end courtesy)) hear your political ad.”
((NARRATOR))
In what is shaping up to be a close race, TikTok influencers might be this election season’s digital campaign managers.
((Tina Trinh, VOA News, New York.))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
Subtitles / Dubbing AvailableNo
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateJune 21, 2024 17:18 EDT
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
