TikTok may be facing a ban in the U.S. if its activities there remain under the control of Chinese parent company ByteDance, but NATO does not appear to have read the memo.
The Brussels-based North Atlantic Treaty Organization has invited top UK TikToker Dylan Page to next week’s Washington Summit marking the 75th anniversary of its creation in 1949 in the early days of the Cold War.
With audiences for linear TV ageing and in decline, Page, who goes under the moniker of News Daddy, is among a new generation of social media stars who have become primary news sources for children around the world.
The Tiktoker, with an excess of 11M followers, is known for his short videos tackling viral news items as well as bigger, headlining political stories such as the future of Joe Biden’s run for a second term as U.S. president.
The social media star excitedly announced the news of his NATO invite in a post on his TikTok page on July 3.
“Ok, I don’t even really know how to say this, but you will never believe who has just contacted me… NATO. Yes, the largest military alliance in the world, NATO,” he revealed.
“They want to me to go to Washington. What is even going on with life anymore… The question I’m asking is why?. They don’t really include too much. They say it’s for their 75th annual summit and that all 32 world leaders are going to be there.”
He emphasized that the org would not be paying for any content that might come out of the trip, and also alluded to some trepidation about meeting the security requirements.
“Here’s a little bit of a tough one. They say I’m going to have to get a background check by the United States Secret Service. If that comes up ok, I could become the most vetted News Daddy account on TikTok,” he added.
With tensions between the West and Russia running high again due to the war in Ukraine as the org marks its 75th year, it is attempting to connect with younger generations.
NATO confirmed Page’s Washington Summit invite to Deadline, explaining it was part of an initiative called Protect the Future, which has also previously invited young content creators to the NATO HQ in Brussels in 2022 and 2023.
“Indeed, Dylan is part of a group of content creators that have been invited to attend NATO’s Washington Summit,” said a NATO official.
“During the Summit, creators will be given the opportunity to attend the NATO Public Forum and engage with numerous experts and senior NATO and Allied officials. NATO covers travel expenses linked to the program – i.e. transport, accommodation and meals – but does not pay any fee to any of the creators. We also do not exert any editorial control over content produced during the program, in full respect of freedom of speech.”
The official said the org does not release the names of the participants, but added: “You may come across their content browsing social media platforms and coverage of NATO Washington Summit.”
For his part, Page was enthusiastic about the offer, and asked his followers to let him know whether he should go or not.
“If you guys want me to go, it will be pretty insane content. I am curious to see what this is all about,” he declared.
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