BAD PITCH

Russia-Tied PR Firm Asked Influencers to Falsely Claim Pfizer Vax Killed Hundreds: Report

European influencers, bloggers, and YouTubers say they were contacted by a mysterious PR agency asking them to tell followers that the Pfizer vaccine is dangerous.

European social-media influencers, bloggers, and YouTubers say they’ve been contacted by a mysterious PR agency asking them to tell followers that the Pfizer vaccine is dangerous and has killed hundreds of people. Popular French science YouTuber Léo Grasset posted what he says are screenshots of an email sent to him by supposedly London-based agency Fazze, which ask him to “tell [followers] that mainstream media ignores this theme” and to “act like you have the passion and interest in this topic.” In a tweet, Grasset described the budget for the influence campaign as “colossal.” Other popular social media influencers have reported being contacted by Fazze, which shut down its website on Tuesday. The Guardian reports that, per LinkedIn, Fazze’s management team is largely Russian, and that many employees formerly worked for another agency founded by a Russian entrepreneur. French media have also pointed to the similarities between Fazze’s talking points and those of the Twitter account for Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine.