How USAID Manipulated the Media

Mr. Shellenberger: I think it is important to understand that USAID saw this in a very comprehensive way. It is important, if we look at the case of Hunter Biden’s laptop, which is an extremely important case, to understand that the FBI was instrumentalized and used the Aspen Institute to brainwash the entire press. They not only censored the information but also changed the perception of the laptop. They created the idea that it was something different from what it obviously was.

And that is what these groups are trying to do. These are information operations, and USAID has been in the process of taking control of so-called independent investigative media around the world while simultaneously training NGOs to demand censorship.

For example, Mr. Aaron’s organization has been working to train organizations in secretly identifying supposed disinformation. It’s one thing to publicly criticize someone, which we should all do, but this practice of acting covertly and in secrecy… That is not an open democracy.

This idea of going out and secretly flagging information to then demand censorship is a complete aberration. That is not what our nation stands for.

To be clear, are you saying that USAID, according to your research, is involved in this "prebunking" strategy, similar to what they used with the laptop story in the fall of 2020?

Yes, and it is exactly the same approach, where many times what they do, for example, with USAID and OCCRP, is filter intelligence from intelligence agencies.

Yes, it’s terrifying. And not like WikiLeaks, where they simply published everything, perhaps without enough redactions. They strategically filter it and then manipulate media like The Guardian and The New York Times to publish certain stories and control the entire investigative news process.