Ady Barkan, Activist Who Speaks Via Voice Machine, Had Video Quote Manipulated by Republicans, Twitter Says
NO SHAME WHATSOEVER
Posted ad altered digitized words of Ady Barkan, who speaks via voice machine, questioning Joe Biden to make it seem like Biden had agreed to defund the police.
Twitter has slapped a “manipulated” flag on a video shared by Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, the House minority whip and the second-ranking House Republican, that spliced words from a disabled activist who speaks through computer voice assistance to make it sound as though Joe Biden had agreed to defund U.S. police departments. “I have lost my ability to speak, but not my agency or my thoughts,” Ady Barkan wrote to Scalise in a Sunday tweet. “You and your team have doctored my words for your own political gain. Please remove this video immediately. You owe the entire disability community an apology.” In the original interview, Barkan asked, “But do we agree that we can redirect some of the funding?” to which Biden replied, “Yes, absolutely.” In the manipulated version, Barkan appears to ask, “Do we agree that we can redirect some of the funding for police?” to which Biden gives the same response of, “Yes, absolutely.” The manipulated exchange has been featured in millions of dollars worth of campaign advertising.
