Michael Schellenberger

Rank 39 of 47
|
Score -85
Michael Shellenberger
@shellenberger
·
867d
34. On Oct 14, shortly after @NYPost publishes its Hunter Biden laptop story, Roth says, “it isn’t clearly violative of our Hacked Materials Policy, nor is it clearly in violation of anything else," but adds, “this feels a lot like a somewhat subtle leak operation.”
4/1/2025, 10:28:42 PM
X
In reply to:
Michael Shellenberger
@shellenberger
·
33d
To a large extent the FBI's efforts worked. Twitter's top censor, Yoel Roth, admitted that the FBI's prebunking had worked on him.
Michael Shellenberger
@shellenberger
·
867d
24. Recently, Yoel Roth told @karaswisher that he had been primed to think about the Russian hacking group APT28 before news of the Hunter Biden laptop came out.

When it did, Roth said, "It set off every single one of my finely tuned APT28 hack-and-leap campaign alarm bells."
Michael Shellenberger
@shellenberger
·
33d
This isn't your grandparents psy-op. This is a next-level "information operation" — precisely what FBI falsely accused the Russians of doing. The facts suggest that the FBI, which knew the laptop was authentic, brainwashed (fine — "prebunked") reporters and social media.
Michael Shellenberger
@shellenberger
·
33d
What FBI and its apparent intermediaries or "cut-outs," the Aspen Institute and Stanford Cyber Policy Center, did was orchestrate an elaborate and sophisticated "pre-bunking" campaign aimed at discrediting the Hunter Biden Laptop before it was ever released.
Michael Shellenberger
@shellenberger
·
33d
It is a violation of journalistic ethics to coordinate media coverage. The Stanford authors anticipated this and created talking points to respond to various concerns, e.g., "We can't/won't/don't collaborate with other news organizations on breaking news."
Michael Shellenberger
@shellenberger
·
33d
September 2020: Aspen Institute hosts a "tabletop exercise" aimed at getting journalists and social media companies to role-playing how to cover a future Russian hack and leak relating to Hunter Biden and Burisma so that the focus is on the Russians.
Michael Shellenberger
@shellenberger
·
867d
30. Efforts continued to influence Twitter's Yoel Roth.

In Sept 2020, Roth participated in an Aspen Institute “tabletop exercise” on a potential "Hack-and-Dump" operation relating to Hunter Biden

The goal was to shape how the media covered it — and how social media carried it
Michael Shellenberger
@shellenberger
·
33d
May - June 2020: Aspen Institute's Vivian Schiller & Garrett Graff co-host a June 25, 2020 meeting with Stanford Cyber to persuade news and social media companies to create "shared principles" so they focus on the Russian origin of future hack and leaks, not their content.

The statement discusses the FBI's influence on media and social media platforms regarding the Hunter Biden laptop story, suggesting a coordinated effort to manage public perception. It implies a lack of transparency and potential manipulation of information, raising concerns about journalistic ethics and freedom of speech.

  1. Principle 1:
    I will strive to do no harm with my words and actions.
    The statement suggests harm through manipulation of information, potentially violating the principle of doing no harm. [-1]
  2. Principle 2:
    I will respect the privacy and dignity of others and will not engage in cyberbullying, harassment, or hate speech.
    It raises concerns about privacy and dignity, implying a breach of ethical standards in media coordination. [-1]
  3. Principle 4:
    I will engage in constructive criticism and dialogue with those in disagreement and will not engage in personal attacks or ad hominem arguments.
    The statement engages in criticism of the FBI and media practices, which could be seen as constructive if it leads to accountability, but lacks direct engagement with opposing views.
  4. Principle 6:
    I will use my influence for the betterment of society.
    The statement uses its platform to highlight potential misuse of influence by powerful entities, aligning with the principle of using influence for societal betterment. [+1]
  5. Principle 7:
    I will uphold the principles of free speech and use my platform responsibly and with integrity.
    It touches on free speech issues, suggesting that the FBI's actions may have compromised this principle. [-1]