"We'll know we are successful when everything the Americans believe is a lie." That's a rework of a quote attributed to former CIA Director William Casey.
But, in light of news just months ago that the Russians tried to influence our election with disinformation and propaganda, I find myself wondering if they also try to mess with our news as a practice. Did they just do it that one time, or was that one time just a slice of the pie?
I wonder how they would influence us? The commentators seem to be arriving at their opinions without any outside influence. But, perhaps they have minor media sites that they read. Or, they have audience members who write them regularly, whose thoughts they then parrot. If so, you would simply plug yourself in as someone responding to their program, and offer up the disinformation, and wait for the commentators to take up the bait.
Who would you go after? Fox News? MSNBC? I'd say, you shoot at both sides.
As I think about this, I would not be surprised at all if this is happening, and if this is a key way disinformation is being planted in our news world. And, if the Russians did establish plants like this is our media, would they pull them out just because the election was over? It makes sense, if you have plants in the media, you keep on using them.
And, we'll know they're successful when everything we believe is a lie.
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