Last Wednesday, after a terrorist attack near the Parliament building, the British conservative journalist Louise straight ahead, Ben (Louise Mensch) noticed on Twitter that the incident “is directly related to Russia.” On Friday, she repeated the idea on the HBO broadcast of “Real time with bill Maher”, stressing that Russia’s allies after the terrorist attacks stirred anti-immigrant sentiment. No actual evidence it is not led. “The supporters of Russia took to the streets, claiming that it did an illegal immigrant. They tried to set Londoners against our Muslim friends and neighbors,” said straight ahead, Ben. Another invitee — MSNBC host Chris Hayes (Chris Hayes) — this strange idea, as you might expect, literally stunned. In the end, xenophobia in London (and elsewhere) clearly occurs without the help of “supporters of Russia”.
Straight ahead, Ben, a former member of Parliament, known as one of the leading analysts studying the possible collusion between the electoral headquarters of the trump and the Russian government. Due to this, she was able to significantly expand its audience previously confined to conservative circles. Her article on this subject is very controversial — even came out in The New York Times (however, the number of Times journalists has found it necessary publicly to emphasize that they do not agree with her “unfounded allegations”). Growing in popularity once again demonstrates that the thirst for conspiracy theories ceased to be the exclusive characteristic of the right-wing. “False news stories, the former is still a phenomenon rather typical for right political flank, becoming more and more popular among the opponents of the trump” — said in his article, which was published over the weekend in the Times, Masha Gessen is a journalist of Russian origin, which is among the prominent critics of Vladimir Putin’s regime. As an example, such stories Hesse cites “a number of actively propagating stories that link any death more or less famous Russian with the Russian intervention in the elections”.
Such conspiracy theories are really dangerous for the same reasons that threat lying fables trump. It undermines the commitment to truth and honest debate that makes democracy possible. Moreover, in addition to progress straight ahead, Ben, and examples, see Hesse, there are many other grounds to believe that the scandal around Russian activity causes many unhealthy cravings to the spread of inventions. In particular, on the weekend on Twiiter began to spread without any factual basis to the rumors that a former adviser to trump national security, Michael Flynn (as Michael Flynn) has concluded with the FBI a deal in the ongoing investigation.
However, a critical approach Hesse also dangerous in their own way. It allows you to take convenient, but contrary to the facts the position can be formulated as “a plague on both your houses”. In fact, between the conspiracy builds trump actually based on racism, and fears related to Russia’s intervention in the elections have nothing in common. If we leave aside a number of the crazy theories based on past data are of the intelligence community and the well-documented contacts between the people from the surrounding trump and the Russian authorities. As acknowledged last week, FBI Director James Komi (James Comey), his Agency is investigating a possible link between the headquarters of the trump and Russia since last July.
Conspiracy theories about Russia are multiplying due to the fact that America was in a strange situation: the FBI now conducts an investigation against the incumbent. In addition, the party, which belongs to the President and which would have to control him, facing him, apparently, from time to time accompanies. According to The Washington Post, Chairman of the house Committee on intelligence Devin Nunes (Devin Nunes) not familiar with key intelligence reports on this issue, “the other members of the Committee, but willingly provided their White house.” The second reason for the proliferation of conspiracy theories about Russia associated with the opacity of the story. Most of it is hidden from the public — as because we are talking about an ongoing investigation, and because the Republicans do not want to disclose information that would politically damage the party.
If journalists seek to deal with conspiratorial designs around this story, he himself should be more careful with the characteristics of and attentive to the facts. For example, Hesse partly compromised his otherwise compelling position, attacking Congressman Adam Schiff (Adam Schiff). “Last Monday, the Deputy Chairman of the Committee of the house of representatives on intelligence from the Democrats Adam Schiff opened the hearing about the Russian intervention in the election speech, in which reliable information is sequentially mixed with rumors and exaggerations,” she writes. While examples of rumors and exaggeration she does not. In fact, the statements of Schiff was extremely neat and responsible, and he put a lot of effort that the Committee acted in good faith and to work on this issue was attended by representatives of both parties.
These conspiracy theories — political roots. They are based on the pathological secrecy trump in the financial and business ties. Since we are talking about the problem generated by the policy, the decision must also be, ultimately, political. FBI completes investigation, and if it turns out that the administration trump someone involved in this story, the Congress will make the decision about whether or not a penalty. Accordingly, for political leaders the best way to counter conspiracy theories — just to do their job and prevent attempts of concealment (after all, in the end, such attempts have deprived Richard Nixon’s presidency). This task can take on the Democrats who, in particular, to achieve the departure of Nunez as head of the house Committee on intelligence. And in any attempts to hush up the case Democrats and law enforcement agencies will easily be able to bring the truth to the press.
Instead of simultaneously to condemn both sides for a penchant for conspiracy theories, you need to resolve the political crisis, which serves as a source of conspiracy theories.
