James O'Keefe, the founder of the controversial right-wing video organization Project Veritas, is taking paid leave from the company with his future currently in doubt.

According to an internal message to Project Veritas' employees sent by the organization's executive director, Daniel Strack, seen by New York Magazine's Intelligencer website, O'Keefe is taking "a few weeks of well-deserved" paid time off.

The message did not expand upon while the founder of the undercover activist group is on leave from the company.

In a further statement, Strack said: "Like all newsrooms at this stage, the Project Veritas Board of Directors and Management are constantly evaluating what the best path forward is for the organization.

"There are 65+ employees at Project Veritas dedicated to continuing the mission to expose corruption, dishonesty, waste, fraud, and other misconduct in both public and private institutions," the statement added. "To our supporters: We hear you, we care about you, and we will never supply up."

Newsweek reached out to Project Veritas for comment.

The paid leave for Keefe arrived as a leaked memo reveals that Project Veritas employees have raised concerns about his behavior to the board.

The memo, obtained by The Daily Beast, alleged that workers were "troubled and frustrated" by O'Keefe's management style and that he was "outright cruel" to staff members.

Project Veritas employees said that O'Keefe engages in berating and "public crucifixions" of staff members.

O'Keefe is also alleged to have forced workers to take lie detector tests to prove they weren't leaking information about the company and spat at them.

"James has become a power drunk tyrant," one staffer wrote in the memo signed by 16 Project Veritas workers.

The memo also lays out concerns that Project Veritas will soon go under because donors are no longer happy to fund the company, as well as staff leaving.

There is also speculation online that O'Keefe's paid time off may be linked to the exact video Project Veritas released about pharmaceutical company Pfizer.

In January, Project Veritas, known for spreading false or misleading statements, published a clip of what they claimed was an employee saying that Pfizer had considered doing research to mutate the virus behind COVID-19 in an effort to preemptively develop vaccines.

There is no evidence that such so-called "gain-of-function" research was carried out, with fact-checkers, including Newsweek's, finding that the Pfizer employee was only speaking theoretically.

In a statement about the video, Pfizer said: "In the ongoing development of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, Pfizer has not conducted gain of function or directed evolution research.

"With a naturally evolving virus, it is important to routinely assess the activity of an antiviral. Most of this work is conducted using computer simulations or mutations of the main protease–a non-infectious part of the virus," the statement added.

"In a limited number of cases when a full virus does not contain any known gain of function mutations, such virus may be engineered to enable the assessment of antiviral activity in cells

"It is important to note that these studies are required by U.S. and global regulators for all antiviral products and are carried out by many companies and academic institutions in the U.S. and around the world."

O'Keefe's paid time off arrived as Project Veritas faces an ongoing federal investigation after paying $40,000 for a diary that had been stolen from Joe Biden's daughter, Ashley Biden.

O'Keefe's lawyers deny that he was aware that the diary had been stolen from a property in Florida in September 2020 and that it was merely abandoned. He is also arguing that it is his right as a journalist to use the document as it would have been protected under the First Amendment.

Aimee Harris and Robert Kurlander pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property involving the theft of personal belongings of an immediate family member of a then-former government official who was a candidate for national political office in August 2022 in connection to the diary theft.

In December, Project Veritas also admitted that it provided staff a prohibited "excess benefit" of more than $20,000 to accompany O'Keefe when he starred in a 2021 production of Oklahoma! in Virginia.

Along with this recognition, the UNG Gainesville Campus received a $25,000 grant to increase support for adult learners. The grant was subsequently renewed in 2012 for an additional $25,000. The intent of the grant was “to galvanize [adult Georgians] to change their situation, thereby boosting the state’s economic growth” (University System of Georgia). 

As part of this same initiative, in March 2011, the University System of Georgia’s Office of Military Outreach awarded the UNG Gainesville Campus the Soldiers to Scholars grant enabling the university to better serve military personnel in its service area. With the ALC grant funds, institutional funds, and faculty/staff support, the University of North Georgia has continued to grow its support for veterans and adult learner students.  

With a growing number of both student veterans and adult learners, UNG created the Center for Adult Learners & Military (CALM) in 2012 in an effort to better serve these non-traditional student populations. CALM was renamed in January 2017 to Veteran & Adult Learner Programs (VALP). 

In August 2020, VALP and Orientation and Transitions Program (OTP) merged to form a new department:  Nighthawk Engagement and Student Transitions (NEST). This merger has increased the number of dedicated staff trained to serve Veterans and Adult Learners. NEST is now able to provide a dedicated team of staff members for Veterans and a dedicated team for Adult Learners. Having specific staff dedicated to each of these programs allows NEST to continue all previous VALP programs with an addition of new programs better geared toward each specific population. These programs will help Veterans and Adult Learners connect, prepare, and navigate their college career. 

NEST is the point-of-contact concierge for the Veteran and Adult Learners and provides advisement as requested, ACE transcript reviews, portfolio counseling, career advisement, and mentoring. NEST also works with faculty and staff by providing them training opportunities concerning Veteran and Adult Learners. 

• Certification programs help system administrators stand out from their peers while expanding and validating their skills. 
• Certification training and testing help IT professionals earn professional credibility and more power to direct and control their career paths. 
• Numerous certifications are available, but several are exceptionally valued and respected. 
• This article is for system administrators and IT professionals who want to expand their knowledge and professional credibility through certification programs.

System administrators are the glue holding together business operations, ensuring smooth-running IT infrastructures. The role requires in-demand career skills that range from server and client configuration and maintenance to access controls, network services and application resource requirements. SysAdmins may even work with more user-facing products, like directory and name services, network addressing, database services, web and desktop applications, and email. They’re often the company “tech expert” – sometimes at several organizations simultaneously. 

System administrator certifications help IT professionals navigate their career paths, expand their knowledge and demonstrate their expertise to managers and employers. SysAdmin certs may even help you secure managerial and executive level jobs and higher pay.

Tip: If you’re a SysAdmin specializing in database services, consider exploring the best database certifications for database administrators and developers.

Best system administrator certifications

After examining various credentials, we developed this list of our five favorite system administrator certifications for 2022. These certifications are geared toward various experience levels, product interests and skill sets. They can foster your development within system administration, encourage you to explore new areas of expertise, and help you set and achieve career goals. 

1. Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert 

Many businesses operate within Microsoft ecosystems, making Microsoft certifications extremely valuable and sought after. However, Microsoft has overhauled its certification processes in exact years, replacing broad certificates like Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert with a wider variety of role-based certification options divided into the following roles: 

• Data engineer
• Data scientist
• Artificial intelligence engineer
• Security engineer
• DevOps engineer
• Functional consultant
• Developer
• Administrator
• Solutions architect 

Certifications come in beginner, intermediate, and expert levels, based on applicants’ experience. 

Various system administrators may find some Microsoft certifications more advantageous than others. However, the Azure Solutions Architect Expert is the most in-demand certification for a SysAdmin with IT operation experience.  

The Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification is ideal for someone with extensive experience using Azure to solve problems and make decisions for a business’s tech needs. Candidates must have experience with every level of IT operations as well as DevOps. Candidates will be tested on their knowledge and ability to design solutions for data storage, identity, infrastructure and more using Azure. 

This certification combines elements of system administration, Azure implementation and solutions architect experience. Candidates should have one prerequisite qualification: the Azure Administrator Associate certification.  

Tip: If you have solutions architect experience, check out our list of the best enterprise architect certifications. Credentials at the architect level can lead to some of the highest-paid tech industry positions.

Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert facts and figures

2. Professional Oracle Linux 8 System Administrator 

Although Oracle is known for its database products and solutions, it also distributes Linux products geared for the enterprise and designed to support cloud environments. Oracle Linux is optimized for various Oracle products and platforms, such as:

• Oracle Exadata Database Machine
• Oracle Exalytics In-Memory Machine
• Oracle Exalogic Elastic Cloud
• Oracle Database Appliance

To support Oracle Linux, the company offers several Oracle Linux System Administrator learning paths. It also provides several standalone Linux administration courses. Oracle’s Linux certifications are considered among the best Linux certifications to earn. We’ll highlight the Professional Oracle Linux 8 System Administrator certification below. 

The OCP Oracle Linux System Administrator certification, currently at version 8, covers many tools and processes. Candidates must be well-versed in:

• Linux file systems
• Control groups
• Container concepts
• Advanced storage administration techniques
• Oracle cluster management 
• Using Ksplice Uptrack commands 

The certification also tests for knowledge of network bonding, task automation, security configuration and more. 

SysAdmins who support Oracle Solaris might also be interested in the Oracle Solaris System Administrator certification, which Oracle offers at the Associate and Professional levels. Oracle also offers a Cloud Database Migration and Integration Professional certificate. 

Professional Oracle Linux 8 System Administrator certification facts and figures

Did you know?: Oracle certifications are vendor-specific certifications to advance your networking career and are frequently sought after by SysAdmins.

3. RHCE: Red Hat Certified Engineer

In the realm of Linux system administrator certifications, Red Hat certifications stand out. Red Hat’s more senior-level certifications are especially popular among IT professionals and the firms that hire them. Those holding the Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) credential qualify for highly competitive job roles, including the following:

• Senior Linux administrator
• Senior UNIX administrator
• Senior systems engineer
• Infrastructure systems engineer
• IT analyst 

The RHCE is considered a high-level credential that’s not easy to obtain. Candidates must first obtain the Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA) credential. The RHCE credential expands the RHCSA’s understanding of automation in multisystem environments. Candidates must then pass an intense, demanding, four-hour, hands-on, performance-based exam. Those who earn the RHCE can go on to earn the Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA) in Infrastructure credential.

Candidates can choose a path based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 or Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8. RHCE certification is valid for three years from the date the certification was achieved. To maintain the certification, a credential holder must pass any RHCA exam or pass the RHCE certification exam again before the end of the three years.

Tip: See our Red Hat certification guide for additional Red Hat professional certifications based on software products, virtualization, storage and cloud-based solutions.

RHCE facts and figures

4. CompTIA Server+

CompTIA certifications, such as the A+ for hardware technicians, Network+ for network admins and Security+ for security specialists, are highly regarded in the computing industry. The CompTIA Server+ certification is no exception. 

Companies such as Intel, HP, Dell, Lenovo, Xerox and Microsoft recommend or require their server technicians to earn CompTIA Server+ credentials.

The Server+ certification exam focuses on fundamental, vendor-neutral server-related topics, including:

• Server hardware
• Operating systems
• Storage systems
• Networking
• The IT environment (documentation, diagrams and best practices)
• Security and disaster recovery
• Virtualization 
• Troubleshooting

Individuals seeking positions across the system administration world, including data technician, network administrator, IT technician and data center engineer, can benefit from CompTIA Server+ certification. This certification also provides new IT professionals with an excellent foundation for more specialized certifications.

Candidates for the Server+ certification take one exam: SK0-005. CompTIA recommends that candidates have at least two years of practical experience working with servers and either CompTIA A+ certification or comparable knowledge. This certification also stands out because it does not expire – certification is good for life. 

CompTIA Server+ facts and figures

Did you know?: CompTIA also offers some of the best computer hardware certifications as well as vendor-specific Dell certifications, help desk certifications and more.

5. VCAP-DCV Design 2022: VMware Certified Advanced Professional – Data Center Virtualization Design 2022

VMware certifications are must-have credentials for IT professionals interested in virtualization. With a comprehensive certification program encompassing all skill levels, VMware credentials are recognized globally as the best in their class of professional certifications.  

The latest incarnation of the VMware vSphere product is Version 8. VMware offers five credentials related to the vSphere product:

• Certified Technical
• Certified Professional
• Certified Advanced Professional (Data Center Virtualization Design)
• Certified Advanced Professional (Data Center Virtualization Deploy)
• Certified Design Expert 

VMware also offers a wide range of badges for specific product applications. We’re highlighting the intermediate certification: Certified Advanced Professional – Data Center Virtualization Design. 

Training is required for non-credential holders seeking to obtain the VCAP-DCV credential. VMware offers various training options to meet the training prerequisite: self-paced (on demand), live online and live classroom – some of which include virtual labs. Those possessing a valid VCAP-DCV Design certificate must attend a training course or pass the VCAP-DCV Design exam. 

VCAP-DCV Design 2022 facts and figures

Key takeaway: Earning the best IT certifications, including system admin certs, is an excellent career advancement tool for amassing and validating your skills and knowledge.

Beyond the top 5: More SysAdmin certifications

In addition to the five system administrator certifications we highlighted above, many other certification programs can help further the careers and professional development of IT professionals in system administration.

It makes sense to investigate the plethora of vendor-specific programs available for those who work with systems from companies like Brocade, Dell EMC, HPE, IBM, NetApp and Symantec. Many play into critical system specialty areas, such as storage, security and virtualization, while others offer a broad range of platforms for these and other technology areas. 

Here are some examples:

• IBM Certified System Administrator MQ V9.1: IBM Certified System Administrator MQ V9.1 is for SysAdmins who cover admin activities such as migrating, configuration, availability, performance tuning and problem determination.
• NetApp Certified Data Administrator (NCDA): NCDA is geared toward professionals who manage NetApp data storage controllers running the ONTAP operating system.
• ServiceNow Certified System Administrator: ServiceNow Certified System Administrator is aimed at professionals adept at configuring, implementing and managing ServiceNow systems.

Vendor-neutral certification programs also offer a variety of interesting and potentially valuable credentials. For example, Linux Professional Institute certifications are well known and widely recognized in IT shops and operations that depend on Linux servers to handle their workloads. 

Tip: Tech professionals may also want to consider certifications in adjacent fields, including big data certifications, starter cybersecurity certifications and project management certifications.

Job board search results (in alphabetical order by certification)

The following chart shows the results of an informal job search we conducted to supply you an idea of the relative frequency with which our top five certifications appear in genuine job postings. While all the certifications are popular, the CompTIA Server+ stands out as the clear favorite.

* When searching for VCP – Data Center credentials, we found most job descriptions didn’t indicate a specific version.

Although employers tend to pay SysAdmins less than some of their IT peers, such as network engineers and enterprise IT architects, a career in system administration is still worth pursuing. SimplyHired reports $79,283 as the national average salary for system administrators, with a range of $49,718 to $136,224. Indeed.com similarly reports that $76,942 is the average base salary for system administrators, while senior system administrators can expect an average salary of around $92,803.  

Building a dynamic IT skill set

IT systems are dynamic. They grow with companies and change with evolving technology. Therefore, it’s important for system administrators to nourish their skills. Certifications and training show you’re qualified to handle the responsibilities of your desired position while demonstrating your willingness to learn and grow. 

As you move through your career in system administration, you may want to branch into new specialties or software. Fortunately, in addition to receiving certifications, you can access many excellent courses and educational resources to help you continue to grow in your field. 

Ed Tittel and Kim Lindros contributed to the reporting and writing in this article.

If you have a learner's permit, you'll need car insurance — but not necessarily your own. Drivers who are learning the rules of the road can join their parents' policy. But drivers who can't or don't want to join their parents' policy still have options.

Every insurance company has different rules about when learners must be added to a policy, and many offer discounts to offset the high costs of insuring drivers with learner's permits.

How do insurers handle car insurance for learner's permit drivers?

Even with fewer driving privileges, learner's permit drivers must be insured. They're just as vulnerable to accidents and need the financial security insurance provides.

In most cases, learner's permit drivers are teens living with their parents. These young drivers are generally covered by their parents' policy when they receive their learner's permit and don't need to buy their own policy.

However, insurers take different approaches to young permit drivers. Policyholders may have to list every member of a household who has reached driving age on the policy. With other insurers, you won't need to do this until your young driver has a license.

For example, if a young driver in your household has a learner’s permit, Geico requires you to list the driver on your policy. As long as the young driver only has a permit, your policy premium will not increase. Once the young driver obtains a license, Geico will factor them into your policy rate.

Reach out to your insurer and see how they handle car insurance for permit drivers. Don't skip this step. If you don't properly list drivers as your insurer requires, then you may have to pay out of pocket for damage after a car accident.

The good news? Insurance companies usually don't increase rates until after a student driver receives their license. At that point, rates tend to significantly increase. But there are still ways to get cheap car insurance for teens.

Teen driver insurance costs

Out of every age group, teens are the most at risk for car accidents. That's especially true from ages 16 to 19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Because teen drivers pose such a high risk, adding them to an insurance policy increases rates significantly. The cost of adding a 16-year-old driver to a six-month family policy can range from $1,293 to $4,831.

However, those rates may vary significantly based on the age and gender of the teen driver being added to the policy. Young male drivers are more likely to engage in risky behaviors and are more likely to be killed while driving than young women. This means a family's policy rates will likely increase more when adding a male teen driver than when adding a female teen driver.

Car insurance discounts for teen drivers

Many insurers offer discounts to help families manage the high costs of insuring their teen driver. Ask your insurer if these discounts are available to you:

In addition to asking for discounts, families can also adopt other money-saving strategies. For instance, driving an inexpensive car can keep premium costs down because it costs less to repair or replace a cheaper car.

Parents and teens should also shop around for the best deal. While it's tempting for parents to default to their own insurer when adding their teen child to a policy, other companies may offer better rates and help families save. See this milestone as a chance to re-evaluate your options and choose the one that best suits your family's needs.

Can you get car insurance with a permit?

Adding permit drivers to a family policy might be the most common way for learners to get insurance, but it's not the only approach. You can buy a car insurance policy just with a learner's permit. Once you have that insurance policy in place, you can also purchase and register a car in most states — even if you are only 16 years old.

While this approach gives 16-year-olds a good deal of independence, that independence comes at a cost. A new driver at this age pays an average of $5,944 for a six-month plan if they purchase their own insurance. By contrast, a new driver added to their parents' policy may pay as little as $1,293 — a $4,651 difference.

However, not all learner drivers live with their parents. Many people learn how to drive much later in life and can't be added to a parent’s policy.

You still have options if you're in this situation. Permit drivers who live with a spouse or significant other can sometimes be covered under their plan. Be aware that married couples may receive better deals than unmarried couples, and unmarried couples may see their rates go up when a permit driver is added to the policy. Reach out to your insurance company and see which options are available to you and your partner.

If you are a permit driver who lives alone, you may find it difficult to find an insurer that will cover you until you get a license. Many national insurers do not offer insurance to first-time learner's permit drivers. Instead, contact smaller local insurance providers and explain your situation. You will likely pay more, but the situation is not without precedent.

For new drivers, getting a permit is an exciting time. Obtaining auto insurance coverage is a crucial first step to new levels of responsibility and freedom.

From Project Veritas v. Thibodeau, decided Friday by New York trial court judge Sabrina Kraus:

Petitioner commenced this Article 75 Proceeding seeking a preliminary injunction in aid of arbitration. Petitioner asks that the court to prevent Respondent from publicly disclosing Petitioner's confidential information and publicly disparaging Petitioner and its personnel, in what Petitioner alleges is a clear violation of the parties' Employment Agreement….

Respondent was hired by Petitioner as a video editor in or about December 2019. Under the terms of his Employment Agreement, dated December 17, 2019, Respondent was an at-will employee.

Petitioner alleges its journalism and news-gathering activities involve the use of secret devices and undercover journalists, who sometimes use pseudonyms to protect their identities. Respondent became aware of the methods and devices used by Petitioner to gather information, the methods Petitioner used to portray the information gathered, and the identities of the undercover journalists who gathered such information.

Petitioner requires in its employment agreements—including Respondent's Employment Agreement—that its' employees strictly maintain the confidentiality of such information, both during and after their employment. Relevant provisions from Respondent's Employment Agreement include:

Paragraph 12 of the which states Respondent will maintain and protect the confidentiality of Petitioner' Confidential Information both during and after his employment; and

Paragraph 17 which prohibits Respondent from disparaging Petitioner or its personnel during his employment and after its termination; and

Paragraph 18 which prohibits Respondent from publishing any information about Petitioner, either directly or through his agents, both during and after the term of his employment; and

Paragraphs 12, 17, and 18 also provide that a violation of any one of these provisions paragraphs would cause irreparable harm to Petitioner, and that Project Veritas entitling Petitioner to injunctive relief; and

Paragraph 26 provides for damages for the breach of said provisions including liquidated damages.

On or about September 15, 2020, Respondent voluntarily resigned his position with Petitioner and allegedly embarked on a career as an adult film actor and standup comedian.

In August 2022, Respondent began publishing a series of videos on YouTube which addressed press coverage about several lawsuits between Petitioner and a terminated employee named Antonietta Zappier. Respondent posted said videos to his YouTube channel under the name "Jean Jacques the Cock."

Respondent published seven videos on August 7, 2022; August 8, 2022; August 9, 2022; August 10, 2022; August 15, 2022, September 1, 2022, and January 11, 2023. Petitioner alleges that in each video, Respondent disclosed proprietary and confidential information. Respondent also blatantly disparaged Petitioner and its personnel (including, mainly, Project Veritas' CEO James O'Keefe) in the videos.

In at least one of the videos, Respondent acknowledged that he was violating the terms of his Employment Agreement with Petitioner.

On August 30, 2022, counsel for Petitioner sent Respondent a cease-and-desist letter directing Respondent to take down videos posted as of said date and desist from publishing any further such videos or other public statements disparaging Petitioner or its employees. Respondent did take down the videos but days later, on or about September 1, 2022, published a sixth video—which, Petitioner alleges is still up on YouTube—in which Respondent mocks Petitioner's effort to prevent Respondent from continuing his conduct….

Petitioner filed a formal request for Arbitration on September 7, 2022. In the Arbitration, Petitioner seeks to enforce the terms of the Employment Agreement and obtain damages and a permanent injunction….

CPLR § 7502(c) permits the court to preliminarily enjoin Respondent's conduct during the pendency of the Arbitration pursuant to Articles 62 and 63 of the CPLR, if failing to do so would render any award in Arbitration ineffectual….

On the record before this court Petitioner has asserted the prima facie elements for breach of contract, and there for has established a likelihood of success on the merits. It is uncontested that the parties have a written contract, and that Respondent has engaged in conduct which violates the provisions of that contract. Respondent's videos clearly disparage Petitioner and its officers/employees, and Respondent acknowledges that his is in violation of the terms of the Employment Agreement on more than one instance in the videos.

Respondent also discloses the technology used by Petitioner to obtain information from sources, the manners in which the information is collected by undercover journalists, and the name of at least one undercover journalist.

Moreover, in the Employment Agreement Respondent specifically agreed to injunctive relief in the event of a breach, and such provisions are enforceable….

A decision granting the TRO and sealing the portions of the filings to be kept confidential will preserve the status quo ante between the parties pending the outcome of the arbitration.

The documents requested to be sealed, concern proceedings relating to proprietary and confidential information belonging to Petitioner that Respondent was only privy to pursuant to his employment as a videographer. Pursuant to the Employment Agreement between the parties Respondent agreed to keep such information confidential.

Under 22 NYCRR § 216.1, the Court is permitted to seal court records, in whole or in part, "upon a written finding of good cause" specifying the grounds thereof.

"New York courts have authorized sealing the records of Article 75 proceedings involving arbitrable disputes since the matter properly belongs in arbitration and the material filed with the court belongs not in the court, but in the files of the arbitrating body."

The confidential information Petitioner seeks to seal concerns its undercover journalistic operations, which are described in detail in the Petition. Specifically, the confidential information relates to the way Petitioner gathers news, the technology it uses, the name of an undercover journalist, and how the organization edits and presents the information it receives from its undercover journalists.

If the court does not seal the relevant portions of the Petition, the confidential information will be republished, which would undermine the purpose of the arbitration.

Petitioner has taken reasonable steps to protect the confidentiality of such information, such as, for example, requiring its employees to sign employment agreements containing provisions that protect the confidentiality of such information.

Since the underlying arbitration proceeding is properly before the American Arbitration Association, and there is a confidentiality agreement pertaining to the information at issue, it is proper for the Court to seal the documents as requested by Petitioner. Moreover, there is no countervailing public interest that would be furthered by the disclosure of this information….

WHEREFORE it is hereby:

ORDERED that Respondent PATRJCE THIBODEAU, is hereby enjoined during the pendency of the underlying arbitration from:

(a) publishing videos to YouTube, or publishing statements on any other public forum, which disclose Project Veritas' Confidential Information; and

(b) publishing videos to YouTube, or publishing statements to any other public forum, which disparage Project Veritas and its personnel; and

(c) using and/or disclosing Project Veritas' proprietary and Confidential Information ….

Congratulations to Justin Kelton, who represents Project Veritas.

A hugely viral video that purportedly shows a senior Pfizer employee talking about COVID-19 vaccine experiments has exploded across social media, gathering millions of views and sparking speculation.

Released by Project Veritas, the video includes what it says is undercover footage of a conversation detailing COVID mutation projects, designed to pre-emptively research potential new strains of the virus before they may find root naturally.

In wake of this, many social media users have started to claim that the video proves that Pfizer is conducting these experiments actively.

The Claim

Multiple claims on social media, posted on January 26, 2023, suggest that Pfizer is currently mutating COVID variants in order to produce vaccines for future sale.

The claims are based on a Project Veritas video, also posted on January 26, 2023, which on Twitter alone has been viewed more than 8.6 million times.

Among them was a tweet, with more than 61,000 engagements, from Project Veritas CEO and founder James O'Keefe, who wrote: "Pfizer director on camera saying they are 'mutating' COVID-19 Virus to increase infectiousness. UNREAL!"

The Facts

It's worth noting that Project Veritas, which describes itself as a "journalism enterprise", is a controversial organization that has previously produced investigations subsequently labeled as false or unevidenced by fact-checkers and other media.

Among other stories, in 2017, The Washington Post reported that O'Keefe had tried to dupe the paper into publishing a false story about former Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court Roy Moore.

In 2020, Project Veritas claimed that Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) was linked to a "cash for ballots voter fraud scheme." An investigation by USA Today found no evidence of such a scheme.

In 2021, it also claimed that during the New Jersey gubernatorial election an election worker illegally allowed someone who said they weren't a U.S. citizen to fill out a ballot, which PolitiFact reported was false.

Whatever the facts are about its latest video, some of the claims that it has inspired misrepresent the content of the video itself.

The video shows a conversation between an unidentified reporter and an interviewee that Project Veritas identifies as "Jordon Trishton Walker, Pfizer Director of Research and Development - Strategic Operations and mRNA Scientific Planning".

The film is divided into a series of clips with what appears to be the same interviewee each time.

In the first set of clips, the reporter asks: "What is Pfizer doing, I guess to optimize, you know, the vaccines now?"

The interviewee replies: "Oh, we actually had a meeting about that today. So, there's a lot."

The video then cuts to an interstitial scene with O'Keefe before the interviewee continues.

"We're exploring, like, you know how the virus keeps mutating? Well, one of the things we're exploring is like, why don't we just mutate it ourselves, so we could focus on, create, preemptively develop new vaccines, right?" the interviewee said.

A subtitle in the video claims the interviewee says "So, we have to do that." However, the interviewee covers their mouth at this point and it's not clear whether that's what they said.

They continue: "If we're going to do that though there's a risk of like, as you could imagine, no one wants to be having a pharma company mutating ******* viruses.

"So, we're like, 'Do we want to do this?' So that's like one of the things we're considering, for like, the future, like maybe we can like, create new versions of the vaccines and things like that."

The interviewer asks: "Okay. So, Pfizer ultimately is thinking about mutating COVID?"

The interviewee replies: "Well that is not what we say to the public, no. That's why it was, it was a thought that came up in a meeting and we were like: 'Why do we not?'

"It was like, we're going to consider that with more discussions. That exactly, actually. We're like: 'Wait a minute, like, people won't like that.'"

O'Keefe appears again, clarifying the theoretical nature of the conversation, saying: "That's right, it appears that Pfizer is internally discussing the possibility of mutating the COVID virus themselves, in order to tailor a vaccine to sell to the public."

Details are then discussed, during the hidden camera footage, about how such experiments could be conducted with monkeys.

O'Keefe then introduces another clip, before which he claims the interviewee later "describes those experiments as if they are ongoing and not simply a hypothetical discussion."

In this next clip, which appears to be in a different location, the Project Veritas reporter asks: "So, I mean, when Is Pfizer going to implement the mutation of all these viruses?"

The interviewee responds: "I don't know, it depends on how the experiments work out because this is just like, something we're trying, right?"

Immediately, an edit to another clip is added, in which the interviewee says: "It sounds like gain-of-function to me."

Gain-of-function research is a term described by the scientific journal Nature as: "At its most innocuous...mutations that supply a gene, RNA or protein new abilities or expression patterns."

It, as Nature points out, has been a hot-button Topic whose terminology is not consistently understood.

The interviewee replies: "I don't know, it's a little bit different. I think it's different. It's like this, it's definitely not gain-of-function."

Throughout this section, there are a series of quick edits, which means it's not entirely clear if the conversation is about gain-of-function in relation to COVID research (although, by appearances, that seems to be the intention).

Another cut occurs, to the interviewee: "We're not supposed to do gain-of-function with the viruses. They'd rather we not but we do these selected structure mutations to try to see if we can make them more potent.

"So, there is research ongoing about that. I don't know how that's going to work. There better not be more outbreaks because, Jesus Christ."

Here, it's possible that the "viruses" they are talking about are COVID (particularly as "outbreaks" are mentioned) but it's not certain, particularly with the editing.

The video cuts again to the reporter asking: "So, tell me more, what's developing with the whole, you know, virus mutation process?"

The interviewee says: "Well, they're still kinds of conducting the experiments on it but it seems like from what I've heard, they're kind of optimizing it, but they're going slow cause everyone's very cautious, like, you know, obviously they don't want to accelerate it too much.

"But I think they're also just trying to do it as an exploratory thing because you obviously don't want to advertise that you are figuring out future mutations."

At least in part recognized by Project Veritas, the tone of the conversation is around discussion and not on projects that are ongoing.

Even when O'Keefe claims that the second set of clips shows the interviewee talking about experiments beyond theoretical discussion, it's not clear what type of experiments the interviewee was referring to.

He may have been referring to experiments on monkeys or it may be other research on small animal subjects (such as flies) or preliminary research or simulated mutations which don't involve live specimens.

In any case, the video clip does not provide the information for us to be certain.

Another issue is that we do not have the full raw footage to assess whether the subject of the conversation changed or the terms it was couched in.

Newsweek has asked Project Veritas for this footage and a full transcript of the conversation and contacted Pfizer about the interviewee and details of any of the experiments described or inferred.

Whatever the authenticity of the video or the factuality of its content, some of the comments shared online in response to it are misleading characterizations of what it shows.

It does not clearly state that "mutation" experiments are occurring with live subjects at Pfizer and much of the interviewee's answers are in hypothetical terms.

As the film was posted recently there may yet be more information forthcoming. Until then, however, the speculative claims that Newsweek has identified on social media are not a fair reflection of what the video shows.

Pfizer has been the subject of many misleading claims since the global outbreak of COVID-19 and the company's subsequent development of a vaccine for the disease.

Last year, Newsweek found social media posts falsely suggested that the U.K. government had changed its advice for pregnant women using the vaccine developed by the company. Its vaccine was also falsely linked to claims that it caused hepatitis in children.

The Ruling

Unverified.

In the Project Veritas video, the interviewee, who is quoted as a Pfizer employee, says there are ongoing discussions about engineering "mutations" of COVID so that preemptive vaccines, for variants that may occur in nature, could be developed.

However, the discussions are spoken about in theoretical terms.

While Project Veritas' James O'Keefe claims that the interviewee moves on to talk about these experiments as if they are ongoing, there is not enough information in the film to be certain whether he is talking about theoretical experiments or other preliminary research, or if these directly involve or are related to COVID.

At the time of writing, Pfizer is yet to comment on the Project Veritas video or the claims made within it.

Therefore, we currently rate the claims that Pfizer is mutating COVID as unverified.

FACT CHECK BY Tom Norton