Bonum Certa Men Certa

The Corporate 'Cancel Culture' Industry — Part V: Hit Piece Gone Wrong?

Series parts:



Video download link | md5sum 9b385543b1b233f778bc7bd121d8a50a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0



Summary: What seemed like an 'explosive' piece in the making seems to have been aborted; we urge the community to be vigilant of corporate shills with an axe to grind, even those who call themselves "journalists" (but lack professional training in journalism)

TODAY'S part, which comes a little later than originally planned (there's no schedule set in stone), is the latest which deals with Linux, the kernel, and the Linux Foundation (LF). We'd like to discuss the problem at hand in more generalised terms and caution people about media patterns suggestive of hatchet jobs 'dressed up' as an act of journalism.



The series started about a fortnight ago or a week before the introduction and some more concrete details [1, 2, 3, 4], culminating in today's video, which is a bit long but at least helps close/conclude the part about Linux. It's not the last part in this series but the last part in a peculiar tale of Linux 'journalism'.

"It's not the last part in this series but the last part in a peculiar tale of Linux 'journalism'."To give a rough gist of the video, some people present themselves as trying to or attempting to genuinely help, even if the underlying agenda is malicious/sinister. They may walk in donning some "concern troll" clothing, but don't be easily charmed, i.e. misled. One person who saw the approaching party cautioned me that they "paint you as a "crazy" person among millions". Over a year ago we saw people approaching Linus Torvalds to help prepare anti-Torvalds pieces. I gave some examples in the video above and even named the 'journalists' at hand; they first pretend to be a friend, then ask very personal questions, then spice up their hatchet jobs with a bunch of quotes, framing the subject of the hit piece as fully cooperative, consenting to the "work".

In an effort to identify the motivation, I was quickly greeted with a strident tone; "he's dodging your question(s)," one person told me, and "he looks like a phony to me..."

Throughout all the videos and this entire series I never (not even once) named the person. He would not be the first person to attempt this and I learned from experience to be a little picky who I respond to and how. In order to see what the motivations are it helps to ask some preceding questions and 'test the waters'. In this case, I quickly noticed the paradox; on the one hand he claimed to be sceptical of LF, but at the same time he justified this splintering of the community. Which side was he really on? He seemed to be trying to interrogate me, not to be in pursuit of actual facts. He decided what the conclusion was, then he started chasing for assorted "tidbits" to support this conclusion. Not hypothesis, conclusion. One can tell he has no background in science. He's not open-minded, either.

"He decided what the conclusion was, then he started chasing for assorted "tidbits" to support this conclusion.""You don't want to become a useful idiot to these people," one person advised me. "IBM and Microsoft have chosen you as their latest high-profile target after LT, RMS, Tso and others..." (Torvalds, Stallman, and a former unofficially-recognised deputy of Torvalds, whom people kept defaming).

This person took note of "ridiculous statements in his first e-mail," calling him a potential "sockbearer" rather than "sockpuppet", and his repertoire of past work was extremely limited. Yet he boasted a lot. To quote the sceptic, "look, I threw some people under the bus, I'm so powerful" (innocent people, too).

One certain gut feeling or instinct said the conclusion might be something to the effect of, "Linux Foundation Announces Plan to Become More Transparent" -- a puff piece with many quotes from "sane" Zemlin with some 'filthy hippies' who are simply jealous because of money. They can spin the reality to make it seem like it boiled down to money, envy. The publicists of Bill Gates have used this kind of spin for decades.

As he did not respond to my suggestion, which was polite, I simply assumed he didn't get me where he wanted me, then bailed out. From what one can gather, he clearly does not use GNU/Linux, nor does he understand it. He can't write code, but he has a degree in history. He sports a vanity page in Wikipedia, possibly written by himself or a peer/friend, exaggerating accomplishments and credentials. Those are red flags.

"In the next few parts we'll take a more holistic view on the issue. It's a lot broader than just a few incidents here and there."I may never know if he's running an interference for Zemlin and some companies, but it does not matter. In the more distant past, each time I responded to Microsoft boosters with a "journalist" hat my words ended up cherry-picked to my disadvantage, lost in the noise of Microsoft talking heads. People who are asking questions in E-mail but end up insisting it be done on the phone (with no transcript available to you)? Why can't a raw interview be done? Why was he trying to "friend" me in Microsoft LinkedIn? Does he not understand how I feel about Microsoft? Can he not read over there that I've not updated that account since 2006?

Either way, I seem to have dodged a bullet there. And I decided to write about it in case other people are similarly targeted. Companies like IBM and Microsoft have endless budget for these things (not even counting front groups of theirs) and the media is generally very hostile towards GNU/Linux as a community.

In the next few parts we'll take a more holistic view on the issue. It's a lot broader than just a few incidents here and there.

Recent Techrights' Posts

A Year Ago, Only a Few Weeks After We Countersued the 'Hulk Hogan of UEFI', Our Webhost Came Under Attack
At the end of September 2024 our webhost received several threats
The Register - Kissing the hand that feeds it
hired to manage the publication several people connected to Microsoft, including the new Editor in Chief
 
Links 28/09/2025: Windows TCO, Security Breaches, and Deutsche Bahn Woes
Links for the day
Datacentres Aren't Reliable for Backups
bad practices cause immeasurable levels of permanent data losses each and every day
Links 28/09/2025: Science, Censorship, and Security Incidents/Advisories
Links for the day
Gemini Links 28/09/2025: Golem and Cybertrucks
Links for the day
Links 28/09/2025: Moldova Elections, LLM Slop Failing Again to Accomplish Anything
Links for the day
Links 28/09/2025: Slop Does More Harm, Newly Released Epstein Estate Documents
Links for the day
Links 28/09/2025: Fentanylware (TikTok) 'Going Private' (the Dictator's Media Allies) and UK Mirror Lays Off More Journalists
Links for the day
If Only Someone Warned Us About This...
Ubuntu is committing suicide with Rusty code
The Myths of "Linux" and of "Intelligence"
As noted this morning
People Remembered GNU's Birthday (Which Helps Remind People It All Started in 1983, Not 1991)
Have the FSF and GNU earned the respect they deserve?
Slopwatch: Ponzi Schemes Promoted by Media Companies, Linux Journal Turning Its 30-Year Reputation to Dust, and Serial Slopper Brian Fagioli Plagiarising, As Usual
This bubble will end up very badly
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, September 27, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, September 27, 2025
Links 27/09/2025: Squashing Software Patents and When Hospitals Become For-Profit
Links for the day
Gemini Links 27/09/2025: Young Feet and Online Bots
Links for the day
GNU Project Turns 42
In 2033 it'll be 50
Next Step: Find Out Who's Funding the 'Hulk Hogan of UEFI' to SLAPP Us
We now have the 'Hulk Hogan of UEFI' working alongside a strangler of women, who as a Microsoft employee spent time in prison for it
Web Sites That Are Independent Are Also Like Software Projects (Sometimes Literally So)
Roll out your own 'stack'
Pieter Hintjens on Codes of Misconduct a Decade Ago
original is still online
Links 27/09/2025: Australia Might Ban Microsoft GitHub for Young People, Likely Illegal Executive Order Turns TikTok Into Cheeto Propaganda
Links for the day
Repeating the Lies to Promote a Ponzi Scheme is Not OK Because "Many Other Sites Do This" (Including Slopfarms)
They already work on the next Ponzi scheme
The Register MS (Situation Publishing) is Participating in a Ponzi Scheme
The market in "tech" seems awful when a lot of it sells a fraud and journalism about this market is part of the fraud
Glimmer of Hope: More People Realise and Come to Accept "AI" is Just a Giant, Elaborate Ponzi/Pyramid Scheme That Will Leave Everyone Worse Off (Except the "Top of the Pyramid")
quoting Einhorn and some comments
Mass Layoffs in Starbucks... and Society Loses Nothing of Value
Society might even be better off if Starbucks shuts down entirely
Do Your Job and Demand Your Compensation - But in That Order.
We'll do our best to convince the Judge to award all costs to us (lawyers, barrister, LIP bills etc.) plus judgements against them, for abusive litigation and needless suffering associated with that abuse
Matthew J. Garrett Behaved in a Similar Fashion to 4Chan and Kiwi Farms
Opposites attract? Are they opposites at all?
Drew DeVault Suggests "CoC Enhancement", Starts Trolling Projects in Microsoft GitHub
And it backfires immediately
Like Nazi Germany and Volkswagen
Tell us all about "freedom" when your government runs a Ponzi scheme
Microsoft Sponsored This Man, Microsoft Sponsored His Behaviour (and He Controls Microsoft)
They get what they paid for
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, September 26, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, September 26, 2025
He Talks Too Much, He Says Dumb Things
only British when that suits him
Slopwatch: FUD and Plagiarism (Working Against Linux) Promoted and Rewarded by Google News
Shame on Google News
Reminder: We're Unloading Some Publications to Tux Machines
About 15 years ago I was struggling to keep up with TechDirt
The E-mail Protocol is for Text
bad netiquette
Gemini Links 26/09/2025: Slop in OpenStreetMap and MOPML (My Own Private Markup Language)
Links for the day
Links 26/09/2025: More Provocations Against NATO by Russia (Near Alaska, USA), Microsoft Booster Accenture Has Mass Layoffs
Links for the day
Links 26/09/2025: Hardware, Security, Health, and Nuclear Armament
Links for the day
Links 26/09/2025: "Digital Fatigue" and Slop Frenzy (Hype) Ruining Work Productivity, Culture, Languages
Links for the day
Brett Wilson LLP Unwilling to Disclose or Explain How 'Hulk Hogan of UEFI' Pays for His SLAPPs Against Us (He Cannot Afford These), So We Are Escalating
Escalated in the British authorities
What 'Hulk Hogan of UEFI' Could Learn From Jimmy Kimmel About the 'Streisand Effect'
Lawyering up is risky and is usually doesn't work
Linux is Replacing Apple
Apple is money down the drain. Not only are the gadgets overpriced; they cost a lot to maintain and keep going over time
"We don't have that kind of relationship with Microsoft. The only public key that every UEFI firmware is guaranteed to have is Microsoft's, and only Microsoft owns the private key."
This is how to sabotage GNU/Linux distros that Microsoft does not control
Slopwatch: linuxconfig.org, linuxsecurity.com, and Google's Promotion of the Worst and Most Prolific Slopfarms
Over in Google News it has been quite chaotic this past day
Gemini Links 26/09/2025: Reading RSS Feeds, ROOPHLOCH 202
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, September 25, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, September 25, 2025