Mamdani Faces Questions on Communications with Influencers

A recent study from a Columbia University lecturer documented the ways the administration of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has enlisted legions of online influencers in lieu of traditional media.  The administrations bills this as a way to reach younger New Yorkers and those less connected to traditional media.

It has also raised questions of legality, since City Hall communicates with said influencers via group chats on Signal, an encrypted messaging service.  State law requires public officials to maintain records of communications about official business, especially communications with outsiders, which are also often subject to Freedom of Information requests as a means of transparency.  Signal does not inherently violate those laws, but it does allow for easy permanent deletion, that is, easy violation.   Other public servants who have used the questionable communication app have included Eric Adams and Bill de Blasio, Mamdani’s predecessors, and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, who last year unintentionally added Jeffrey Goldberg, Editor-in-Chief of The Atlantic, to a chat that included classified discussions of military strikes.

When asked about the legality at a press conference on September 2^nd, the mayor said

“My administration will always strive to fully comply with all legal requirements, including those that relate to the preservation of city records, and if there are any departures from what is legally required, my administration will look into it immediately and take corrective action.”

A follow-up statement of chief counsel Ramzi Kassem explained the law but did not address when officials were following it.

“There is no City policy against using Signal.  By default, the application is not downloaded on City employees’ devices, but like TikTok, WhatsApp, and other applications, it can be authorized for employees’ specific uses subject to compliance with applicable City record retention policies and the New York State Freedom of Information Law.”

At the press conference, Mamdani also spoke about the administration’s enlistment of influencers.

“New Yorkers get their news in a wide variety of ways, and it is our responsibility to ensure that we communicate information from city government directly to the people of this city, whether that means to all of you, to TV, to radio, to social media, to content creators, and so on and so forth,” he said.

The report also noted that when influencers were paid for specific ads by city agencies, they were inconsistently disclosed (though at least they were disclosed).  And even though most of the participants in the Signal chat aren’t paid, it grew out of a campaign initiative called Creators4Zohran and muddles the lines between journalism and advocacy.  For this reason, the study’s author suggested the city and state create new standards for the practice, and greater disclosure. “We argue that the rapidly evolving environment of political relational influencers in New York City requires some regulation,” wrote Anya Schiffrin, the author of the study and a senior lecturer at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. “The blurry lines between being a friendly content creator and a paid promoter for city programs is confusing. The lack of consistent disclosure is worrisome.”