I was a victim of a Russian smear campaign – I understand the power of fake news
A couple of years ago, I was the focus of a smear campaign, elements of which could have been lifted out of a spy novel
We were told in June that the Democratic National Committee had been hacked by Russians. We were told in October that material subsequently passed on to WikiLeaks came from the same source and that President Obama was considering a response.
Numerous articles were written about these leaks and about Donald Trump's many Russian connections. And yet no one was really outraged until now. Why? I have a theory: until you have seen for yourself how 21st-century disinformation works, you laugh at the very idea of it. Once you have understood its power, you stop laughing.
If I was slightly ahead of the curve, it's because - like everyone who ever wrote critically about Russia - I saw early on how it worked. A couple of years ago, I was the focus of a smear campaign, elements of which could have been lifted out of a spy novel. In the wake of the invasion of Crimea, I was writing quite a bit about Ukraine, when nasty little articles about me started appearing on Russia-based websites.
The technique was the same as that used by people who later dressed up the stories from the emails of the Democratic National Committee and John Podesta: mix truth and lies - my book contract and royalties were described as mysterious income from questionable sources - make ludicrous claims, pass on the lies to other Russian-backed websites, and then pass it on again.
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