Meet The Expert Often Quoted By Mainstream Media Outlets Who DOESN'T EXIST

The Chronicle of Higher Education isn't known for producing the most entertaining content, but its new exposé on the the ubiquitous "student-loan debt expert" Drew Cloud is comedic gold.

The self-described debt expert and journalist Cloud, the Chronicle notes, "is everywhere." His first-rate research, published on his website "The Student Loan Report," is frequently cited by mainstream media outlets, including The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, CNBC, Forbes, and Business Insider, while his name is "a fixture in the smaller, specialized blogosphere of student debt."

...

Here's a picture of the eminently likable Cloud, who his website described as having "always had a knack for reporting throughout high school and college."

"Drew wanted to funnel his creative energy into an independent, authoritative news outlet covering an exclusive and developing industry," the website explained.

There's only one problem with Cloud and his "Student Loan Report." He doesn't exist, and the site is the creation of a student-loan refinancing company.

The Chronicle explains how they figured out that Cloud is as incorporeal as his name suggests:

After The Chronicle spent more than a week trying to verify Cloud’s existence, the company that owns The Student Loan Report confirmed that Cloud was fake. "Drew Cloud is a pseudonym that a diverse group of authors at Student Loan Report, LLC use to share experiences and information related to the challenges college students face with funding their education," wrote Nate Matherson, CEO of LendEDU.

Before that admission, however, Cloud had corresponded at length with many journalists, pitching them stories and offering email interviews, many of which were published. When The Chronicle attempted to contact him through the address last week, Cloud said he was traveling and had limited access to his account. He didn’t respond to additional inquiries.

And on Monday, as The Chronicle continued to seek comment, Cloud suddenly evaporated. His once-prominent placement on The Student Loan Report had been removed. His bylines were replaced with "SLR Editor." Matherson confirmed on Tuesday that Cloud was an invention.

www.dailywire.com...

Just a funny story on why we should all think twice before trusting these so called experts we always see being touted on the media.

Turns out, often times the media does not do a very good job of vetting these experts, and in extreme cases, they could be fake all together.

Funny or disturbing? I'm not sure which...

Thanks for sharing!

originally posted by: kuraijanai2013
Funny or disturbing? I'm not sure which...

Thanks for sharing!

Definitely both.

It makes you wonder about all the times you here experts quoted how many of them are even actually real people.

LOL

Now we know why MSM sources are anonymous.

a reply to: Grambler

Very true. And what with advances in computer generated imagery and AI technology, it's worrying to say the least!

a reply to: Grambler

Talk about a Paid Shill. Got to give the company credit for that one. Undoubtedly there are many more like that.

I would look at Big Pharma as a Prime candidate to do something like this.

originally posted by: Grambler

originally posted by: kuraijanai2013
Funny or disturbing? I'm not sure which...

Thanks for sharing!

Definitely both.

It makes you wonder about all the times you here experts quoted how many of them are even actually real people.

I'm pretty sure the opposition pundits that appears regularly on Political TV shows are the equivalent of those no name wrestlers or the Washington Generals (Harlem Globetrotters) who always lose and look the fool doing it.

They get paid to sound outrageous and stupid and make the Host of the show look like a genius.

We are being played at all levels by big companies.

originally posted by: UKTruth
LOL

Now we know why MSM sources are anonymous.

Therein lies the crux of the issue.

It really goes to show what kind of feed people consume without questioning its source.

Kinda like the CNN and MSNBC sheeple who take their words as gospel, because NEWS.

Lulz.

S+F

Grambler....that's huge really..................good detective work..

all bets are off now.....in this reality

originally posted by: pavil
a reply to: Grambler

Talk about a Paid Shill. Got to give the company credit for that one. Undoubtedly there are many more like that.

I would look at Big Pharma as a Prime candidate to do something like this.

This is kind of off topic, but your post reminded me of it.

Take an organization like the American Heart association. I could see them pulling a stunt like this.

Here is a humorous video on the absurdity of them saying coconut oil is bad for you, and the conflict of interests they have.

Anybody remember V.C. Andrews, who wrote Flowers in the Attic? She died in 1986, but her family hired a ghost writer who kept pumping out novels under her name for years & years.

Companies have always done marketing like this... it's roots go back to the fake brands... Aunt Jemima wasn't a real person for example.

What's far worse to me than just being an imaginary expert the media irresponsibly had no issue citing as reputable with zero background work -- this expert is dispensing his wisdom on student loans while secretly being the product of a student lending clearinghouse! Dispensing expertise under the guise of a third-party. How incredibly unethical!

Imagine an oft-cited cybersecurity and privacy expert who was secretly just the brainchild of Facebook or Google.

originally posted by: Edumakated
Companies have always done marketing like this... it's roots go back to the fake brands... Aunt Jemima wasn't a real person for example.

Now That's a conspiracy!

I suppose Betty Crocker and Chef Boyardee are myths too? Actually the Chef ended up owning a place in the Hamptons, I remember reading about it.

originally posted by: pavil

originally posted by: Edumakated
Companies have always done marketing like this... it's roots go back to the fake brands... Aunt Jemima wasn't a real person for example.

Now That's a conspiracy!

I suppose Betty Crocker and Chef Boyardee are myths too? Actually the Chef ended up owning a place in the Hamptons, I remember reading about it.

Betty Crocker is fictional, but Ettore Boiardi was a real guy. Colonel Sanders of KFC fame was also a real person, altho the "Colonel" was just an honorary title awarded by the state of Kentucky.

a reply to: Edumakated
Inventing a mascot for advertising is not the same as inventing an expert for giving advice and comments out of thin air.

The first should be obvious as an advertisement figure. If you read about an expert stating this and that, you don´t normally expect that to be a fantasy person.

originally posted by: verschickter
a reply to: Edumakated
Inventing a mascot for advertising is not the same as inventing an expert for giving advice and comments out of thin air.

The first should be obvious as an advertisement figure. If you read about an expert stating this and that, you don´t normally expect that to be a fantasy person.

A lot of experts are shilling for companies. I don't really see anything wrong with it, but I tend to take everything at face value. As long as they aren't outright lying about the advice.

For example, I blog from time to time on finance stuff. My goal is to attract clients. With that said, I try to hold myself to a high standard and be as objective as possible. A lot of companies run "Advertorials" article written like journalistic pieces that are nothing but advertisements.

I dunno, I guess I tend to see right through this stuff, but I realize there are a lot of suckers out there.

a reply to: Edumakated

I get all that but it´s not the same as inventing an expert with credentials, and adress and even a profile picture.

News is not advertisement, I think it´s very important to keep that separated.

Has anyone verified that the 97% of scientists who champion AGW are real? Boy would that be a conspiracy.

Big surprise eh?
I take is as SOP when the MSM trots out any "expert" it's a given that they have deep ties to whatever industry has a stake in the issue. If it's terrorism then their expert will be on the board of an armaments manufacturer, etc.
One more method of humanizing propaganda to give it broader appeal.
The smiling face that always lies.
Welcome to tv land.