With the Los Angeles protests against the Trump administration extended to day five on Tuesday, social media creators have outperformed traditional press corps at rallys and played a different role in sharing media about what happened on the ground.
Many creators with uniquely matched press helmets and vests are many lean conservatives and are featured on social platforms such as X and streaming sites such as Twitch and YouTube. During some of the most violent moments of the week, Trump officials like Stephen Miller and billionaires like Elon Musk have chosen to amplify what the creators have published, giving the post a viral story that goes viral and violence is out of control.
President Trump said California Gov. Gavin Newsom and others were not controlling the protests, and he called for National Guard forces to intervene. Newsom said the military was not needed and he had filed an emergency motion to stop the Trump administration from sending troops. At least 150 protesters have been arrested since Friday, officials said.
Among the creators of the protest is Cam Higby, 25, a journalist and political commentator for today's conservative digital outlets. He flew from his Washington home to Los Angeles on Friday after watching the video of the X demonstration.
Monday night he was another online creator and friend Aldo Butazoni, 25, from the frontline of the protest. Live streaming with Mr. Higby and Mr. Batazoni. Much of their content comes in the form of counterargument to democratic officials like Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass or Newsom.
Higby's posts have accumulated millions of perspectives recently, blurring the line between reporting and advocacy. He occasionally posts video updates about police action, and at other times, trying to incite anger by repeating Trump's statements about how LA needs the National Guard.
“I call it duality. I make ground reports and comment on the issue,” Higby said.
With limited reporters in Los Angeles, Fox News tapped Higby and Batazoni on unpaid television appearances over the weekend, cutting them for live updates.
Liberal protesters who recognized Higby and Butazoni publicly denounced them, and Butazoni ultimately took off their identification badges by the name of his clothes. Higby said he received enough “trust threats” on social media, where he paid $3,000 to hire two bodyguards.
Left-leaning creators such as Twitch Streamer's Hasan Piker (33) have also reported from the Los Angeles rally, but the numbers seem to be low. Picker's Twitch stream lasted eight hours on Monday, with 1.4 million views from the same Los Angeles protests that Higby was present.
Andrew Callahan, a Los Angeles journalist and creator of Media Company Channel 5 News, said it covers the protests, and the market for protests and riot videos was born during the 2020 Black Life Matter demonstration.
“They don't have bosses so you can say they're independent, but they follow the exact same incentive structure as conservative founding media,” Callahan said in an interview. “Click on keyframes that don't reflect the reality of the situation and do everything you can to absorb viewers watching the same programming in Fox News.”
