Damon Wilson, is the current President and CEO of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a U.S. government-funded, nonprofit organization that supports democratic initiatives globally.
Critics, investigative reports tied to the Twitter Files, and congressional hearings, have linked Wilson to efforts aimed at countering "disinformation" on social media platforms during the Trump era. Specifically:
• Before joining NED in 2021 (succeeding long-time president Carl Gershman), Wilson was Executive Vice President at the Atlantic Council, a think tank that receives funding from the U.S. government (including NED itself), the Department of Defense, and others.
• At the Atlantic Council, he helped establish or was involved with the Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab), which became a key player in researching and flagging alleged disinformation, including narratives around elections, Russia, and content related to Donald Trump.
• The DFRLab partnered with entities like the Election Integrity Partnership (EIP) and others accused of flagging Trump-related posts or content (e.g., on COVID, elections, or Hunter Biden stories) for moderation/removal by platforms like Twitter/X and Facebook as "misinformation" or "disinformation."
• These activities are described by critics as organizing or facilitating "censorship conferences," workshops, or collaborative efforts where government-aligned NGOs, academics, journalists, and "trusted flaggers" coordinated to pressure social media companies to suppress certain Trump-era narratives, often under the banner of countering foreign (e.g., Russian) influence that allegedly spilled into domestic discourse.
NED itself has been accused in these narratives of funding groups like the Global Disinformation Index (GDI), which rated and sought to demonetize certain conservative media outlets, though NED ended that funding after scrutiny and maintains its mandate is strictly international (not domestic U.S. politics)
The "GDI" Controversy: A central point of contention involves the Global Disinformation Index (GDI), a British group that received $545,750 in NED grants between 2020 and 2021. The GDI used taxpayer funds to flag conservative news outlets as "risky" for advertisers.
NED's Corrective Actions: The NED maintains its GDI funding was strictly for analyzing foreign media in countries like Mexico and Malaysia. However, after learning of GDI’s U.S.-focused activities, the NED terminated the relationship, recovered unspent funds, and implemented stricter vetting to prevent indirect impacts on U.S. First Amendment rights
Wilson's NED role is confirmed via the organization's official site and announcements from 2021 onward. These claims largely stem from investigative journalism, congressional testimony (e.g., by Michael Shellenberger), and commentary from critics of U.S. foreign policy NGOs, who view NED as a "CIA cutout" repurposed for information control post-2016. NED and Wilson frame their work as promoting global freedom and countering authoritarian disinformation abroad, not domestic censorship.
The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and the Election Integrity Partnership (EIP) and Virality Project (VP) have a relationship characterized by shared institutional ties and a common focus on combating "information manipulation," though the NED is not a founding member or a primary operator of these domestic U.S. initiatives
Stanford University participated in two major projects—the
Election Integrity Partnership (EIP) and the Virality Project (VP)—which critics and congressional investigators have alleged facilitated a "censorship industrial complex" in collaboration with the federal government and Big Tech.
Key Projects and Timeline
• Election Integrity Partnership (EIP): Formed in the summer of 2020 (approximately July 26) to monitor and flag potential misinformation regarding the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election.
• The Virality Project (VP): Launched in early 2021 to monitor and analyze social media narratives specifically concerning COVID-19 vaccines.
Nature of Participation
• Government Collaboration: The projects were led by the Stanford Internet Observatory (SIO) in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the State Department's Global Engagement Center (GEC).
• Ticketing System: Researchers used a centralized "ticketing" system to identify and flag social media posts for review by major platforms including Twitter (X), Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.
• Scope of Content: While aimed at "false or misleading information," the projects have been criticized for flagging legally protected speech, including true stories of vaccine side effects and political satire, which the House Judiciary Committee described as "censorship laundering" to bypass First Amendment restrictions.
Outcomes and Controversy
• Impact: Reports indicate the Virality Project successfully pushed tech companies to take action (removal or suppression) on approximately 35% of the content they flagged.
• Shuttering of SIO: Due to mounting legal fees from lawsuits and intense congressional scrutiny led by Rep. Jim Jordan, Stanford significantly scaled back the Stanford Internet Observatory in mid-2024, leading to the departure of top leadership.
• Legal Challenges: These projects were central to the Murthy v. Missouri (originally Missouri v. Biden) Supreme Court case, which examined whether the federal government unconstitutionally pressured social media companies to censor speech.
The key link between these entities is through the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab): EIP/VP Member: The DFRLab was one of the four founding research entities of the Election Integrity Partnership (2020) and the Virality Project (2021).
NED Leadership: Current NED President Damon Wilson helped develop the DFRLab before taking his role at the NED.
NED Support: The NED has historically supported the development of what some critics call the "disinformation industrial complex," including initiatives that overlap with the EIP's focus on domestic and international information integrity.
Operational Roles and DistinctionsThe EIP & VP: These were domestic-focused coalitions (led by the Stanford Internet Observatory and University of Washington) created to bridge gaps between U.S. government agencies (like CISA) and social media platforms to flag election-related misinformation and COVID-19 vaccine narratives.
The NED: As a private nonprofit funded by Congress, its primary mandate is to promote democracy abroad. While it does not formally operate the EIP or VP, it funded workshops in 2020 that gathered similar stakeholders (academics, civil society, and policymakers) to assess challenges to the integrity of the information space.
Critics, including some House of Representatives witnesses and organizations like The Heritage Foundation, have argued that the NED's international methods have been turned inward. They allege that NED-backed entities or leaders have participated in "censorship consortiums" that targeted conservative speech under the guise of fighting misinformation.
Recent discussions (as of early 2026) highlight ongoing controversy, including failed attempts to defund NED via congressional amendments, with critics arguing it continues to enable propaganda and censorship efforts
Harvard's Role in Disinformation
Controversy regarding fabricated data and academic integrity at Harvard has centered on two high-profile figures: former President
Claudine Gay and Professor Francesca Gino.
• Claudine Gay (Former President): Resigned in January 2024 following allegations of plagiarism in her 1997 dissertation and several peer-reviewed articles. While internal reviews initially cited "inadequate citation" rather than "research misconduct," critics and some donors argued the university was protective and applied a double standard by not labeling it plagiarism.
• Francesca Gino (Former Professor): A prominent behavioral scientist at Harvard Business School, Gino was fired and had her tenure revoked in May 2025—an unprecedented move at Harvard—after an investigation concluded she fabricated data in at least four studies.
Claims of a "Double Standard"
Critics and ongoing litigation highlight a perceived discrepancy in how Harvard handled these cases:
• Protection vs. Punishment: Opponents argued that Harvard "swept" Gay's issues under the rug by allowing her to submit corrections and keep her faculty position with a high salary, whereas Gino was placed on unpaid leave and stripped of tenure.
• Defamation Lawsuits: Gino filed a $25 million lawsuit against Harvard, claiming the university mishandled her case and defamed her. In August 2025, Harvard filed a counterclaim, alleging Gino had provided falsified datasets to investigators in an attempt to cover up her original fraud.
Harvard's Official Position: The university maintains that its investigations are thorough and follow established standards for research misconduct, noting that cases are judged on their specific facts rather than individual status.
Lucy's Rationale
• The Notarized Document: In It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, she presents a signed document promising not to pull the ball away. When she inevitably does, she points out it was never notarized.
• The Sacred Vow (1979): The only time she actually kept her promise was when Charlie Brown was in the hospital. She vowed to let him kick it if he got better. He did, and she held the ball—but Charlie Brown missed and kicked her hand instead.
• Philosophical Excuses: She has blamed everything from "last-minute changes" in programs to "women's lib" and even "Ecclesiastical" seasons for her betrayal.
Why He Keeps Falling For It
Charlie Brown is stuck between a rock and a hard place. If he refuses, she mocks his lack of trust; if he tries, he ends up flat on his back. Creator Charles M. Schulz saw the gag as a metaphor for the human condition—the necessity of maintaining hope even when the odds are stacked against you.
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