The media is buzzing about two new Senate reports about Russian election trolling (despite the endless Clinton campaign conspiracy theories, there’s zero evidence of any actual election interference). And, while it belatedly acknowledges that Russia targeted black nationalists (though as usual it avoids using the term), it claims that it did so to help Trump.
That’s false.
The fact is that the Russians ran an influence operation that exploited election tensions, but did not seek to influence the outcome of the election. The operation exploited partisan tensions on both sides, targeting the right and the left, the further the better, with clickbait and viral messaging, in order to ultimately influence them on the issues that Russia was interested in, such as Ukraine.
When the media has to spin fake Black Lives Matter groups as an effort to aid Trump, that’s a bridge too far. Much like the Russians organizing a post-election anti-Trump protest was not an effort to help Trump.
But the media is a partisan echo chamber spewing conspiracy theories. It cares about its narrative, not reality or the facts.
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