Cambridge Analytica – Bosses filmed saying they use bribes and honey traps in election campaigns
The Channel 4 News Investigations Team went undercover for a series of meetings with senior staff in Cambridge Analytica – the data company behind Donald Trump's presidential election victory.
We filmed senior executives saying they could entrap politicians in compromising situations with bribes and honey traps, and obtain damaging material on political opponents before discreetly pushing it out to social media.
In response, a Cambridge Analytica spokesman said: “We entirely refute any allegation that Cambridge Analytica or any of its affiliates use entrapment, bribes, or so called 'honey traps' for any purpose whatsoever….”
The investigation was part of the 'Data, Democracy, and Dirty Tricks' series.
The series won awards including an International Emmy, a Bafta, a Peabody Award, a number of Royal Television Society awards, and was named British Journalism Awards Investigation of the Year.
You can watch the film, including the company's response, below.
Team
Correspondent: Andy Davies
Head of Investigations: Job Rabkin
Producer Director: Tom Stone
Investigative Journalists: Guy Basnett, Ed Howker
Video Editors: Agnieszka Liggett, Matt Welham
Awards
International Emmy 2019, News (winner)
Bafta 2019, News Coverage (winner)
Peabody Award 2019 (winner)
RTS Journalism Awards 2019, News Coverage Home (winner)
RTS Journalism Awards 2019, Scoop of the Year (winner)
RTS Journalism Awards 2019, News Coverage International (winner)
British Journalism Awards 2018, Investigation of the Year (winner)