Monsanto Spied on Neil Young | Revealed: How Monsanto's 'intelligence center' targeted journalists and activists
"They should have just called me directly. I remember all the shaky things I have done.” Statement on NYA
Monsanto's Roundup & Neil Young
UPDATE: Neil Young has issued a statement on Monsanto spying on him on NYA: "They should have just called me directly. I remember all the shaky things I have done.”
Long live Neil Young... Fuck Monsanto 🖕🏽 https://t.co/VrPmOWpXfs
— Margo Price (@MissMargoPrice) August 13, 2019
Unsurprisingly -- but sadly -- an investigation reveals that Monsanto spied on Neil Young.
The investigation is reported in the article Revealed: How Monsanto's 'intelligence center' targeted journalists and activists; Internal documents show how the company worked to discredit critics and investigated singer Neil Young | The Guardian.
Monsanto operated a “fusion center” to monitor and discredit journalists and activists, and targeted a reporter who wrote a critical book on the company, documents reveal. The agrochemical corporation also investigated the singer Neil Young and wrote an internal memo on his social media activity and music.
Monsanto “fusion center” officials wrote a lengthy report about singer Neil Young’s anti-Monsanto advocacy, monitoring his impact on social media, and at one point considering “legal action”. The fusion center also monitored US Right to Know (USRTK), a not-for-profit, producing weekly reports on the organization’s online activity.
The fusion center also produced detailed graphs on the Twitter activity of Neil Young, who released an album in 2015 called the Monsanto Years. The center “evaluated the lyrics on his album to develop a list of 20+ potential topics he may target” and created a plan to “proactively produce content and response preparedness”, a Monsanto official wrote in 2015, adding it was “closely monitoring discussions” about a concert featuring Young, Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews.
“We have reached out to the legal team and are keeping them informed of Neil’s activities in case any legal action is appropriate,” the email said.
A LinkedIn page for someone who said he was a manager of “global intelligence and investigations” for Monsanto said he established an “internal Intelligence Fusion Center” and managed a “team responsible for the collection and analysis of criminal, activist / extremist, geo-political and terrorist activities affecting company operations across 160 countries”. He said he created Monsanto’s “insider threats program”, leading analysts who collaborated “in real time on physical, cyber and reputational risk”.
Monsanto fusion center's graph of Twitter activity related to Neil Young and Monsanto/GMOs
Link to full internal document
Monsanto fusion center's graph of Twitter activity related to Neil Young and Monsanto/GMOs. (They were worried about Young's album "The Monsanto Years" and mini-documentary "Seeding Fear"). Link to full internal document
Monsanto "evaluating" Neil Young's lyrics and "closely monitoring" his concert plans
Link to full internal document
Monsanto operated a “fusion center” to monitor & discredit journalists & activists - and targeted a reporter who wrote a critical book on the company. It also investigated singer Neil Young for his social media activity & music: https://t.co/AeHg5iluPS @guardianeco
— MdPesticideEdNetwork (@MdPesticideNet) August 8, 2019
It would seem that spying on Neil Young would lead to bad karma. Very uncool. And not too smart either...
Likewise, spying on TW may just leads to bad karma, as well, as we discussed when Monsanto teamed up with Tech Giant Corporations (Big Brother/Sister Complex) to shadow ban us, de-monetize us, de-platform us, memory-hole us, and harass/troll us relentlessly.
but we digress...
Documents Reveal Monsanto Surveilled Journalists, Activists & Even Musician Neil Young | Democracy Now!. Starts @ 43:50 with music montage from "The Monsanto Years".
Explosive new documents reveal the U.S. agribusiness giant Monsanto ran a “fusion center” to surveil and discredit journalists and activists who criticized or wrote damning reports about Monsanto, as well as legendary singer-songwriter Neil Young, who released an album in 2015 called “The Monsanto Years.” Monsanto monitored Young’s Twitter activity and even analyzed the lyrics of his album.See ~54:00 for specifics on Neil Young.
Documents Reveal Monsanto Surveilled Journalists, Activists & Even Musician Neil Young https://t.co/AkWJCVz4nb pic.twitter.com/wTxsl2v7k1
— Democracy Now! (@democracynow) August 9, 2019
We described here on Thrashers Wheat back in 2015 that Neil Young and The Promise Of The Real's album "The Monsanto Years" had Gone Where No Musician Had Ever Gone Before.
I would hate to get on the wrong side of Neil Young.This is a very detailed review of The Monsanto Years and we urge all to give it a full reading. (Thanks Alan!)
Though it takes a lot to make him angry, once Neil's passion is roused it seems to be very hard for him to put that fire out. Where most singer-songwriters would turn a problem into a single song and forget about it the minute the studio lights go out, Neil can and does spend whole albums exploring what's on his mind and on his heart. Neil chooses his targets with care too: in the past only Richard Nixon and George Bush have felt the full force of his wrath but here it is again, this time aimed squarely at a company most famous for producing genetically modified crops. As far as I know no musician has ever had a go at a single company before - except the odd record label perhaps - but suddenly it all makes sense as Neil uses Monsanto as both a specific case of corruption and scandal everyone can relate to and as a wider metaphor for what has gone wrong with the world in the past few years (Starbucks gets quite a kicking too). 'Too rich for jail' Neil sighs, before sarcastically cackling 'Corporations have 'feelings', they're just like people - just harder to control!'
Even more than 'Living With War, the anti-Iraq and Afghanistan war album from 2005, this sounds like the album it felt like Neil and his colleagues should be making in the wake of 'Ohio', standing up for those who don't have a voice and trying to add his own views to run alongside what gets reported in the media as the 'truth'. The biggest problem with this record is that its not the CSNY album it should be and that Neil's ability to get mad means that he's still mad at his old buddies who could have shaped this record from another promising-but-not-quite-there record into the comeback album of all time: this album seems built for burning Stills-Young guitar duels and angelic mocking harmonies and would have benefited greatly from having a couple of songs by each of CSN to compare and contrast with. As with so many Neil albums recently, 'Monsanto' would have made a bigger impact still if it hadn't quite so much the same all the way through.
A couple of quick points just on this brief opening: 1) It is important to note how unique it is what Neil Young has done here in terms of nearly single handedly taking on one the biggest, baddest corporate actors out there, and 2) while it may have been even more compelling with CSNY or SY, it seems that the youthful vigor of POTR is the real deal.
The Monsanto Years - Neil Young + Promise Of The Real
(Click here to enlarge/zoom)
Also, see Corporate Food, Will It Make You Fat and Sick?
So who's gonna stand up and save save the earth?
Zollhafen / Nordmole, Mainz, Germany 28 July 2014
Photo by Takahiro Kyono | Flickr
(Click photo to enlarge)
Also, see:
- The Emperor Has No Clothes, and Neither Do Monsanto’s ‘Scientists’ | Common Dreams
- The Monsanto Years Fallout Continues: Yet Another Major Setback for Monsanto Corporation
VICTORY: Monsanto Loses Landmark Roundup Weedkiller Case; Jury Awards $289M to Cancer Victim (8/2018)
Full trial coverage at Neil Young and Daryl Hannah at Monsanto Roundup Trial by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Also, see Neil Young and Daryl Hannah Attend Monsanto Roundup Trial and VICTORY: Monsanto Loses Landmark Roundup Weedkiller Case; Jury Awards $289M to Cancer Victim.
" It's a bad day to do nothin'"
~~"A New Day For Love" by Neil Young
Labels: monsanto, monsanto years, neil young
38 Comments:
oh shit, did they also target the twelve people who bought "the Monsanto years"??
Yep, undoubtedly Monsanto has a dossier on you. And Daryl. And Willie, John, & Dave.
And Lukas. And Micah.
Full Disclosure is coming. The long awaited "Quantum Big Shift" is well underway.
are you ready for the country?
It's all about You. And Me. And Us.
#WT1sWBWO
At least Neil has the balls to stand up for what he believes in. FUCK BAYER and MONSANTO for all the death and illness they have caused over the years. The Farm Aiduans
The Monsanto people quickly came to learn that "Monsanto Years" was simply unlistenable and, therefore, they had nothing to be concerned about. It was so bad that the 63 people who bought the album tended to feel sympathy for Monsanto for being associated with such dreck.
Workin' Man is a great song while Biteme & CK Junior comments prove how deep Monsanto's spying runs.
Monsanto Years is a great album, the content alone is priceless. Name another artist brave enough to take on an evil giant. The Farm Aidians
yeah, looks like the Monsanto shills are back again.
we saw what happened last time. these people are stupid.
#WT1sWBWO
Love Monsanto Years. ALWAYS appreciate Neil's passion, guts and willingness to speak out. Happy to be one of the 63 people who bought it while JK Junior was busy spinning his Justin Bieber records.
@ The Farm Aidians - Looking fwd to FA in Wisconsin!
@ Tamara in Montana - just updated post here with a photo of "The Monsanto Years" Quilt at Telluride in 16. That was a great weekend. Hope to see you and John @ FA19!
If you think it's "brave" and takes "guts" for a well-established artist to speak out against an unpopular chemical company, then you have a very low threshold for bravery. What, do you think a bunch of Monsanto goons are going to come after him? Get real. Frankly, I couldn't give a sh*t about Monsanto one way or the other. People listen to Neil because they want to hear good music. They want to experience art. If they wanted to learn about the evils of Monsanto, there are a thousand better resources to turn to than this album. There is nothing particularly informative about Monsanto Years and, more importantly, there is nothing remotely artistic about it. It is a series of embarrassingly cliched rantings put to a mediocre soundtrack. It received poor reviews and, of course, very few people had any interest in listening to it.
Don't get me wrong: I totally respect Neil's "passion" and the energy he puts towards speaking out on issues he cares about. That's awesome. But don't try to pass off these expressions as viable music offerings that you are asking the general public to purchase. That ain't going to happen, as well-demonstrated by the response to Monsanto Years and his other recent albums. People care about these issues, but nobody cares about Neil's attempt to translate his interest in these issues into music. For 99.9% of the population, including most Neil fans that I know, it has no resonance whatsoever as quality music.
LOL TiM. Good photo and quilt too. That was a fun day and a beautiful town and times at Last Dollar.
@ CK Junior - folks here have got you pegged here. Not only as Monsanto shill but a Neil troll as well.
How to Spot a Troll 101:
At 7/07/2017 02:53:00 PM, Blogger CK Junior said...
"I would like to again remind people that this song absolutely stinks. "
http://neilyoungnews.thrasherswheat.org/2017/07/statement-by-neil-young-orchestra-video.html#c419891985090427970
At 7/14/2017 04:25:00 PM, Blogger CK Junior said...
"On a scale of 0 to 100, he has gone from a 98 down to a big fat 0. "
http://neilyoungnews.thrasherswheat.org/2017/07/resist-powers-that-be-neil-youngs-new.html#c7730556800925754542
At 1/13/2018 06:16:00 PM, Blogger CK Junior said...
"Landing on Water is one of the worst albums I've ever heard."
http://neilyoungnews.thrasherswheat.org/2018/01/music-video-cry-cry-cry-by-neil-young.html#c127330639369138316
The desperation of Monsanto is pathetic. A Fusion Center tracking journalists and artists while cranking out Fake Science?
we smell your fear CK Jr. we taste victory.
onward
It is painfully clear to me after reading the posts here that we are indeed being directly influenced by the technology of the day. Somewhere along the growing influence of mass media and instant gratification created through the almighty World Wide Web we have become much more comfortable attacking each other from the so called safety of our homes (or phones). We are a polarized world once again by hate, ego and upbringing that has begun to work within our world, killing innocent people and destroying lives.
We have not yet learned from our past and now it begins again. The Us against Them philosophy has never disappeared and now it’s gaining strength. This is bigger than Monsanto or Neil Young, it’s just the tip of the iceberg. Why do so many feel compelled to lash out without thought of the repercussions to those around them. It’s time to think differently. We are all related in some way and although we fight with family we don’t stop being family. Will you kill just to be what you think is Right? None of us are always right, including myself at this moment, but we need to know that words are powerful and they too can cause great harm. Is my opinion important enough to hurt someone else? I hope not.
Perhaps this is the wrong format for this, but I feel compelled to appeal to those here who have shared their spite and fear to reconcile those feelings before their words are shared here. We have the ability to get our thoughts across without the need to offend. Everyone is entitled to like or dislike a Neil Young Record. After all, it’s just an artist reflecting on the world he lives in. But one must remember that quality art must reflect the times in which it was created, so a strong reaction is the litmus test whether the artist was successful. Therefore, the stronger the reaction, the bigger the success.
Loving or hating a record isn’t the problem here. But it’s just another way of showing ones true self. Be kind to each other here, if we can’t do that then we become the problem and not the solution.
Think Peace, Love and Understanding first.
............ yes I know what’s coming Thrasher, but my heart needed to speak.
Thanks for listening.
@ Dan - Your words are right on.
You allude to civil war. That's the Game here. Divide & conquer on all levels. Even attempting to divide Neil fans isn't off limits or too low to stoop.
That this is all the 50th anniversary of Woodstock is no mere coincidence.
As long as everyone is distracted and polarized in fear, "The Powers That Be" march on.
As long as we try to think Peace, Love and Understanding first, we can prevail and win.
afterall, What's So Funny About Peace, Love, & Understanding & Music?
Good evening from Paris ... After reading the Guardian article ......
"It shows an abuse of power that they have gained by making such sales," he added. "They have so much money, and they are trying so hard to protect."
More people in France ...
WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE IN FRANCE !! OR IN ITALY
A-LIST?
WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?
Thrasher, I have honest, dissenting views when it comes to Neil's recent work. I find it to be some of the worst of his career. What is the response that I get for expressing such views in this forum? I am a "troll", a "Monsanto shill", a lover of Justin Bieber, and (alas) someone who is trying to divide the American people. Wow. Very mature stuff. Very heady, with a solid dose of conspiratorial nonsense. Actually, the truth is that I am from another galaxy, sent to undermine your love of Neil Young and your faith in mankind.
Just state your position. Be clear. Are only positive opinions about Neil Young and his work welcome in the Comments section? Those are obviously the only opinions that you credit and care to hear, but is that the official policy of the Comments section? If so, I will respectfully abide by it.
You can call me a "troll", but at least I look at Neil with some modicum of nuance. In your world, every Neil viewpoint is the "right" one and every Neil album is good, or at least brave, or at least really, really provocative. He can do no wrong. The Emperor is always fully clothed in the eyes of Thrasher.
@ Jose - your guess is as good as ours.
@ CK - please, spare us. so typical of the weak hand.
your feelings are hurt b/c the host calls you out, like the drunk getting kicked out of the party for boorish behavior. The pattern here is well established. When 100% of your comments reek of negativity, it begs the question why you're here?
negative opinions are fine here, as everyone knows.
http://neilyoungnews.thrasherswheat.org/2013/06/it-has-come-to-our-attention-that-some.html
You know what you said is a lie. We see your technique here and the pattern is most obvious. See http://www.thrasherswheat.org/2007/10/comments-policy-at-thrashers-wheat.html
When you can't attack the information directly, you attack the source, if that fails, you 'create false misleading information' to discredit knowing 'select' 'unaware' followers would not take the time to self-corroborate the claims. (same vehicle/tactics used by FAKE NEWS media).
Look. The more you try and justify, the more sad it all becomes. you're really doing your side a disservice if we can offer some constructive criticism. Actually, all your comments do is make it obvious your desperation and fear.
Pardon my heart
If I showed that I cared
But I love you more than moments
We have or have not shared
You brought it all on
Oh, and it feels so good
You brought it all on
When love flows the way that it should
You brought it all on.
It feels so good
It feels good
It feels good
good
Monsanto years is p**ce of c**p.
@ NY 1970 - looks like the Monsanto “Fusion Center” is working overtime tonight.
How much are they paying for comment bounty? $5 each? Ya know, they never pay the trolls bounty, sucker. Or is just garden variety blackmail?
tell us the truth NY 1970
Personally I hope this inspires Neil to play Workin Man.. in Indiana! Or big box- TMY is one of my favorites of his recent output. Rather hear those songs over HOG or Out on the Weekend any day of the week. Not that I really care, I’m just happy to see Neil.
I like the album very much
The truth is imho this is one of Neil's weakest records. Just re listened to it in case I would have a change of mind. But no it still sounds weak. To me forgettable musically, lyrically banal and poorly recorded. I agree with the sentiments about Monsanto in particular and big business in general I just don't like the record and it is definitely near the bottom of my N Y list. I do object to the fact that because I don't like the record that I am some kind of paid Monsanto spy. I thought this was a space for opinions not hero worship.
you thought this was the space for opinions and not hero worship? hahahahaha!!! you haven't been paying attention!! thrasher is IN LOVE with neil young. I mean, look at what has happened above!! he reacts so insanely to ANY negative comment on neil or his music. so now if you happen to not like a neil song, or a neil album, you're a PAID MONSANTO SHILL!!! seriously, this sounds like the kind of crap Donald Trump would accuse people of.
wait..that's it! thrasher is nothing more than a DONALD TRUMP OPERATIVE!!! it all makes sense now! we're on to you, thrasher. we get it. all those silly neil young lyrics you post at people, like a teenage girl with a crush! read between the lines, folks. nothing as it seems. every dollar you send to thrasher via ads or t shirts or the neil young hairs he collects (true, by the way)...it's all going to Trump's re-election campaign!
SICK!!
and by the way, Monsanto IS evil. roundup causes cancer. I was telling people that long before Neil Young got religion.
Looks like the Monsanto “Fusion Center” is working overtime this weekend, folks.
This is all going exactly according to Monsanto's smear campaign playbook.
This is from the Democracy Now! interview embedded above with targeted journalist and author Carey Gillam:
"Independent individuals were giving talking points to discredit me and to smear the book.
We know from the documents that Monsanto talked about purchasing Google blog postings, search engine optimization, so that if people searched for my name and the book, they would get a host of negative, slanderous information about me. And all of this was done to look like it didn’t come from Monsanto, to look like it was coming from independent third parties — farmers or scientists or others.
And we saw that play out."
yeah, dude. I've been posting here for years. giving you the same shit for years. all because...Monsanto? yeah, that's it.
now where's my goddamn check??
Might not be his greatest album but it resonates as a great put down to a scumbag capitalist corporation. Well done Neil for highlighting this crime against humanity.
@ 02:15:00 PM - so agree.
From Neil Young and The Promise Of The Real "The Monsanto Years" (2015) | Alan's Album Archives:
"Neil Young chooses his targets with care too: in the past only Richard Nixon and George Bush have felt the full force of his wrath but here it is again, this time aimed squarely at a company most famous for producing genetically modified crops.
As far as I know no musician has ever had a go at a single company before - except the odd record label perhaps - but suddenly it all makes sense as Neil uses Monsanto as both a specific case of corruption and scandal everyone can relate to and as a wider metaphor for what has gone wrong with the world in the past few years (Starbucks gets quite a kicking too).
'Too rich for jail' Neil sighs, before sarcastically cackling 'Corporations have 'feelings', they're just like people - just harder to control!' "
You can a bunch more review of MY @
http://neilyoungnews.thrasherswheat.org/2015/07/neil-young-promise-of-real-monsanto.html
a sampling...
From Neil Young socks it to corporate America in ‘Monsanto Years’ | seattletimes.com by Paul de Barros:
"This is a brave and timely recording."
From Neil Young's in protest mode on 'The Monsanto Years' | latimes.com by Randall Roberts: "Promise of the Real isn't messing around. Loose with dueling guitars, big distortion and pounding drums, the band turns "Rules of Change" into a grungy track best described as Neil Young inspired."
From youareaghost by Ghost Writer:
"The Monsanto Years is a powerful record full of bitterness and fury, it is not a happy shiny type of record as doomy sound and lyrics are all over the place is a heartbreaking record in a sort of way, not romantic at all, but I a desperate cry in favor of earth and humanity, and nobody does it better than Young, and this time he is not alone, he is standing for the planet with Buffy, Nelson´s sons and Pope Francis."
I hope Bauer has a Birth Control and STD division cause they got fucked 12 ways to Tuesday on this Monsanto Merger Migraine
Safe Or Not, Roundup Is Toxic for Bayer
German multinational Bayer underestimated the risks of acquiring Monsanto. Now, the company is desperately seeking to contain the damage by selling business divisions and cutting jobs. So far, though, none of these moves have helped.
Thousands of farmers with cancer have filed lawsuits against Monsanto's new owner, and investors now view Bayer shares as high-risk stocks they don't want to include in their portfolios. This has made the past year one of the most difficult in Bayer Group's 155-year history. The new year could prove to be even more turbulent, and it's possible the situation could grow even more perilous for the company.
It is now clear, however, that the company clearly underestimated them. Bayer's supervisory board unanimously approved the $63 billion acquisition, the most expensive in German business history.
Shedding Market Capitalization
Bayer has shed more than 30 billion euros from its market capitalization since the acquisition in the summer of 2018, largely because Monsanto lost one of the first lawsuits against it relating to glyphosate. Bayer executives have been almost desperate in their attempts to reassure shareholders: The company is cutting huge numbers of jobs, selling off parts of the company and has even announced the repurchase of its own shares -- a step usually taken by companies swimming in money that are unsure how to invest it. So far, though, none of these measures have had the desired effect.
Will the stock then become a pawn for speculators and the corporation the target of an attack by activists who plan to break Bayer up because the individual parts could be worth more than the whole?
It would spell the end of a company that is an intrinsic part of Germany and its business history.
Apparently my post on 8/9/19 fell on deaf ears on both sides here.
@ Hounds That Howl - thanks for details.
yeah, Bayer's acquisition of Monsanto has been a disaster for share holders. so sad.
updated post with article stock price graphic. we added a few key dates.
as you can see, the decline in share price tracks along with MY album release and TW's coverage.
and for all of those who mocked NY & TW in 2015 on this posting, http://neilyoungnews.thrasherswheat.org/2015/06/the-monsanto-years-corporate-targets.html
well, every dog has its day.
while we're tempted to celebrate, no rest until victory is complete and unequivocal.
#WT1sWBWO
@ Dan - while we heard what you said and try to offer a helping hand to folks like BiteMe, those who are deaf, do not hear. Those that are blind can not see.
But just to be clear here w/ BiteMe and others. Throw your hatred down.
your "goddamn check" will never arrive. you've been conned again by corporate greed.
quit the shill/troll farm. is it really worth $5 per comment to lie for an evil corporation's "Fusion Ctr"?
be part of the solution. join us. follow the truth.
walk with us
emailed comment by Alan in Seattle
Dear Thrasher and real Neil Young fans,
BiteMe & CK are paid Trolls. That seems apparent.
Willing to argue a point and criticize from any angle just like they are ON THE CLOCK. I love the Monsanto Years album and I marched against Monsanto for years before it came out. It is a Karmic defeat that the world now sees Monsanto as the poison pushers they really are. Value crashing, they are an Evil Corporation who will go down. It's in all the food & it causes Cancer.
Alan in Seattle
Thrasher, stick to your day job of lobbing random Neil Young lyrics at people who criticize Neil's music and then accusing them of corporate espionage. But you may want to stay away from analyzing the financial markets. If you actually think that a Neil Young album that made nary a ripple in the public consciousness had an impact on Bayer or Monsanto's stock price, then you should spend a little time looking at the enormous market capitalization of those companies, daily volume, and what stock analysts on Wall Street actually care about when they evaluate stocks and buy and sell large blocks of stock, thereby setting the price at a given moment. You may be surprised to learn that these multi-billion dollar decisions happening every day do not revolve around silly Neil Young lyrics and/or articles on Thrasher's Wheat. You are quite detached from reality, my good man.
CK Junior, I posted the der Spiegel article on the effect of Monsanto Purchase on Bayer financially. Thrasher is only pointing out that a 150 year old industry leading chemical giant despite tens of thousands of hours of due diligence had no idea what a corrupt company They were taking over while a dirty hippie just listening to US farmers knew and called them to account. Financial engineering don’t mean shit when you’re buying an asset that’s rotten to the core. Neil has a huge passionate following in Germany. Too bad a senior Bayer Manager didn’t pick up a copy of Monsanto Years and check it out. Spending $12 US would have saved them billions of Euros and 12,000 jobs.
Are we still living in Monsanto Years?
this debate was more interesting than the record ! I'm with CK he nailed it. Ban me.
good lord, y'all stoopid. paid shill? fucking dumb as rocks. yeah, i'm a paid shill. been commenting here for years. all part of the long game.
and, like any good paid shill, I shit all over the company that's paying me. see that comment up thread where I called Monsanto "evil", and said "roundup causes cancer"? yep, that's what they're paying me for, folks.
keep on durpin' in the free world.
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