Meta employees discussed a plan described as a “whisper strategy” aimed at persuading the academic community to disavow social psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt, according to court documents unsealed in a US case.
Multiple outlets report that the discussions were linked to Meta facing public scrutiny over youth safety and the mental health impacts of social media, alongside the company preparing for litigation related to children’s online harm. The documents describe internal efforts to undermine Haidt, who has been associated with arguments that have influenced calls for stricter platform rules.
Coverage is broadly consistent across sources: all refer to the “whisper strategy” terminology and to court-filed minutes or documents describing attempts to get academics to disavow Haidt. Differences are mainly in emphasis and context. Some outlets foreground a connection to the teen mental-health debate and a “global campaign,” while others highlight the potential effect on claims that Meta’s platforms are contributing to a crisis. Where details beyond the shared core allegation appear, they are framed through each outlet’s chosen background on Haidt’s influence and the regulatory or trial environment Meta was said to anticipate.
