On January 17, I was quoted in an Phil Britt’s article “4 Supply Chain Security Threats and How to Handle Them” (via WayBackMachine) on The New Stack. The next day, after I had shared the article and The New Stack responded by liking the share on LinkedIn, my comments were canceled, stealth edited by the editors, whose journalistic ethics were no match for the demands of an anonymous troll.
As self-described “veteran journalists who have covered enterprise technology from the dot-com era to today,” one would expect them to adhere to minimum standards, such as reaching out to the journalist and me, or investigating the tweeter, their history of harassment, and baseless claims.
What follows is the letter that I sent to the The New Stack editors on January 19. There has been no response. If you think that this is wrong, you can respectfully ask the editors. All of their emails and Twitter handles are available here: https://thenewstack.io/about-and-contact-info.
As for Twitter, please consider asking Elon Musk and his defenders why he has failed to put in place the policies and people to ensure Twitter fulfills its mission as a marketplace of ideas. And specifically why Twitter recognizes an imposter account (@IrinaTsukerman) as the real me and allows it to continue harassment campaigns on the platform while I (@IrinaTsukerman_) remain permanently suspended without cause.
My quote was unceremoniously edited out of Phil Britt’s article “4 Supply Chain Security Threats and How to Handle Them” on The New Stack after an anonymous Twitter account (“@Cthulhu_Answers”) made false allegations against me. I am a Ukrainian-born human rights and national security lawyer, journalist, and analyst. Due to the nature of my work and expertise, I have frequently been targeted by harassment campaigns, which cost me my own Twitter account (as described recently in a Cyber News article, “Which is more of a threat to the West: AI-written fake news or human trolling?”). While I [@IrinaTsukerman_] remain permanently suspended from Twitter, a much-reported imposter account (@IrinaTsukerman) run by my harassers continues to operate.
Why did The New Stack base an editorial decision solely on the word of @Cthulhu_Answers and their five likes? Why didn’t you reach out to me directly to address any questions or concerns? A cursory search would have shown my real-world reputation in major publications, media channels, and my interviews with former government officials, diplomats, and appearances ranging from BBC Arabic to the top geopolitical podcast in Australia. You can see a list on my website, which you previously cited.
As veteran journalists, you should know that editing by stealth is unethical. Editing by stealth based on defamation and baseless claims is even worse, and will actually raise doubts about your credibility.
This same anonymous account harassed the Kyiv Post, ironically for an article (“Why Russian Propaganda in the Arab Gulf States Matters” that I wrote explaining the disinformation practices of the authoritarian Russian regime! Thankfully, the Kyiv Post’s response was to expose this cynical account for spreading Russian disinformation, rather than to give them a heckler's veto. The fact that these troll accounts continue to attack me even after I was exiled from Twitter is a testament to the damage my work continues to do to their efforts at disinformation.
I am providing screenshots below of @Cthulhu_Answers’ tweets, a couple of those who have confronted the harassers, and my complaint (18649204) with the Better Business Bureau. Also attached is Twitter's official and only response to me about why my account was/remains suspended and my latest appeal to Twitter.
Since there is nothing factually wrong with what I said in the article and the attacks against my appearance in The New Stack are spurious, I request that you restore my quotes immediately. I hope we can work together in the future.
Sincerely,
Irina Tsukerman
Screenshots of Tweets and Correspondence
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