Oklahoma State University’s “We the People” Video-Incorrect Attribution!
Summary of eRumor:
A video that was supposedly made by Oklahoma State University titled “We the People” has generated more than 11 million views on YouTube.
The Truth:
Oklahoma State University isn’t affiliated in any way with the “We the People” video that has gone viral on YouTube.
A group called Nos Populus released the video in 2010. Little is known about the group, and it appears to have no identity outside of the viral “We the People” video that was released in the run up to President Obama’s successful reelection campaign.
Somewhere along the line, the video became falsely credited to Oklahoma State University. A Oklahoma State University spokesperson said the video was not “sanction or endorsed” by the school:
Someone has forwarded the video and attached Oklahoma State’s name to their email. As a state-funded institution, it is not appropriate for Oklahoma State University to endorse such a message. If you have questions about this, please call or email me. Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter.
Also, administrators of the Nos Populus YouTube channel added a note to the video that said it “is not and has never been associated in any way with Oklahoma State University or any other educational institution.”
Unfortunately, nothing else is known about who posted the video. Why a producer would stop making videos after their first video generated more than 11 million views is a mystery, but that’s what happened here.