Proposal “Ben-Swann-Reality-Check-Relaunch“ (Completed)Back

Title:Ben Swann’s Reality Check Sponsorship & Ambassador
Owner:Ben_Swann
Monthly amount: 800 DASH (18875 USD)
Completed payments: 3 totaling in 2400 DASH (0 month remaining)
Payment start/end: 2017-12-18 / 2018-03-18 (added on 2017-12-24)
Final voting deadline: in passed
Votes: 0 Yes / 0 No / 0 Abstain

Proposal description

Bring Ben Swann’s Reality Check show back on the air with Dash as the sole sponsor.

Update:  There seem to be a lot of questions about deliverables, production costs and promotional value here. I'll post all of these throughout the day  today. But in the meantime, I'll start with some very specific numbers.

Update 2:

Final point from me.  Lots of questions about guarantees.  I have a legal contract which I have signed on my end.  Who signs it from Dash DAO?  The Dash DAO already has a mechanism for signing agreements: voting. Consent can be proven on the blockchain. What isn't yet possible is a way for contractors to cryptographically sign their end of the agreement. I hope to approximate this to the best of my ability by signing this legal document.  Here is the link to the document:   Ben Swann Legally Binding Contract


I believe this is in the proposal and I answered it in the  pre-discussion forum but Reality Check episodes are 2-5 min long (almost always closer to 5 min).  They are released twice a week, every Tuesday and Thursday.  So the specific dates for the Dash sponsored episodes  will be as follows...

February 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22, 27

March 1, 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22, 27, 29

April  3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, 26



Since some of you have never seen Reality Check here is a short playlist of some of the videos between 2015-2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52U4VAxQdHY&list=PLRhTrXHB2p8ov2RSHzu9UmccsZvgYl9_z

Videos with more than 20 million views each

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGVZdfcm7qg  Colin Kaepernick's Anthem Outrage- 9 Million

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWVZmtEH9lo  Middle East Better Off Under Hussein -20 million

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SK7jbxBQATw   Origin of Isis- 40 million

FYI... these are just video samples... here are screen grabs to prove our video views on FB

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gtx2wwrTIYg1txjRUlj7rLGvEeLENdBDLmNJ1pQjv18/edit?usp=sharing



Oh, and yes, I would be more than willing to sign a legally binding
contact to deliver these episodes on these dates.  I have been under
contract in every broadcasting job I've ever had.

Watch My Proposal Video Here

Summary


We propose that just as DASH is creating disruption in the financial world, it now creates disruption in the media world by bringing back to the masses Reality Check with Ben Swann.  As the sole sponsor of Reality Check, DASH will be branded and tied to what is one of the most successful news segments in the world.Our hope is to establish and sustain a long-term partnership, and we would be honored to be an enduring ambassador of Dash.
Reality Check with Ben Swann is a news and information segment that paved the way in covering stories mainstream media misrepresented or simply deceived the public about in the United States and around the world. In 2016, Reality Check with Ben Swann had 110 Million video views on Facebook and outperformed media giants such as VICE News.

About Ben Swann

I have 18 years of experience in journalism, behind and in front of the camera. I became drawn to covering under-reported issues and events early on in my career, particularly during my time covering the drug war in Mexico when I realized that the war on drugs was being misrepresented and most mainstream media had no interest in upholding their commitment to sharing the truth with the public. I’ve received two Emmy awards and two Edward R. Murrow awards, as well as several AP awards from my time in Texas and New Mexico.
While I am relatively new to Dash, I am not new to the cryptocurrency community. I’ve been discussing Bitcoin since 2013, longer and more thoroughly than most journalists in the media, in my own reporting as well as during my appearance at the Texas Bitcoin Conference in 2014. My experience stands in contrast to the majority of mainstream media, which is scrambling to catch up on coverage largely because cryptocurrency has become so accessible and attractive that they can no longer ignore it. However, the majority of media corporations fail to objectively and accurately report on this industry.

Benefit to Dash

We have the ability to bring Dash to a vastly larger audience than ever before. Reality Check episodes dive into subjects that are embraced and heavily recirculated by an enormous and diverse crowd. This crowd comes from widely varying political, social and geographic backgrounds and they range from individuals who have spent a great deal of their own time on research to individuals who are learning about these subjects for the first time, and the subject of cryptocurrency is no exception. The promotion of Dash will fit seamlessly with our reporting: while our audience is diverse, it shares a common passion for disruption in the media as well as a mindset that embraces disruptive technologies like cryptocurrency.
We have the advantage of both a huge audience and existing experience in speaking to the public about cryptocurrency. Using the same footprint that has helped Reality Check and Truth In Media episodes reach hundreds of millions of viewers, we will be able to integrate Dash and crypto within our videos as well as bring those topics to live events at a more intimate level with the public. Our team is ready to pick up where we left off, and we will work closely with Dash to develop and execute a successful Dash branding strategy for events, video and other content.

Deliverables and Funding Breakdown

Ben Swann announces his partnership with Dash video. Huge viral potential.2 to 5 minute video with Ben announcing his return.
Reality Check Sponsorship.
  • Dash will be the sole sponsor of Reality Check for the duration of this sponsorship.
  • Estimated 30M video views, 75M social impressions. Those estimates are organic views and impressions. The estimated video views and impressions do not include views and impressions gained through advertising. Videos will be uploaded to Facebook, YouTube, DTube, LBRY, Amazon Prime,  Roku, embedded on Steemit and News Websites. Episode teasers will be posted to Instagram and Twitter. These will be in video or image format.
  • Sponsorship includes:
    • Lower third bug. “Ben Swann’s Reality Check Powered By Dash” and will be seen on all platforms listed above and more as we expand our network.
    • Facebook “handshake” on every video sponsored by Dash. This means extra exposure for Dash. Learn more about a Facebook handshake here: https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/facebook-branded-content-what-marketers-need-to-know/
    • Link in the description of the Youtube, DTube, and LBRY if available
    • 5 second intro. Example “Reality Check is powered by Dash digital cash” after the intro to the Reality Check segment.
  • There will be two Reality Checks a week; Every Tuesday and Thursday unless the date lands on a US holiday. Then Reality Check’s marketing department will decide what day to release that Reality Check on.
  • Videos will cover topical US and World issues and will be 2 to 5 minutes long.
  • A total of 24 episodes will be sponsored.
$150,000 to advertise videos and other Dash related content. Written content created by Ben’s team.
  • This money would be used to advertise videos sponsored by Dash as well as articles that were written about Dash on TiM. For example: one of the first articles on the, Dash sponsored crypto section of TiM, will be an article about how to buy Dash.   Estimated 15,000,000 to 30,000,000+ more impressions for Dash.
Staff to syndicate RC videos
This team will work solely to build partnerships with websites to distribute Dash sponsored Reality Checks. Third party sites and properties will be able to monetize the video but may not take out the Dash sponsor part of the video. This will lead to more media outlets wanting to show the Reality Checks and a larger audience for Dash.

Ben Swann/Team at 3 Crypto/Blockchain events

Ben Swann and team go to one, US based, blockchain conference a month (3 total) to promote Dash. Live stream on Facebook and Youtube for 30/60 mins with TiM/Reality Check/Dash backdrop. Social promotion before and after the event. The events have not been picked yet, and we would love the Dash community’s feedback on where in the US you would like us to go.

Exclusive sponsor of Truth In Media website

Up to 4 banners per page with estimated impressions of 1,000,000 per banner.Co-branded merch. “Ben Swann’s Reality Check Powered By Dash Digital Cash”  merch to give away to fans. T-shirts, decals, stickers, etc.Mention Dash. Ben and team, while being interviewed by other press, will mention Dash is the reason Ben was able to come back. Upon return, we have a tentative interview with a well known podcaster.Sponsor/Event Dash Discounts: Discounts for sponsors of other TiM properties and TiM events will receive discounts if they pay in Dash.

Investment: Three months 800 Dash/month (based on 30 day moving avg.)

Dealing with price fluctuations
We will save some for when and if there is a dip in the price of Dash. When Dash is performing well, we will add to advertising budget for Dash sponsored content, if there is a huge upswing create other Dash sponsored content.
Project updates to be expected by the community
We will provide a monthly KPI report. The KPI report will include banner impressions, clicks, video plays and social media engagement and reach.

Projected Timeline:

Jan:  Studio set up, Announcement video, Truth In Media crypto section launched, first blockchain event, media interviews Ben. Studio relocation with updates from Ben wearing Dash item, updates “powered by Dash”. Updates would be on the website and social media in the form of videos, images, and Instagram/Facebook “Stories”.Feb - April: 24 Reality Check with Ben Swann’s released.

Budget and Value Breakdown

 Estimated value 3 month totals

  • Announcing return as Dash as sponsor. $750,000
    • Video: $250,000 (Est millions of views)
    • Press around Ben coming back because of Dash: $500,000
  • Social Impressions. The number of times Dash branding will be seen via our social media platforms (est. 75M): $15 cpm: $1,125,000
  • Video sponsorship (est. 30M views): $75 cpm: $2,250,000
  • Advertising $150,000
  • Ambassador and costs for going to and streaming live at three crypto shows: $150,000 ($50,000 per show, sponsorship when possible, travel, rooms, staff etc)
  • Website sponsorship: $150,000
  • Co-branded merch $15,000
Total $4,590,000

Value from Ads:
  • Estimated video views 15,000,000: $75 cpm $1,125,000
Total $1,125,000

GRAND TOTAL VALUE: $5,715,000

Total investment from the Dash community: $2,775,000



Staffing, Production and Website costs   (salaries are based upon the three months of the sponsorship only)


Website:
  • 10 journalists for main site   $75,000
  • 5 journalists for crypto section  $37,500
  • Editor-in-chief  $12,500
  • 6 Section editors  $60,000
  • Website maintenance team  $25,000
  • Web hosting $10,000
Total: $295,000

Social
  • 2 community managers  $15,000
Total: $15,000

Reality Check  
  • Television/Streaming Studio build out- $850,000  
  • Broadcast control room-  $300,000
  • 3 Broadcast HD cameras - $180,000  
  • Studio Lighting $75,000
  • Video Mixer - $70,000   
  • 5 researchers    $37,500  
  • 3 Line Producers  $22,500
  • 2 Field Producers   $22,500
  • Executive Producer  $36,000
  • 3 Graphics designers  $45,000
  • 1 Video Animator  $22,000
  • 1 Colorist    $15,000
  • 1 Audio Operator  $15,000
  • 2 Videographers $30,000
  • 1 Still Photographer  $15,000
  • 1 Director  $20,000
  • 2 Grips $10,000
  • 2 Engineers  $42,500
  • 3 Video editors  $24,000
  • News Video Licensing service (Reuters or AP)  $100,000
  • Music and audio licensing service  $75,000
Total: $2,007,000


Grand Total Costs   $2,317,000


What is the Dash community saying?
Mark Mason: Wowzers, this is pretty monumental folks. The video social outreach and network coverage potential here is huge. There's so much value in this one proposal. I've been waiting for something like this for a while to take Dash to the next level and launching Dash in to the mainstream. I really love the added blockchain event aspect of this proposal as well. Dash will get so much coverage from this and actually having an industry professional with strong established experience and links in the media is very welcome indeed. This seems much more than a proposal but a partnership. I love it. I like how Dash is a decentralized monetary system providing financial freedom, and now with Dash funding and governance it's allowing the news to become fully decentralized and fully independent as well. Dash really is changing the world bit by bit.

I'm very excited for this. I knew 2018 was already going to be a big year for Dash but this proposal is next-level stuff.

I also really respect the fact that it's actually Ben submitting the proposal to community as well and being happy to accept Dash payment is another major "YES" from me.
thedesertlynx: This is really huge. I'd love to see this come to fruition, it would provide immense value for Dash.
Beru: This week feels like I'm in a dream. This is just huge. I found that the amount you ask is low and would vote yes for more if you can expand the advertising. Since the segment about PG, all we hear is "where is Ben Swann?" I didnt expect to find you here. The impact will be colossal.
mastermined: Ben is the best newsman in the biz hands down. I have been following him for almost a decade going all the way back to the Ron Paul campaign days.

As far as being controversial I really don't think that is the case, well maybe a little bit but that is good. I was just telling Mark and Joel in our weekly meeting that a little controversy is good and that we should embrace it. Without the instamine controversy and all the trolls that came with it Dash would not be where we are today.

You have my votes!
Read the whole pre-proposal thread here: https://www.dash.org/forum/topic/pre-budget-proposal-discussions.93/

Show full description ...

Discussion: Should we fund this proposal?

Submit comment
 
-1 point,6 years ago
Why oh why this is funded by DASH?
Reply
-1 point,6 years ago
I have to agree with @Deepblue. This is expensive and Dash is not getting any benefits from the so called investigative reports. Specially when they are not about the real issues.

This last one was so pro-Trump that people may find Dash a partisan coin and that will hurt us.

The mass shooting news in Parkland are not about Trump or about the right or left. All the talk is actually about gun control. How about investigating who funds the NRA? That would be interesting

I’m voting no next time.
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0 points,6 years ago
Hello DASH community.

I could not believe the figures on this sponsorship: $480,896 USD per month? Really? Dash MNO's I'm speaking to you. Are you really OK with this huge sum of money every month going to sponsor this show? Nearly half a million dollars per month?

Can the MNOs not think of supporting more practical projects with money that can make a difference in the world for real people with real problems right now that need DASH?

The presentations that Ben Swann are professional but as far as I can see they are not focused on DASH and the branding mentioning of DASH is almost unnoticeable. Take a look at the video for yourself. Can you see the DASH branding? See for yourself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52U4VAxQdHY&amp=&list=PLRhTrXHB2p8ov2RSHzu9UmccsZvgYl9_z

I had the video full screen and could not even notice the DASH branding even when I was looking for it. And the number of views on that video is only around 29K at the time of positing.

Even if the DASH branding was more noticeable on the video so what? I can't see how it is converting people to using DASH in a practical way. All it does at best is show someone the name DASH and have Benn mention DASH a few times on his videos - please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here.

What are we actually getting for our money with this project? Could someone list out specifically the list of benefits for converting viewers to DASH in a tangible way with actual numbers? And then show how those values are better than some of the other practical real life projects that are not currently getting sufficient DASH funding.

This is a "ShowBiz" type project. And once again it seems that more and more DASH MNO are voting for the ShowBiz glitzy type projects over practical real life projects that have a positive impact on the world in terms of DASH currency. Do you not think we need to first established a solid customer base with customers that actually want to use DASH first? Not investors. No speculators? Not viewers? Real users that have real practical needs now for DASH. Isn't that what DASH is all about? Or are we about supporting Showbiz projects?

What do we get from sponsoring this show?

What market intelligence do we get from sponsoring this show specific for the DASH product?
What conversions do we get? Is someone going to watch the Benn Swan show and say "wow" I've got to go out and buy some DASH? If you answer "yes" then explain how exactly and what is the conversion rate? If you can't give actual values then you cannot say how effective this sponsorship actually is?
What support is this show providing the DASH community in real terms?
What actual problems for the DASH community is this show solving?
What support is this show in providing help and assistance to actual DASH users with issues?

I thought the DASH community was about making a difference in the world supporting real life community projects where people have a desperate need for DASH e.g like in Venezuela and in Africa? Shouldn't we be spending more DASH on supporting those types of projects?

Yet what I'm seeing more and more is that DASH MNO are spending big money for sponsorship on Showbiz type projects.
There are people that need our support more. People with dire need for a stable currency. Projects that would be 100% dedicated to promoting only DASH. Surely they are worth sponsoring more than a project that is not focused on DASH?

Ben quotes 20 million views on his videos but how many of those would actually convert to using DASH. As far as I can see that is no 20 Million viewers with DASH branded videos. It is 20 million views from all Ben's videos? Again correct me if Im wrong here. Ben is quote figures from past work.

MNO let us not be blinded by glamour and showbiz. There are DASH community projects that desperately need our funding. I am talking about projects that can directly benefit people's lives first.


DeepBlue
Reply
-2 points,6 years ago
Correction to my last posting on the youtube links see these links which are correct

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_7ZeIC2Y40 approx 11k views - I can't clearly see the DASH logo clearly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX88suyFcVs approx 29 K views I can't clearly see the DASH logo clearly

Even if we could see the DASH logo I don't see these videos having any impact on raising awareness of DASH.

MNO you need to look at the above Videos.

This campaign is not worth the money in my opinion. We can be using the money on more worthwhile projects that are actually actively promoting DASH.

Voting NO
Reply
-2 points,6 years ago
have you seen this : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX88suyFcVs&t=52s we are definitely not getting our moneys worth. 1. There is no Dash logo at the start, the dash logo is not visible during the program. I am voting down
Reply
-2 points,6 years ago
I have been trying to get my journalism initiative sponsored for years. I get the pros and cons of this project but I wonder if there is room to get more projects like this sponsored? If you have any advice, can you email me... IndieJournoMail@gmail.com. My pitch is at http://sponsor.indieJourno.com - Paul Matadeen
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-1 point,6 years ago
The pitch url is actually https://www.indiejourno.com/sponsor
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-2 points,6 years ago
It gets better, the video has been up for two days and has 144 views.
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1 point,6 years ago
actually, that's not true... just on FB alone in 48 hours that video has nearly half a million views (477k). You may be political in how you view my work, but at least get your numbers right.
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-2 points,6 years ago
I watched the first video.
I don't see any journalism. No new info, no new sources, no new facts.

This looks like a huge waste of $1.4 million.

Over and over he says "according to the memo"

But the memo is in dispute. The memo is accused of cherry picking facts out of context and no one can dispute the memo because the context is classified.

Then he goes into the potential issues with the FISA court and proceeds to say NOTHING that Mother Jones didn't already Say in 2013

( https://www.motherjones.com/crime-justice/2013/06/fisa-court-nsa-spying-opinion-reject-request/ )

There is an argument for the low numbers.

This is not Ice-T on SVU pounding his fist on the judges desk because his warrant request lacks probable cause.

The FISA warrants are prepared by a team of lawyers who are experts in federal rules of evidence.

But I am not defending the FISA court. I am challenging Mr. Swanns pathetic imitation of journalism.
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-2 points,6 years ago
I can't believe this passed. This guy is a conspiracy theorist on everything and there would be so many better people to take on instead. He thinks vaccines cause autism and went crazy with pizzagate. And you guys want to give him millions? I'm sorry but I can't be a part of this due to ethical reasons. Even for those of you who don't care, this will clearly not benefit Dash if you had just picked anyone else.
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7 points,6 years ago
I'm not an MNO but I want to thank all those who did vote for it for doing so on behalf of Dash users like myself. Those who voted against it, I'm sorry you disagreed but I believe strongly that Ben will earn your trust in the coming months. I've known him personally for over a year now and he is a high integrity person, as is the rest of his team who I also know.
FYI: I am a guest co-host every week on Free Talk Live, which is also sponsored by Dash. I joined the FTL team in the past few months, though I've been friends with them in the liberty movement for over a decade. So, coming to this as a Dash user, and someone who participates with a group currently sponsored by Dash, and knowing Ben Swann personally, I have high confidence that Ben will be very beneficial to Dash.
Reply
10 points,6 years ago
Haven't said anything yet because I thought this would be an easy pass, but I guess I was wrong. I was the one who has been working out this deal with Ben Swann over the past few months. I helped write the proposal and even fronted the proposal fee. I thought this would be the ultimate Christmas gift to the network because of the massive exposure it would gain, the message that Dash is #1 to the greater liberty movement that holds Ben in such high regard, and the powerful narrative of censorship resistance that "the last investigative journalist" was able to keep from compromising his integrity thanks to the world's first decentralized autonomous organization. Ben is a personal hero to me, the reason I became a journalist, and what drove me to do deeper investigative reports despite the risk and blowback. I'm surprised that the network values my work, yet is much more divided on supporting someone who, quite frankly, does my job way better than I do.

Honestly, the only reason Ben is even here talking about exclusive sponsorship with Dash is because I fought so hard for it. We're incredibly lucky to be courted by such a big player at so early a stage. If I were Ben and I got rejected here, I probably would think "lesson learned" and never talk to the Dash network again... or if I did, it CERTAINLY wouldn't be for an exclusive sponsorship. I think exclusivity here is probably a now or never thing. Dash hasn't earned a partner this significant yet, that's for sure, but I thought maybe we could rise above our #8 ranking in a very small and new cryptocurrency ecosystem and act like a top player before our time. Maybe I was wrong.

Ben isn't the only top player I've been in contact with about a Dash sponsorship, but based on the reactions I've seen here I'm considering holding off on brokering any further significant deals. As much as I love playing "talent scout" for Dash, I honestly overestimated the network's capacity for professionalism at this stage and don't want to burn any bridges.
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1 point,6 years ago
You seem to be blinded by this guys celebrity. Just because "Ben Swann" is your hero you think everyone else should vote to give him over 2.5 million dollars with no questions asked? You make it sound like this guy is doing us a big favor by accepting our $2.5 million. I really thought you were a lot smarter than that.
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4 points,6 years ago
"...I honestly overestimated the network's capacity for professionalism at this stage and don't want to burn any bridges"

The network doesn't lack professionalism simply because you disagree with its decisions. There many many good reasons this proposal should not pass and a few reasons that it would be good for the network, all of which have been discussed in this comment section as well as the pre-proposal thread.

As an aside if you want to bring people to the network, perhaps pick people who aren't as polarizing as Ben Swann.
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6 points,6 years ago
I dont see how investigative journalism can be see as polarizing. We, as a network, are successfull because individually, we didnt accept the mainstream narrative. Ben Swann is one of the pillar of the movement that you bennefit from.
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2 points,6 years ago
You see it as investigative journalism when others see it as opinion pieces that they might or might not agree with.

I saw a video where Ben describes himself as an anarchist, not debating if that is a good or bad thing but you can at least see that many might not be comfortable with it no?
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3 points,6 years ago
I dont undestand how somebody can think its a good idea to have a decentralised currency and a DAO and not be some kind of anarchist or libertarian
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2 points,6 years ago
Amazingly not everyone shares your exact world view.
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-1 point,6 years ago
Lol, if you are not an anarchist why are you using dash?
Government believers should love fiat
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-1 point,6 years ago
when cryptos overtake fiat, central governments will disappear.
So it makes no sense to like cryptos without beeing an anarchast
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2 points,6 years ago
Dash also sponsors Anarcopolco, and Amanda gave a presentation there.
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3 points,6 years ago
" I was the one who has been working out this deal with Ben Swann over the past few months."

You've been working on it for a few months and it didn't occur to you to suggest a contract? No escrow too? No detailed budget? Not very professional if you ask me.

"I'm surprised that the network values my work, yet is much more divided on supporting someone who, quite frankly, does my job way better than I do. "

We value your work PLUS the quality of your proposal. You have one proposal passing here this month, don't you? It is passing because it is a good proposal. If this was a good proposal, it would pass too. There is no conspiracy here.

"Ben isn't the only top player I've been in contact with about a Dash sponsorship, but based on the reactions I've seen here I'm considering holding off on brokering any further significant deals"

If you are going to be all emotional because a bad proposal isn't passing, yes, sell off your masternode and get a box of tissues on your way out. Alternatively, learn why we voted no on this proposal and make sure our concerns are all addressed when you submit another one. There are people here who invested hundreds and thousands of dollars into a Dash masternode, we didn't buy one for $5000. Most of us had businesses before, we aren't irresponsible or naive with money, and you better be damn sure we will protect our investment.
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0 points,6 years ago
It is possible there is deliberate sabotage going on from a group of competitors who bought up masternodes early before the price spike and aim to stir votes in their favor, careful not to overvote, nor to vote no on anything but game changing proposals. There is no way someone should overwhelmingly vote Yes on Amanda, DashForce etc. but no on this effort which is 100x the size of both of the others put together.

No offense to Amanda or the DashForce, amazing work so far and hopefully into the future, but if you vote no on this you either have not been paying attention to anything the last 7 years, OR you know the positive impact such a large boost in exposure not to mention daily tx volume (he's paying his guys in Dash, exclusively) would have and want to stifle that. My 0.02c

P.S.

Notice no one has articulated any problems since the proposal was updated, but the no's that have argued their position have still used the same arguments without adjusting it for current data.
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3 points,6 years ago
Okay I realize we need to show respect to one another and especially those who come to our network with a proposal, but this is the exact type of thing I would expect someone who watches Ben Swann clips to conclude.

Something is happening I don't agree with? Immediately jump to a conspiracy that ignores several layers of common sense.
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0 points,6 years ago
Sorry, I don't mean to take it there, but all possibilities must be considered. This would be like MNOs voting to scrap evolution! That's how big this proposal was, and aside from budgetary and formatting concerns WHICH WERE ADDRESSED, there were no good reasons presented to reject it.
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-1 point,6 years ago
The MNOs who are voting are supposed to do their research, correct? Anyone who did 5 MINUTES of research into who Ben Swann is and what a large following he has, at a time when distrust of mainstream institutions is at an all-time high AND PEAKING EVERY DAY, I'm sorry you did not do your research well. To vote no on this is an atrocity.
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0 points,6 years ago
> Ben is a personal hero to me
> I honestly overestimated the network's capacity for professionalism at this stage and don't want to burn any bridges

I think it's a bit too late for that Joel. You think just because we won't give your "personal hero" millions of dollars on a bad proposal we lack the capacity for professionalism? Give me a break.
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7 points,6 years ago
Contract in place, cost breakdown in place - everyone VOTE YES!!!!!
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11 points,6 years ago
No voters , please support this campaign , its time for us to get into the mainstream , don't ruin this one please
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5 points,6 years ago
Do you really think everyone who is voting no doesn't want Dash to go mainstream?
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8 points,6 years ago
Concerns from Game Theory, "Payout Timeline, The payout timeline and deliverable timeline are not synced in favor of the Dash network."

The payout time line is not "synced" because you have to put money and work in at the front end to get a news product out the back end. And in the long run, and I expect us to have a long and productive relationship, it won't matter if we started a month earlier or a month later. Let's just get started and get the news out there. The Dash News Network, DNN, where you can count on honest money and factual reporting.

Concerns from Game Theory, "our voice should not come by “sponsoring” an individual to do 2-5 minutes videos on controversial topics. This is a huge risk for an early project like Dash..."

Depending on which survey you look at, between 60 and 85% of people don't trust the news they get from the big news conglomerates. We know we are being lied to. We know they have an agenda. If you are familiar with Ben's work, and/or watched the videos, it's obvious that he takes a radical approach to journalism. He uses verifiable facts. Since he is willing to do actual real journalism based on facts, this product will take off like wildfire. Yes, there is risk attached to telling people the truth, with facts. Just like there is risk to make honest money and make Bank of America and Wells Fargo and the Federal Reserve look bad.

There is absolutely no way to fix the mess without taking on controversy and rocking the boat. I relish the opportunity and vote yes with both hands.

For those who have voted no, I want you to ask yourself, did you actually go watch the videos, and did you notice how he clearly portrays what is fact and what is not fact? Now really, when is the last time you saw that on the mainstream media?

solarguy
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-4 points,6 years ago
Are you really that blinded by cognitive dissonance that you can't read the reasons we are voting no?
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3 points,6 years ago
To dashed,

No, I am not blinded by cognitive dissonance. I am disturbed and disappointed to hear people claiming that Ben Swann said that vaccines cause autism. He never said that. I am disturbed and disappointed that people hear the word Pizzagate, and then dismiss Ben as some kind of conspiracy nut. Comments like that tell me that they have not actually watched the videos. I would again challenge everybody to go watch the first 6 minutes of the vaccine video. Better yet, watch it all. It's chock full of facts regarding how the CDC change the research protocol to get a desired result in several studies.

As an eye doctor, I am intimately familiar with the funny business the CDC used on the study regarding the use of thimerosal as a preservative in injectables. Thimerosal (which contains mercury) was the primary preservative used in contact lens solutions for many years. The problem is, a substantial percentage of the population develops delayed sensitivity allergic reactions to it. It became so problematic, that it's use in contact lens solution was completely discontinued. And that was topical use in the non-pediatric population. Hmmmm, what about injecting it repeated in the pediatric population?

So, when I read about the unusual changes in research protocol regarding the relationship between MMR vaccine and autism in the black pediatric population, I immediately became concerned. And I'm not anti-vaccine. But fudging the numbers because the CDC didn't like the results.....I'm all about the science. You jack with the science, you become my sworn enemy.

We don't really know if there is a small subset population that may be at increased risk, because the CDC killed the study of that sub-group.

And how did we find out all this very interesting and factual information? From Ben Swan.

Go watch the video, then go vote yes.

solarguy
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0 points,6 years ago
It is way worse than just that.
In 2014, after they quietly removed thimerosal from childhood vaccinations, they finally performed a study on thimerosal and it is not safe for consumption by anyone and children and fetuses are particularly at risk. Ethyl-Hg crosses the brain-blood barrier and-also the placenta barrier.
Some flu vaccinations still contain thimerosal.

Peer-reviewed et. al., rejects null-hypothesis aat 95% CI with α < 0.00001
Thiomersal Causes Developmental Delays

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4215490/
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2 points,6 years ago
I'll even make it easy, here's the link to Ben's vaccine story: https://vimeo.com/153178203

solarguy
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1 point,6 years ago
Instead of wasting time with these personal attacks just post the reasons that have not been solved by proposal updates already!
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7 points,6 years ago
To the questions about whether I can bring attention to Dash beyond just sponsorship of RC but also as a brand ambassador? Consider this...I have already been invited by Jeff Berwick to speak in Acapulco... The slot I have been offered is to be just before the keynote speaker (Dr. Ron Paul)... Not only would I be speaking at the event but could create a video where I introduce Ron Paul to Dash! And yes, I have interviewed Dr. Paul and he has interviewed me in the past.
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6 points,6 years ago
I cant beleive the short sight of some masternodes. Being afraid of disrupting the mediatic status quo when your growth is based on disrupting the status quo. We will not win by submiting to the establishment but by changing the mindset of the people doing our own thing.
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1 point,6 years ago
In your version of reality, we are voting no because we are "afraid of disrupting the mediatic status quo"? Wow.
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0 points,6 years ago
Congratulations Ben! Please make sure your audience become aware of Dash's core features: instant send, private send, transactions fees less than a cent, and a self governing treasury.
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0 points,6 years ago
absolutely... but beyond that I want to have a series of sessions with you guys over the next month so that I fully and completely understand... on a granular level... the advantages of Dash. I don't want to just regurgitate talking points. I really want to have a comprehensive understanding
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2 points,6 years ago
This post is about 2 things:

1) To @Ben_Swann and @the_desert_lynx, do not take it personally if this does not pass. Please resubmit, there are a large number of 'older' people who do not know who Ben Swann is nor the potential reach he has with younger members. It is well-known the age of our community skewers upwards.

2) It appears that we may have groups that are either too unconscious to vote for good proposals, or are deliberately placed, i.e. competitors that bought up masternodes before the price spike to be able to negatively influence the system: a mini-sybil attack.

An example of how this would play out would be for these entities to vote yes on minuscule or small but seemingly beneficial proposals, while waiting for potentially game-changing proposals and then using what voting power they had obtained plus their position as a MNO to influence the vote. Being careful to cause proposals to just barely fail. If that were the case, and I'm not saying it is only that its possible right now, then a possible mitigation/response would be to lower the supermajority requirements. It doesn't need to be as low as 51% it could be as low as 70%.
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7 points,6 years ago
Voting yes and recommend others do so.

It did not start out as a perfect proposal but it has been improved on in response to MN feedback. Ben makes the highest quality content and has major broad exposure, one should expect that to be very expensive, because its very valuable.
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1 point,6 years ago
Thank you
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6 points,6 years ago
Guys, I voted yes. Come on! Now is not the time to be stingy. The Dash price languishes (indicating lackluster adoption) due to us not having mainstream adoption. We need a proposal like this to get our name out there. Having Amanda as a face is a brilliant strategy, but the more such big figures with BIG FOLLOWINGS (i.e. millions of YouTube views) we get onboard, the sooner we can get mainstream appeal and steal away mindshare from BTC and more importantly BCH!

More and more people are hearing about crypto, we're running out of time to get our name out there and show the world our superior technology. This is such a proposal that will work very nicely towards that end. The budget isn't full this month and we're looking at probably 10x ROI (pulled out of the ether, but this guy is big)! This will not only grant us exposure, but it will cause other coins to give pause seeing as how we're getting big names to ACTUALLY USE OUR PRODUCT! I mean, he's going to pay his staffers in Dash for crying out loud. VOTE YES!
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0 points,6 years ago
Whether budget is used up or not is IRRELEVANT. This excuse has been used before to basically WASTE funds. He is asking for millions of dollars. Need to be more prudent about spending. It's easy to be generous when it's not your money. Think how much you would contribute if the funds came directly out of your own pocket.
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5 points,6 years ago
You have yet to demonstrate how ANY of the funds proposed here are being wasted. Are you a broadcasting professional? Are you qualified to judge budgets for broadcasting projects? If so, please provide your credentials and demonstrate how ANYTHING here is being wasted. According to the numbers, Dash is getting the demographic equivalent of $5 million in advertising to the best possible demographics that align with Dash, for the bargain basement price of only $2.7 million in Dash. Broadcasters don't give out such huge discounts to just anybody.
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2 points,6 years ago
Its not about wasting funds, significant media productions take time AND FUNDS AT THE BEGINNING to get started! This is not a rinky-dink youtube channel! There are costs to pay and processes to start up, some take as long as a month BUT TRUST AND BELIEVE THE PEOPLE DOING SO WANT TO GET PAID FOR THAT MONTH. STOP BEING SHORTSIGHTED.
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2 points,6 years ago
“Think how much you would contribute if the funds came directly out of your own pocket.”

Sorry, but your statement is the irrelevant one as that is not how the system currently works. The funds are either created and granted for use on a project — or never created.

I see no reason to base any votes on that erroneous sentiment.
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8 points,6 years ago
Actual journalism, from a person with a following in the millions, with substantial awards, AND who is plugged in about crypto in general and Dash in particular. And a substantial staff and high production values. And yes, he signed a contract and will not run off with our money. Yes and more yes.

solarguy
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3 points,6 years ago
Thanks for your support.
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10 points,6 years ago
Very good, Ben. Thanks for the breakdown, and the contract. This will be a great partnership!
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-4 points,6 years ago
I have seen some gullible people but you are the king of the gullibles, Tao of Satoshi..

Agree with dashed, You dont have an ounce of critical thinking and are ready to literally throw away the treasury money on US based celebrities that you find remotely cool..

No need for any verification just throw it all away..
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1 point,6 years ago
Wixamlee - Ad hominem attacks are not appreciated. Please stop it
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0 points,6 years ago
You are going to scare all of the crows away with those straw men...
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-5 points,6 years ago
Oh look everyone, the Dash cheerleader commenting again. As always with absolutely no arguments or facts and incapable of critical thinking. Everyone who likes Dash gets my dozens of votes!
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1 point,6 years ago
dashed - your ad hominem attacks don't further your argument. I agree that we should vote no on this proposal, but your style is just going to turn folks against you.
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0 points,6 years ago
Strong, negative rhetoric, voting no on critical network proposals. I mean, I'm not saying he's a mole for such a time as this, but...
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2 points,6 years ago
Sorry, who are you and why are you being so hostile? Whatever your perspective it is well known from psychological studies that sarcasm and strong negative phrasing such as yours leads rather quickly to irreparable damage to relationships of all kinds. On that note, why are you participating if you do not wish the best for the dash network?
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0 points,6 years ago
TaoOfSatoshi controls dozens of masternodes and he is a public figure within the crypto community.

Go ahead an look at the timestamp of his message 4 days ago on Dec 24.

TaoOfSatoshi MNO 6 points,4 days ago (Dec 24)
"This is a marriage made in heaven. We’d be fools to not vote for this. The synergy from this partnership will have amazing results for both our projects. Yes!"

He enthusiastically voted yes on this
- before Ben detailed the deliverables,
- before we had detailed production cost,
- before Ben signed the contract (!!)
- before Ben explained why none of his videos have 20 million views as he stated (as researched by charlieb and akram01127)
and so on.

It's right here timestamped in this forum for everyone to see.

The budget breakdown was only posted 1 day ago (Dec 27)
"Ben_Swann (proposal owner) 7 points,1 day ago
The budget breakdown...."

Deliverables was posted 1 day ago (Dec 27)
"Ben_Swann (proposal owner) 7 points,1 day ago
There seem to be a lot of questions about deliverables...."

Contract was posted 17hours ago, (Dec 27)
"Ben_Swann (proposal owner) 1 point,17 hours ago
I have a legal contract which I have signed on my end...."

Now search this page for any mentions of TaoOfSatoshi, and see if you can find a single post with facts or arguments to support his position (Today is Dec 28). I am voting no on this but I respect who is voting yes, especially if you're voting after we pushed Ben for deliverables, contracts and everything else. However I will not support or stay quiet when I see someone being careless with our budget, especially a public figure like Tao who control so many masternodes.

I take back the Dash cheerleader part but I stand behind everything else I said.
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1 point,6 years ago
And? That's how the network is supposed to work. The people with the most masternodes get to vote and participate in proportion to their share. Am I wrong? You are basically arguing against a proposal that has an amazing chance of bringing mainstream views to Dash, some would consider that reason to believe you are a mole.
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0 points,6 years ago
LOL, That’s totally it. You got me figured out, mate!
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2 points,6 years ago
698 Yes / 301 No votes , this showing exactly why super majority based voting sucks , we need to fix it https://www.dash.org/forum/threads/is-super-majority-for-the-proposals-unfair-towards-yes-voters.22308/
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1 point,6 years ago
It's done on purpose and it's the same reason upgrades require 80% or more of the miner "votes". What would you prefer, millions of dollars allocated on 51% or 80% consensus?
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1 point,6 years ago
Valid point. Ben does have 70% of the vote now. Which is more than a super majority.
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0 points,6 years ago
Couldn't agree more. Too many proposals that have overwhelming support are in jeopardy until the last minute. Seems to be the case at every budget cycle close. A clear-cut majority supports Ben and his project. I don't understand why he needs more votes than the President to get funding. We aren't making him King are we?
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2 points,6 years ago
Imagine having someone with the dedicated time AND REACH to research the Monero community, to catalog all of the FUD and lies they've spread since their beginning, and to get that message out to the wider community! I realize that that community is not on most people's minds right now, but we would have an opportunity to expose the one community that has given us a bad name for the last 3 years from a fair and balanced PoV. Imagine someone who has the time and will to become a big name in crypto journalism, with Dash backing! We could win over the new crowd and over time, the hundreds of thousands of hostile, anti-dash members of the US crypto community! People love fair and balanced reporting especially in a sea of John McAfees and other hype/fud. Its hard to know who to listen to. There are many such topics that Ben could cover, and as an avid consumer of alternative media, I assure you there is a VERY HUNGRY CROWD waiting for such a program as this.
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3 points,6 years ago
There absolutely is... Just the announcement video that we are coming back and now powered by Dash will have a massive reach and will be huge promotion for both brands
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7 points,6 years ago
The reasons why I like this proposal:

The Person

Ben Swann seems like a genuine person who has an extreme passion for what he is doing and would most likely deliver exactly what he promises in this proposal.

The reasons why I dislike this proposal:

Payout Timeline

The payout timeline and deliverable timeline are not synced in favor of the Dash network. Ben Swann is asking for 800 Dash per month, which we should view as a percentage of the Treasury instead of a nominal amount, which is 12% of the treasury for 3 months. Assuming the proposal passes and he gets paid out this month, he will most likely get paid out next month as well. This is because Reality Check releases in February and, obviously, voting ends in January. Only during the third month will we be able to gauge the sentiment of the audience (which is ultimately what we care about from an ROI standpoint for this “sponsorship”) which we can only see 7 out of 25 videos. In my opinion, it would have been better for both parties (Ben Swann and the Dash Network) if he proposed for all of the funds this month so that it doesn’t trail 12% of an unknown amount of funds in the following months and create future hassle.*

*Note: In the event that the price of DASH fluctuates and the network decides to have Ben submit a new proposal with a more up-to-date conversion rate, I consider collectively all downvoting this proposal and re-upvoting a new proposal with a different conversion rate in the following months a “hassle.”

Controversial Topics

Yes, I know, digital currencies/blockchain technology was born through controversial topics and a longing for disruption in a space that needed it. However, the space was disrupted by new technology. The technology we build for the world should be our voice on controversial topics, our voice should not come by “sponsoring” an individual to do 2-5 minutes videos on controversial topics. This is a huge risk for an early project like Dash that has still not been properly introduced to the masses yet.

For most proposals, the worst that can happen is the network sees no return from the proposal due to the proposer not delivering. I don’t think that is the worse case here (which bothers me). The downside potential of declaring ourselves the sole sponsor of Reality Check, and Ben producing certain content that leaves people with a bad preconception of Dash, can be devastating to our goal of mass adoption. If other proposals decide to represent themselves in a way that we disagree with and the public attacks the network for enabling the proposer, we can prove exactly what we funded the prosper for (generally for something unrelated to the actual person but instead a product, sponsorship, etc). In this case, if we point back to this same proposal, we’d get laughed at because this is exactly what we enabled him to do.

Final Thoughts

Dash is young. Dash is growing. Many MNOs are feeling the pressure of not disappointing the network and trying to distribute as much of the budget as possible, even though it is growing exponentially. Don’t be. If you are an MNO and after doing your research and reading this comment you still support this proposal, I respect your decision 100% and hope Ben doesn’t disappoint. However, if you are worried about this proposal (whether it be the points I brought up or not), and you feel that you should vote Yes merely because the budget is not being used, I urge you to vote No. By the network filling out proposals just because the Treasury is not full, it sends a signal to the world that we are disorganized and have no direction.
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5 points,6 years ago
I voted yes because I genuinely like what Ben is doing. I was watching his show before and I really want to support his work.
I believe he is just the type of people Dash network should support, so he can stay independent from big media and Internet companies and do what he does best without fear of censorship.
Isn't that what we people in the cryptosphere are trying to achieve all along?
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1 point,6 years ago
Thank you
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1 point,6 years ago
On your timeline, two quick points... 1. There will be content and announcement videos going up in January so you will have some engagement to gauge.

More importantly, I will not resubmit for funding in March, when you only have 7 videos to judge from Feb (though by the time voting happens at the end of March you would have 16 of 24 videos released) instead, because RC doesn't start until Feb, I would resubmit in April. That would allow MNOs to view almost the entire 24 episodes by the time the voting occurs and see much of the video engagement for the series.
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0 points,6 years ago
well, looks like its passing. i hope to see Benn Swann perform for the network... Im willing to take a shot on this, bc i feel independent media is a must and we have enough of a budget to take a risk, even if its basically funding a media startup from start to finish. The exposure and having Benn on our team adds value and the people he can inform about Dash is open ended.
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0 points,6 years ago
well, looks like its passing. i hope to see Benn Swann perform for the network... Im willing to take a shot on this, bc i feel independent media is a must and we have enough of a budget to take a risk, even if its basically funding an experienced media startup from start to finish. The exposure and having Benn on our team adds value and the people he can inform about Dash is open ended. Even if it does cost millions. I'd like Dash to help shape the collectve mindshare, not just advertising...
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0 points,6 years ago
I would love to see RC get a reboot, as to me it's one of the last remaining chances for humanity to avoid the famous Boiling Frog scenario (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling_frog). I've been slightly skeptical about the number of episodes and the quality of the content in that given time frame, but I still believe that RC and Dash would be a perfect match.

However, nearing the voting deadline, I still have a few questions to Ben but also the MNO's.

1. How much does the possibility of Government push-back and the fear that Dash will be placed in its cross hairs, influence the No team? How can we all be comforted that that won't happen?

2. No one talked about why the total cost in Ben's budget breakdown is so high and why it has to be like that. A Studio build out, control room and equipment, are responsible for greatly inflating the costs (up to almost $1,500,000). I'm a video editor myself and I know that owning your own equipment benefits creativity and productivity but what I am confused about Ben, is what happens to the all-in studio and equipment after the planned series ends or if the funding isn't extended?

3. (just a wild idea) Would it not be better if Dash had it's own media department and studio (under the umbrella of Dash Force maybe?) from where Ben could produce Reality Check (with dramatically lowered costs) using those facilities? Or only initially at least.

4. Is there a way MNO's can directly engage in a Dash funding proposal negotiation with the proposal owner? If not, would that be a concept to consider or would it unnecessarily complicate the voting and would re-admitting the proposal be the better option?
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9 points,6 years ago
Provided Youtube link include 18 videos, I checked all, most of them under 1000 views.
Where is 20 millions view you are talking about?
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6 points,6 years ago
So to be clear... my Youtube and Facebook have been censored (which is why we are attempting this reboot). The playlist was included for the purpose of showing you the video content. Here are some screen grabs of the video views as well as the December of 2015 through January 2017 which demonstrates that we did 110 million video views during that time. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gtx2wwrTIYg1txjRUlj7rLGvEeLENdBDLmNJ1pQjv18/edit?usp=sharing
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4 points,6 years ago
Those were just video samples... here are screen grabs to prove our video views on Facebook.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gtx2wwrTIYg1txjRUlj7rLGvEeLENdBDLmNJ1pQjv18/edit?usp=sharing
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8 points,6 years ago
The budget breakdown for this project as well as the value breakdown is at the end of the proposal... if you don't want to go look for it down there, I will post it here as well.

Budget and Value Breakdown

Estimated value 3 month totals

Announcing return as Dash as sponsor. $750,000
Video: $250,000 (Est millions of views)
Press around Ben coming back because of Dash: $500,000
Social Impressions. The number of times Dash branding will be seen via our social media platforms (est. 75M): $15 cpm: $1,125,000
Video sponsorship (est. 30M views): $75 cpm: $2,250,000
Advertising $150,000
Ambassador and costs for going to and streaming live at three crypto shows: $150,000 ($50,000 per show, sponsorship when possible, travel, rooms, staff etc)
Website sponsorship: $150,000
Co-branded merch $15,000
Total $4,590,000

Value from Ads:

Estimated video views 15,000,000: $75 cpm $1,125,000
Total $1,125,000

GRAND TOTAL VALUE: $5,715,000

Total investment from the Dash community: $2,775,000


Staffing, Production and Website costs (salaries are based upon the three months of the sponsorship only)

Website:
10 journalists for main site $75,000
5 journalists for crypto section $37,500
Editor-in-chief $12,500
6 Section editors $60,000
Website maintenance team $25,000
Web hosting $10,000
Total: $295,000

Social
2 community managers $15,000
Total: $15,000

Reality Check
Television/Streaming Studio build out- $850,000
Broadcast control room- $300,000
3 Broadcast HD cameras - $180,000
Studio Lighting $75,000
Video Mixer - $70,000
5 researchers $37,500
3 Line Producers $22,500
2 Field Producers $22,500
Executive Producer $36,000
3 Graphics designers $45,000
1 Video Animator $22,000
1 Colorist $15,000
1 Audio Operator $15,000
2 Videographers $30,000
1 Still Photographer $15,000
1 Director $20,000
2 Grips $10,000
2 Engineers $42,500
3 Video editors $24,000
News Video Licensing service (Reuters or AP) $100,000
Music and audio licensing service $75,000
Total: $2,007,000

Grand Total Costs $2,317,000
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8 points,6 years ago
There seem to be a lot of questions about deliverables, production costs and promotional value here. I'll post all of these throughout the day today. But in the meantime, I'll start with some very specific numbers. I believe this is in the proposal and I answered it in the pre-discussion forum but Reality Check episodes are 2-5 min long (almost always closer to 5 min). They are released twice a week, every Tuesday and Thursday. So the specific dates for the Dash sponsored episodes will be as follows...

February 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22, 27

March 1, 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22, 27, 29

April 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, 26

Oh, and yes, I would be more than willing to sign a legally binding contact to deliver these episodes on these dates. I have been under contract in every broadcasting job I've ever had.
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0 points,6 years ago
Ben, do you have topics for all, most or some of these planned episodes? What would happen if for a moment there is simply no interesting or shocking reality news to report on? Would you be willing to skip broadcasting an episode? Or will you attempt to fulfill viewers expectation, and produce a quasi episode with possibly half truths that in the end would alienate Dash members and hurt Dash's ambition of becoming the moral crypto winner?
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2 points,6 years ago
Hi Dashmania, that is a little bit of a loaded question BUT... no we wouldn't need to skip an episode. Many times we cover big picture stories. When we report on privatized prisons or the drug war, or the effect of drone strikes around the world, these are big picture stories that do not have to be "hot right now". Unlike many other media folks we don't hyper focus on the "big story of the day" because we recognize there are many very important stories that are simply not being told
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0 points,6 years ago
Let me clarify, I have great respect for your courage to talk about things that, as you say; "... you won't see anywhere else". I believe in Dash and the founder's ambition to reach for a lot less corruped world (there always will be some). I think that your quest to enlighten us with the truth, aligns with that ambition. I also watched some interviews of you where you explained your motives and they too strive for a better world.

I have no desire to attack your program or your previous successful episodes. However, 24 planned episodes in 3 months seems like a lot off topics to me. Reason I think RC became so popular was the major but also highly sensitive topics it talked about. The examples you gave are topics you already talked about and I am curious (maybe I just have to relax and wait and see) what your next episodes will be about. Are the big stories (conspiracy excluded) not already fully featured previously? Are you maybe planning on several follow-ups on those stories? Also, would it be interesting to include an item in every episode where you look back on the previous episode, cover community/twitter feedback and clarify potential misunderstandings with facts and references to those?
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0 points,6 years ago
I understand what you are saying. Yes, we would continue to look at different angles of subjects we have covered in the past. I also would update stories with new information our respond to misunderstandings or clarifications. I have done that in the past as well with some called Reality Check Reply All
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0 points,6 years ago
Ben, I have read all the comments and your budget, and I have the following questions for more than 2M of investment:

a)
Do you have direct access (friendship) to people of high meditative level? Actors, singers, politicians, etc.

If the answer is yes.

b)
Could you tell us any, without indicating name, but if relevance of importance?

c)
Publicly commits to the forum to show how you. You already know the benefits of Dash, teach them to use a wallet to those people, and try to seduce them to use Dash?

If the answers to all this is Yes. You have to put the focus on this.

And surely get the votes for the community, approve your proposal.

Do you want this proposal to be approved? Offer a high disruptive ROI, and that is to present and teach the virtues of Dash to VIPs.

I await your reply.

Thanks for your proposal
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1 point,6 years ago
Just to give you an idea, I have already been invited by Jeff Berwick to speak in Acapulco... The slot I have been offered is to be just before the keynote speaker (Dr. Ron Paul)... Not only would I be speaking at the event but could create a video where I introduce Ron Paul to Dash! And yes, I have interviewed Dr. Paul and he had interviewed me in the past.
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0 points,6 years ago
Well I suggest, that you seduce Dr. Ron Paul, (I know him from see in interviews) and that he presents you people of high interest to teach them about Dash in videos. You're going to get 3M dollars show us that it's going to be worth giving them to you.

And the most important thing is always to guide when talking about Dash. Dash is a product not as a 'speculative' value, Dash, it cheapens many day to day situations of people and companies, but they do not know it.

And if you have technical doubts about the basic operation, or how to expose the image of Dash, do not hesitate to raise it in the forum, the community will be happy to collaborate.

I am not a US citizen, I have read colleagues that you have a political profile that could damage the image of Dash, from the moment we sponsor you represent Dash, and you will have to be very, very moderate.

Your work will be looked at with a magnifying glass, and if we like it and it is profitable, perhaps in the future you can come up with another proposal and then Dash is worth $ 100M per month.

Thank you for your proposal
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1 point,6 years ago
So the answer to the question about big name people, politicians, actors, recording artists? Absolutely. Teach them how to use Dash? Of course. Make that part of the content as Dash ambassador? Hadn't thought about that but it sounds like a great idea. Understand this, there is an incredible openness to crypto by so many people but currently they don't understand much beyond having heard the name bitcoin. My goal is to absolutely become a brand ambassador for Dash and to educate people, celebrities as well as the average Joe about why Dash is the superior digital currency.
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2 points,6 years ago
Ben, who are the journalists ?
10 journalists for main site $75,000
5 journalists for crypto section $37,500
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1 point,6 years ago
haven't hired anyone yet
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1 point,6 years ago
I see 56 different positions, how many do you currently have filled and do you think you can fill all the rest in under a month without rushing and hiring incompetent people?
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2 points,6 years ago
Final point from me. Lots of questions about guarantees. I have a legal contract which I have signed on my end. Who signs it from Dash DAO? The Dash DAO already has a mechanism for signing agreements: voting. Consent can be proven on the blockchain. What isn't yet possible is a way for contractors to cryptographically sign their end of the agreement. I hope to approximate this to the best of my ability by signing this legal document. Here is the link to the document: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A46VvzMiAyhhUpdYVolu9eGhcAXaDih5/view?usp=sharing
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2 points,6 years ago
The folks who put together this proposal are out-of-touch with what's been happening in the Dash community when it comes to MNO voting concerns. Hard lessons have taught us that large sums *must* be escrowed, especially for someone with no community reputation. Anybody who's been following proposals this last year should know this. It would be irresponsible for MNOs to vote yes to this. Resubmit next month with an escrow, and you'll stand a much better chance at getting funded.
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2 points,6 years ago
I have a legal contract which I have signed on my end. Who signs it from Dash DAO? The Dash DAO already has a mechanism for signing agreements: voting. Consent can be proven on the blockchain. What isn't yet possible is a way for contractors to cryptographically sign their end of the agreement. I hope to approximate this to the best of my ability by signing this legal document. Here is the link to the document: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A46VvzMiAyhhUpdYVolu9eGhcAXaDih5/view?usp=sharing
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0 points,6 years ago
Ben -
I'm not impressed your contract approach. If the contract is broken, we would have to hire lawyers and drag you into court... this will no doubt be quite expensive and time consuming. Further, what is the legal standing of a DAO? Can a DAO bring a suit in court? Right now, I think not. Any contract you sign with the Dash DAO is probably not legally enforceable. An escrow is much better. If you don't, or can't, deliver, we simply vote not to release further funds. Your resistance to an escrow makes me wonder what's up.
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0 points,6 years ago
+1
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5 points,6 years ago
Is the budget full? NO
Does this hold greater value for Dash than the inflation created? YES

Easy yes imo
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1 point,6 years ago
This could seriously tarnish Dash's brand image by associating it with highly controversial topics and pushing away people who don't agree with Ben's take on things.
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1 point,6 years ago
Ben,

We just need a price breakdown and a binding contract. If you can provide that within 3 days, I'm sure the proposal will be passed.
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3 points,6 years ago
The budget breakdown as well as value breakdown has been posted as a comment above and is in the bottom of the proposal. In addition, yes, I will absolutely sign a binding contract to deliver the content according to the schedule which I posted above as well.
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3 points,6 years ago
Thank you.

MNO's please vote yes once a contract is signed this is a huge win win opportunity.
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1 point,6 years ago
Milo... the contract link is now in the proposal
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1 point,6 years ago
Thanks Ben, looks great
MNO please vote yes!
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3 points,6 years ago
3 Million dollars without so much as an escrow? No thanks.

I have seen MNOS ask proposal owners to escrow sub-100D proposal and are letting this get away without even an escrow?

Yes votes should strongly reconsider creating at least minimum standards.. CLEAR NO from my side..
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2 points,6 years ago
I have a legal contract which I have signed on my end. Who signs it from Dash DAO? The Dash DAO already has a mechanism for signing agreements: voting. Consent can be proven on the blockchain. What isn't yet possible is a way for contractors to cryptographically sign their end of the agreement. I hope to approximate this to the best of my ability by signing this legal document. Here is the link to the document: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A46VvzMiAyhhUpdYVolu9eGhcAXaDih5/view?usp=sharing
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7 points,6 years ago
I think at the very least Ben must offer the Network a detailed cost breakdown even if it is passing.

How can masternodes coordinate to implement such basic proposal standards?
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1 point,6 years ago
The budget breakdown as well as value breakdown has been posted as a comment above and is in the bottom of the proposal. In addition, yes, I will absolutely sign a binding contract to deliver the content according to the schedule which I posted above as well.
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1 point,6 years ago
So, as you are asking for a funding breakdown, are you asking for the sponsorship costs?
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1 point,6 years ago
If Dash is the sole sponsor then I would expect both i.e. a detailed budget for showrunning expenses with line items for the talent and whatever extra cost of sponsorship is charged per episode.
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0 points,6 years ago
vote NO. One person with little knowledge about Dash, ask for 2,400 Dash for the video. I don't think it is sensible. We will be a joke if this proposal is passed. There will be more famous people coming to get some money without an escrow.
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1 point,6 years ago
I have a legal contract which I have signed on my end. Who signs it from Dash DAO? The Dash DAO already has a mechanism for signing agreements: voting. Consent can be proven on the blockchain. What isn't yet possible is a way for contractors to cryptographically sign their end of the agreement. I hope to approximate this to the best of my ability by signing this legal document. Here is the link to the document: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A46VvzMiAyhhUpdYVolu9eGhcAXaDih5/view?usp=sharing
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0 points,6 years ago
The initial "yes" trend seems to have been reversed. I'm glad for that. MNOs are not that blind, and 3 MILLIONS USD are not a joke.
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3 points,6 years ago
Voting No, for the reasons discussed at length in the pre-proposal discussion (https://www.dash.org/forum/topic/pre-budget-proposal-discussions.93/) along with the very high price tag
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3 points,6 years ago
At its height, the viewership of Ben Swann on Facebook and Youtube was so large that if Truth In Media was already a tv channel, it would have higher ratings than O'Reilly. 75 million viewership on average, with only 9 videos online last year. The "too much budget" argument fails when you consider these viewership numbers. Dash cannot IMHO find a lower cost way to reach new potential users than by sponsoring Ben Swann. Sure its a lot of money, but its also a LOT of eyeballs and ears seeing Dash as sponsor of Ben's great content, and will make them want to learn more and use Dash because they see its values align with theirs. Ben Swann viewers demographically, politically, economically, line up directly with the Dash community. His viewers are exactly the sort of people who find Dash exciting, interesting, useful, and worth adopting.
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7 points,6 years ago
Yeah, let's just give him $3 million dollars with no escrow and no contract because Dash is really professional!!
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2 points,6 years ago
It's not like dash can't afford lawyers in the worst case scenario. People just can't win around here, proposals with escrow get questioned about escrow quality, proposals without escrow get complaints about not having escrow.
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1 point,6 years ago
To be fair, the escrow could be handled more legitimately.

In Rory's proposal, Greencandle states that all excess funds will be held until such determination is made what to do with them, leading Nodes to believe payout is pegged at 250k usd.

Upon questioning however they admit the full amount in dash will be delivered to Rory.

What even is the purpose of escrow in this case, if they just transfer the full amount of Dash to Rory as soon as the payment is disbursed.
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-1 point,6 years ago
Who says there is no contract or escrow?
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0 points,6 years ago
Is there?
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1 point,6 years ago
I have a legal contract which I have signed on my end. Who signs it from Dash DAO? The Dash DAO already has a mechanism for signing agreements: voting. Consent can be proven on the blockchain. What isn't yet possible is a way for contractors to cryptographically sign their end of the agreement. I hope to approximate this to the best of my ability by signing this legal document. Here is the link to the document: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A46VvzMiAyhhUpdYVolu9eGhcAXaDih5/view?usp=sharing
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0 points,6 years ago
Yes Ben has now provided both.
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0 points,6 years ago
It's probably better than a super bowl commercial, which is similarly priced
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3 points,6 years ago
You have my support. Thank you for you proposal & time.
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3 points,6 years ago
Hello Ben. Where can people view a cost breadown of the whole project? Since its the most expensive proposal so far, I think it would be prudent. Thanks!
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1 point,6 years ago
The budget breakdown as well as value breakdown has been posted as a comment above and is in the bottom of the proposal. In addition, yes, I will absolutely sign a binding contract to deliver the content according to the schedule which I posted above as well.
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3 points,6 years ago
Here's the somewhat infamous pizzagate video:
https://youtu.be/-GZFHLAcG8A
I don't think I have to say much about this tissue of innuendo except that anyone who can say, with a straight face, "there's no evidence for this but ..." that many times in 5 minutes should have their press card revoked.

Here's a video about several mass shootings across the US:
https://youtu.be/3jrBYG1Y26A
This one is a little subtler but there are a number of issues I take with the presentation and quality of the so evidence presented here. The most egregious and cynical misdirection occurs at 4:42
https://youtu.be/3jrBYG1Y26A?t=4m42s
This part about the second gunman continues for 50 seconds (about 2/3 of the entire segment!) and includes a witness talking about a man and giving a whole description of this purported second gunman and ends with Swann admitting "turns out this may have been the father of a student who arrived at the scene and was scared." He then effortlessly pivots to a video of a supposed second person in the woods. If that video is so great then why include all that initial footage about second gunman who turned out to be a scared parent? The seems to me to be a sleight of hand misdirection designed to give the impression that there is more than a couple of grainy frames of video to support Swann's theory of multiple shooters.

The part about the Sikh temple shooting includes evidence from 2 witnesses, one of whom wasn't actually a witness at all but is relaying the report of his father from the hospital. That's called hearsay and does not rise to the level of being called evidence. The second witness is never identified, he seems to know the temple schedule so that's something. Is he an eyewitness or a spokesperson? It's not clear but it is clear what we're supposed to think.

I'm out of time for this somewhat futile exercise, given the votes already cast, but please take a critical look at the way the "evidence" is presented in these videos and decide for yourselves if this is a good person to introduce Dash to the mainstream.
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4 points,6 years ago
This is not the appropriate space to go into great detail about these two stories because likely you are just trying to draw me into a using media hit pieces, and not relying on watching my actual work. but I will briefly address each one.

First, Pizzagate. I can't say a lot about this at this point but I will say this. I did not create Pizzagate. Nor was I the first journalist to cover it. In fact, I did not cover it until every major network in the country talked about the gunman who entered the pizza place. Those networks also reported that the gunman was responding to a fake conspiracy theory but never explained what that theory was. After receiving hundreds of requests to explain the theory, that is what I did. You may not like the fact that I covered the story at all, but you are yet to explain what I said in that report that was false.

The second story you have talked about was shot when I first started this project 5 years ago. Seriously? Since 2015 until January of 2017 I have created more than 200 Reality Check episodes. The fact that you decided to ignore those reports over the past two years demonstrates that you did not actually look at the totality of my work. Instead, you continue to push Media Matters talking points.

Look, I get that not everyone is going to appreciate what I do, but you cannot deny that with 110 million video views in 2016 alone, there are millions of people who do. If you want to have an honest conversation about my work... watch some of these videos from a YouTube playlist that give you a better idea of the actual work. This is not my playlist and it is also not exhaustive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jV3_ebLJkew&index=2&list=PLRhTrXHB2p8ov2RSHzu9UmccsZvgYl9_z
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0 points,6 years ago
I have reviewed part of the playlist you cited above and I have to say I'm impressed.

The two videos I cited are awful and I stand by that however it is clear to me now that my sample was heavily biased and the majority of your pieces, that I have now seen, are excellent, well supported and thoughtful.

Even the conclusions you draw that I think are incorrect are, I feel, worthy of debate rather than denouncement.

I regret the way I painted you based on a hastily drawn conclusion but in my defense I still have concerns that most people won't get your direct engagement nor go the extra mile to give you a fair shot.

If you can rein in the sensationalism and fix your Google results I believe you can be an asset to this community. I would think that having an independent source of funding like this will allow you to be at your best.
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1 point,6 years ago
Amen
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0 points,6 years ago
Thanks for the research.
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-1 point,6 years ago
voted no
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12 points,6 years ago
No offense to Mr Swann, he's produced some great content over the years. But 800 Dash a month?! Are you freaking kidding me?! He should fund his own youtube show and then if it's appropriate we can buy some ad spots on it at a reasonable price based on an actual eCPM calculation, and not fantasy high viewership numbers.

For perspective, I could contract 50 full time IT devs at $100 an hour at this price.

Furthermore If anyone wants this kind of funding they better have shown a deep and long lasting appreciation of DASH and our community. Someone like Amanda, who made youtube videos on a shoestring budget because she believed in the platform and the mission.

Now that the treasury is large, people smell the money. People who didn't give a shit about DASH a couple years ago (even if they knew about it at all), and are just trying to use the DASH treasury to support their projects.

Voting a hard NO on this, and I'm proud stand in the minority even if it passes.

This. is. crazy.
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1 point,6 years ago
I feel as strongly as you do. The solace I can take since it is already passing is that if we are to become a functional currency, it takes people of all walks and beliefs to embrace Dash.
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3 points,6 years ago
Yep, I had a long conversation with a lot of community members and figured out that people from around the world and also from various political beliefs were all voting yes. It didn't change my views on whether this should pass, but I respect their's.

This will eat 12% of the budget each month for the next 3 months and is close to 2.8M dollars. I truly hope my fears were ill founded and Ben delivers a great show that promotes Dash and doesn't alienate people that don't agree with him and allows us to onboard more people.

So wish you all the best Ben in these endeavors.
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2 points,6 years ago
Proposal is good but budget is too much too quickly, voting no.
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1 point,6 years ago
It's not like we're lacking the funds in the budget right now.
If he doesn't deliver, we can always vote the proposal down for the next month.
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0 points,6 years ago
Yeah, let's give him $1 million dollars without any guarantees and if he doesn't deliver we don't give him another $2 million.
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3 points,6 years ago
the first episode doesn't air until feb. so if voted down next month, we may get nothing
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1 point,6 years ago
why so last minute proposal when it involves 3 million dollars ???
why do all the Big rollers post only at the last minute , without discussing months ahead like the small proposals ??
is it because most MNOs are obsessed with US based celebs , well its time to change that.
i am standing with the NO Voters , unless
1) we see a detailed cost breakdown
2) clarify why we need to fund the show , when all we are doing is buying advertising
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0 points,6 years ago
The budget breakdown as well as value breakdown has been posted as a comment above and is in the bottom of the proposal. In addition, yes, I will absolutely sign a binding contract to deliver the content according to the schedule which I posted above as well.
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4 points,6 years ago
Apparently Ben was encouraged to apply by Joel and others in this month. So don't blame him.
1) that's what advertisers do, they fund the shows they advertise on. That's how shows get funded.
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2 points,6 years ago
No from me its not about the Money its about not funding the Cobit/ Venezuela Proposal but Funding this.
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1 point,6 years ago
Sorry i was a bitout of my bix Yesterday just to clear tings but without an Escrow you will not get my Yes Vote to much DASH is at Stake here.
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0 points,6 years ago
I have a legal contract which I have signed on my end. Who signs it from Dash DAO? The Dash DAO already has a mechanism for signing agreements: voting. Consent can be proven on the blockchain. What isn't yet possible is a way for contractors to cryptographically sign their end of the agreement. I hope to approximate this to the best of my ability by signing this legal document. Here is the link to the document: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A46VvzMiAyhhUpdYVolu9eGhcAXaDih5/view?usp=sharing
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1 point,6 years ago
obsession about US based causes is very real , whether most MNOs agree to it or not .....
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5 points,6 years ago
Hello Ben, from my point of view there are several points that have its blocking for this vote at this stage.

1) - Putting a proposal in the last days of voting is not acceptable in the organization of the MNO. When the person is not already known and has not already delivered work for the network. These last days are to use with parsimony.

2) - I prefer to have a vision of participation in the ecosystem Dash voluntarily in 1st. This allows to appreciate or not the proposed service. I want to be able to discover what you can bring by myself in this ecosystem.

3) - I think the education on Dash must be achieved by the proposer in among of a request funding.

4) - The demand for a first proposal is exorbitant at this stage.

Good luck in the community.
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5 points,6 years ago
There was a discussion in the preproposal thread on the forum and Ben was encouraged to submit the proposal in this cycle, so I don't see this as an issue.
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3 points,6 years ago
I appreciate that. It is correct that several people in the forum encouraged me to not wait another month and instead post it this cycle. Glad the majority of votes are not offended by this
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12 points,6 years ago
Hi Ben, impressive proposal! In my mind this is a logical step forwards after funding the GAP show, and I have little doubt about your organic reach through fact-based reporting and your powerful on-camera presence. I particularly appreciate the offer of exclusivity for this first period of our partnership. A few questions:

1. Just as you hold yourself to journalistic standards, the masternode operators try to act as responsible custodians of the Dash treasury and apply consistent standards to proposals. I can assure you this is quickly becoming a full time job. All recent proposals in this budget range have listed clear deliverables and committed to escrow to demonstrate their intention to deliver. You are here as a first-time submitter of a proposal without escrow or a detailed cost breakdown - beyond putting your reputation on the line, how can you guarantee you will deliver as you propose?

2. In your video, you mention that it has been a year since you were on the air. In your opinion what has changed since then, and what have you been doing in the interim time to ensure you can still offer the impressive organic reach you achieved in 2016? What are your confirmed and potential distribution channels? You were on CBS before, is there potential for network syndication this time if inclusion of the Dash intro is mandatory, or does this limit scope to a purely online show? I appreciate this is a public forum and you probably have legal obligations, but can you elaborate on why your show was discontinued in 2017?

3. As a strong supporter of free media and investigative journalism, I believe there is great value to society in funding news segments asking hard questions like yours. The goals of the Dash DAO include expanding free access to secure and low-cost banking to underserved populations. There is obvious synergy here, but do you see any potential for conflict in these goals? Will you work together with other proposals involving marketing (e.g. Ogilvy) to ensure consistent messaging as it relates to Dash to help the DAO meet its goals without affecting your journalistic integrity? I'm primarily thinking about production of the 5 second intro and banner ads here.

4. Will the new show and conference slots pick up where you left off with news segments about current affairs, or will you attempt to shape a broader narrative across the segments that could highlight solutions cryptocurrency and Dash can provide? We regularly see Amanda in discussions with the community to clarify the finer points of how our network functions, can you commit to some hours learning about Dash if you will be wearing Dash gear and representing us to the public? I see you have already promised never to say "Dash coin" again which is a great start ;)

Thanks for your active engagement with the community in this proposal, and good luck!
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6 points,6 years ago
Thanks for this detailed set of questions. I will try to answer as directly as possible.

1. As you know, I am not new to content creation. The first RC will be released Tuesday, February 6, 2018. Each RC after that will be released each Tuesday and Thursday in Feb, March and April until April 26, 2018.

Please note, the biggest guarantee that I will go above and beyond to do everything I have promised. I want to have a long term relationship with DASH. I am hopeful that this is not a "one-off". Rather, I am hopeful that DASH will be a long term partner.

2. I can't discuss (yet) everything that has happened to cause RC to be discontinued. I am still working working with CBS in Atlanta. I can tell you that since the beginning of 2017, I have had dozens of huge websites and video content companies contact me about providing RC through their channels. I have absolutely no doubt that the continued viral reach will not be a problem. I still receive several dozen emails every week asking when RC will come back.

3. I guess the easiest way to answer this is, there really isn't any truly independent media out there. Candidly, if DASH becomes a sponsor/partner of RC, we are not independent. We are then connected to DASH. That simply means that we disclose that relationship to the public and our "point of view" (because everybody in media has one despite what they may pretend) is aligned with the goals of the DASH DAO. Integrity doesn't mean that we have no view... it means that we don't deceive our viewers about what that view consists of.

4. Yes. We will pick up where we left off AND shape the broader narrative. Also, I absolutely commit to spending MANY hours learning about DASH. As I said above, I am looking for a long term relationship with DASH which means not just having "talking points" but truly and sincerely understanding it on the deepest level.
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0 points,6 years ago
$1 million dollar proposal posted 5 days before the deadline? From a new guy and with no escrow. Sorry but no.
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1 point,6 years ago
Just watched the video-excellent guy to have on. Great stuff happening!
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0 points,6 years ago
Thank you!
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1 point,6 years ago
For the folks saying the price of this is exorbitant consider this: it is in Ben's best interest to deliver the maximum value to the DAO if he hopes to secure funding in the future. If he fails to deliver, that's it. If he does deliver, tens of millions of people properly learn about Dash.
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0 points,6 years ago
Three f***ing millions?

No.
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1 point,6 years ago
i didnt realise that , just thought its a 1 month gig damn , 3 millions is a f** lot
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1 point,6 years ago
DashCentral is great but it should show the *total* requested amount (in Dash and USD) in a much more visible way.
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0 points,6 years ago
If he doesn't deliver, we can always vote the proposal down next month.
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3 points,6 years ago
why would anyone consider a no vote? this guy is no amatuer shooting a video on an Iphone! I'm quite confident he will not pull a "Charlie Shrem" on the community.
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6 points,6 years ago
Well as a masternode network, generally we ask for a cost breakdown. I believe this is the most expensive proposal ever and yet we are giving him a pass because he is a celebrity on everything we normally ask for. Ben will be getting 900k per month if this passes, he has not detailed how that money will be spent other than 150k will be spent on advertising videos.

Secondly as he says : "Videos will cover topical US and World issues and will be 2 to 5 minutes long." No matter how you swing this some people will agree and some will disagree with his views. The fact that he is powered by Dash people will associate Dash with his views. If he says something outrageous that we are bound to that position by association.

To me this is the riskiest proposal ever, not to mention the most expensive. I don't know the future, so maybe this proposal will help Dash, however for those 2 reasons I'm easily voting no.
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-1 point,6 years ago
sorry to hear that.
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5 points,6 years ago
You could help some of us who don't like this proposal with a cost breakdown, but you aren't even bothering. Strophy said : "You are here as a first-time submitter of a proposal without escrow or a detailed cost breakdown - beyond putting your reputation on the line, how can you guarantee you will deliver as you propose?" To which your response is that you will deliver because you want to get more money to continue the partnership.

I want to know if you out of the blue will become the highest grossing person from the governance system, to me it seems like yes.
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0 points,6 years ago
cost proposal breakdown and value breakdown are both posted in the description as well as in a comment above. In addition, I have a legal contract which I have signed on my end. Who signs it from Dash DAO? The Dash DAO already has a mechanism for signing agreements: voting. Consent can be proven on the blockchain. What isn't yet possible is a way for contractors to cryptographically sign their end of the agreement. I hope to approximate this to the best of my ability by signing this legal document. Here is the link to the document: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A46VvzMiAyhhUpdYVolu9eGhcAXaDih5/view?usp=sharing
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1 point,6 years ago
Perhaps because we fear that by associating ourselves with someone whose credibility is questionable, we can taint the credibility of Dash.

Pizzagate? Seriously?
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1 point,6 years ago
Did you actually watch his video? Both sides are reporting inaccuracies, and both sides are omitting actual facts. I think you will find Ben actually reported facts. You know, like actual journalism. It was refreshing.

solarguy
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2 points,6 years ago
Thanks for your support
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2 points,6 years ago
This is *what* the treasury is for.
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0 points,6 years ago
that said, some folks do consider him too politicized at a time when Dash should not be associated with any sort of political or controversial viewpoints or entities. personally I am very excited about this. But I can also see their perspective.
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2 points,6 years ago
are you saying be associated with the dope business or MMA is less controversial?
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2 points,6 years ago
If he won't say it, I will.
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0 points,6 years ago
Point taken.
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2 points,6 years ago
The price irks me.. a lot. However after investigating this guy it seems he has done some good work and pissed off the establishment. I like that. Voting yes.
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2 points,6 years ago
thank you
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10 points,6 years ago
Ben, thanks for putting in this proposal. I've been a fan of yours for many years.

Do you have plans to pay your staff and suppliers in Dash, or will you cash out and work in USD or some other national currency?

My hope for Dash is to become an independent money. I'd love to see efforts made to use Dash as much as possible. Perhaps you could incentivize by offering a premium (e.g. 10%) to those who accept payment in Dash.
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9 points,6 years ago
To the extent that I can, yes, I will be paying staff and writers, producers and production staff in DASH.
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1 point,6 years ago
Hard NO. Too expensive. Too political.
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3 points,6 years ago
i agree , this is a TON of $ + i am not sure we are ready to be that political
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1 point,6 years ago
Please, fellow MNOs, do a little research on his past "journalism" before casting your vote. Not all publicity is good publicity.
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10 points,6 years ago
I recall Ben being one of the first public voices to warn people about Empty Gox. Which was the reason why I recruited him as a speaker at the first t which was the reason why I recruited him as a speaker at the first Texas Bitcoin Conference. A little pricey but I believe Ben would deliver. I would love to see Ben as a concession join us at Anarchapulco to help man the Dash booth.
How about it Ben?
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5 points,6 years ago
Sounds like fun!
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3 points,6 years ago
Well I'm in Acapulco right now and planning on doing a live broadcast with Jeff tonight should I tell him to add you to the line up? ?
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1 point,6 years ago
Oops typos
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2 points,6 years ago
can u please post your video link again (and proper)
that embedded code does not show
ty
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0 points,6 years ago
yes... sorry about that. it is corrected and "clickable"
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0 points,6 years ago
ty
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8 points,6 years ago
Honest journalism meets honest money - easy yes. I will promote this to the MNOs I know.
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4 points,6 years ago
Thank you! Please do. I know time is short.
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1 point,6 years ago
Please fix the description of the proposal.
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1 point,6 years ago
Take a look now
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1 point,6 years ago
I don't living in the USA, I do not know the person or his influence, but I have read the companions to document me a little.

Due to the financial impact, I think that from Core you should treat this proposal with @Bradley Zastrow, since it may have implications in your area.
I would like to know Core's opinion on this.

Thanks for the proposal.
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0 points,6 years ago
thank you
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5 points,6 years ago
voting yes, good luck.
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2 points,6 years ago
Thank you!
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3 points,6 years ago
Yes
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1 point,6 years ago
Thank you
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3 points,6 years ago
Hi Ben Thanks for the proposal! It seems that you have tremendous reach and could bring Dash to a much larger audience.

My only request is that in your episodes you do your best to stick with as evidence-based claims as possible and that you try not to be political or conspiratorial as everything which you publish will be perceived to be endorsed by Dash which could theoretically hurt Dash's image in the eyes of those who strongly disagree with the theories or political views you put forth.

From what I've seen in your videos so far, you stick fairly well to facts, but there is some amount of accusatory innuendo and conjecture such as in the Pizzagate story. As long as you are fully aware that depending on the content of your stories, they will either reflect well or poorly on Dash and as long as you will do your best to make sure that you protect the Dash brand, I would support your proposal. I personally feel that the Pizzagate story might have been better left out as it theoretically could have hurt the Dash brand if we had endorsed your show for that episode just because of how abominable the accusations you hinted at were towards Podesta and the Clinton campaign without an overwhelmingly convincing base of evidence.

I know many here like your show as it is, and I quite like it as well because it forces one to think outside the box and question long-standing beliefs. I just ask that you be very conscious and deliberate about what you broadcast and its impact as you will be acting as a Dash ambassador with the power to enhance or worsen the public's perception of us.

Thanks for coming forward and taking such a big leap of faith with Dash by submitting your proposal! Wishing you success!
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2 points,6 years ago
Thanks for your thoughtful comments. I hope it suffices to say "I agree with you"
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6 points,6 years ago
This is a marriage made in heaven. We’d be fools to not vote for this. The synergy from this partnership will have amazing results for both our projects. Yes!
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3 points,6 years ago
You vote yes for everything with no regards for cost, quality of proposal, escrow, guarantees etc. Everyone that looks remotely enthusiastic about Dash receives your vote. You should learn a thing or two from quantumexplorer
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4 points,6 years ago
Thank you for supporting!
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6 points,6 years ago
Also a fan. Ben did great work covering the CBD side of epilepsy. We be happy to help fact check/chip in on topics if he ever covers genomics or cannabis again.
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4 points,6 years ago
Thanks for that. With this project we will definitely be covering cannabis again.
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2 points,6 years ago
Open invitation to CannMed2018. Oct 21-24 at UCLA Medical School. Raphael Mechoulam will be there and many other historic folks in the cannabis space. Will reserve you a press pass and hope you have a DASHing future.
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4 points,6 years ago
Ben actually has a long and documented history of doing a fantastic job factually covering all the topics the mainstream media won't touch.
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2 points,6 years ago
Thanks.
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5 points,6 years ago
voted yes
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1 point,6 years ago
Thank you
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5 points,6 years ago
Love Ben Swann! AKA The Last Journalist. I've done a few events with Ben and can say he is classy and professional, generous and considerate. Although I think the price is a little high I'm still inclined to vote yes on it. His reporting will be fair and honest and it will really piss off a lot of haters. Which is priceless really. If it doesn't pass Ben, I suggest lowering the price to something like 500 for 6 months. This might be a better compromise for the MN who are on the fence.
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2 points,6 years ago
Thank you for supporting
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5 points,6 years ago
I've worked closely with Ben on this proposal to try to help it deliver the maximum possible value to the network. Not only will this provide massive reach for Dash, it will send a strong message of censorship resistance, as one of the world's top investigative journalists is able to continue his work because of Dash.

Also, this further solidifies Dash as the top cryptocurrency by the greater liberty/libertarian movement, which was instrumental in the early days of cryptocurrency. It'll be awesome to have the people who value crypto the most see Dash as the #1 contender in the game.
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2 points,6 years ago
Absolutely agree!
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5 points,6 years ago
Without people like Ben Swann, we would not even be here distributing millions to fund projects that nobody else would. Voting yes
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3 points,6 years ago
Thank you for supporting
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4 points,6 years ago
Guys, we need this. Dash needs this. Please vote yes.
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2 points,6 years ago
Hi Mr. Ben Swann! How to prove your identity? Do you have social media profiles? Please, make a video talking about DASH and more details of your proposal.
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3 points,6 years ago
ok, i just watched your video, very good proposal! you can count on my favorable vote! best regards
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1 point,6 years ago
Thanks for that. please share with others as well!
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1 point,6 years ago
I believe that you're perfectly suited to strengthen the Dash brand while also demonstrating the the censorship resistant power of the blockchain industry. Can you post a link to that video?
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0 points,6 years ago
Thank you. the video link has been updated at the top of the proposal
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2 points,6 years ago
A hard no. I don't live in the USA, and haven't watched Ben's show, but I looked it up and all I can say is that politics should stay out of Dash. Even if you are a fan of his show you should realize that some people aren't and would even be alienated from Dash if this proposal passes.

"DASH will be branded and tied to what is one of the most successful news segments in the world" I hate this, I'm sorry but no matter how you swing this Ben Swann's show is Political and we are trying to create a political free currency that the world can use. Mixing these is a very bad idea as we alienate a lot of people by taking sides in any debate.

Then on the one side we have Amanda who asks for 16000$/month for all of her production costs, and here we have Ben Swann, new to Dash who is asking for 900,000$/month.

It still wouldn't be worth it if this was aired on cbs or some major network, but this is just uploaded to youtube.

According to wikipedia : "In addition to news anchoring, Swann is an investigative reporter and media critic and has made a reputation for "Reality Check" by covering controversial and under-reported stories. The Daily Beast has reported that many of Swann's segments echo talking points from media outlets such as RT and InfoWars that are rarely seen in more mainstream news media."

Key word here is controversial, do we really want to associate Dash with theories on how 9/11 was an inside job or how the Clinton campaign might have had something to do with an online child sex ring?

I have rarely come upon a proposal I am more against, but I would like to understand people voting yes as there seems to be a lot of support.
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2 points,6 years ago
Agree with you 100% and hope other MNO reconsider.
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5 points,6 years ago
Almost everything is political.
A little controversy is good IMO.
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4 points,6 years ago
appreciate that
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3 points,6 years ago
I would humbly suggest searching YouTube for my content. If you simply read wikipedia, you are never going to get an honest idea of what my content entails. We are neither left or right... and while all things are political, all politics should be subject to truth
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3 points,6 years ago
I did actually watch 3 of your videos. And I agree politics should be subject to truth, but in some of the videos you shape the narrative and then ask the public to decide.

I'm going to do an explanation of Pizzagate to explain what I dislike so much here. Mind you most media use these tactics so it's not something you came up with but it's a strong reason why I don't like watching most American media.

For example in Pizzagate you use "self-described online investigators" as a source, so basically you are using some online trolls as sources and base yourself off. A 5 second search would have shown you that the word hankerchief has nothing to do with pedophilia, and yet you report that it does. Hankerchiefs are a color code system for gay men to show what role they like in sex.

Cheese pizza has been used as code for pedophilia in the context previously on the website 4chan. However, as The New York Times pointed out, the "Podesta brothers were famous in Washington circles for their Italian cooking and big salon and fund-raising dinners, often cooked by their mother." I mean who doesn't like pizza? I can go through my emails I have used in work and I'm sure there are many mentions about vegetarian food, is that a code word for something or just simply that I like vegetarian food?

Theorists claimed an underground network beneath Comet Ping Pong; however, the restaurant actually has no basement, and the picture used to support this claim was taken from another facility. No alleged victims have come forward and no physical evidence has ever been found.

This ended up being a hit piece before an election, nothing more. The fact that a reputable journalist covers it and just so slightly distorts facts with omissions and ambiguities leads people to believe in things that just aren't true and further divides the USA as a nation.
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2 points,6 years ago
Ben what would be the air date of the first Dash-sponsored Reality Check?
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1 point,6 years ago
Feb 6, 2018. Each RC will be released every Tuesday and Thursday in Feb, March and April with the last (in this cycle) airing April 26, 2018
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2 points,6 years ago
In case the full text isn't showing, please refer to the Forum post:
https://www.dash.org/forum/threads/pre-proposal-sole-sponsorship-of-reality-check-with-ben-swann-ambassador.21661/
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