16 Natnl Secrty Experts Warn Media.. Take Great Care..Reporting On Info Published From Russian hacks

[Bill USA]

https://mediamatters.org/blog/2016/10/11/sixteen-national-security-experts-warn-media-take-great-care-when-reporting-information-published/213763

As organizations such as WikiLeaks and DCLeaks continue to release emails that appear to originate from individuals close to Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and her campaign, a group of former top national security officials and outside experts are warning “members of the media to stay engaged and to think critically about the facts they consume and disseminate.” The group notes that “what is taking place” in terms of the leaking of private emails “follows a well-known Russian playbook,” and “it is imperative that we focus on the broad disinformation campaign that is already underway.”

In multiple email dumps, WikiLeaks published a trove of what appear to be hacked emails from Clinton campaign manager John Podesta. Politico reported that “there have been no bombshells,” adding that Podesta and the Clinton campaign have “neither verified nor denied the authenticity of the emails.”

National security and cybersecurity experts have been saying for months that Russian intelligence services were most likely involved in the hacks -- and the U.S. government has now formally accused them of attempting to “interfere with the U.S. election process.” Yet right-wing media, including one of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s closest allies, Roger Stone, have cheered for Russian espionage and the hacking of private emails of American citizens. Fox News has even credulously reported on the illegally obtained documents. Donald Trump himself has said he is not convinced Russia is behind the leaks, which an unnamed intelligence briefer for Trump called a “willful misrepresentation” of reality, given the information Trump received in his intelligence briefings.

A group of 16 former top national security officials and outside experts have penned a letter saying they are “concerned that an ongoing Russian influence operation is targeting the 2016 U.S. election.” The signatories of the letter note that American “debates on critical national security issues will be targeted” by Russian intelligence “in an effort to sway public opinion away from our national interests.” The experts conclude, “There is no amount of short-term partisan gain or perceived media scoop that could justify that outcome,” imploring “members of the media to stay engaged and to think critically about the facts they consume and disseminate.” From the October 6 letter:

Russia Influence Warning Letter from NSA members -- by Yahoo News on Scribd

[Ford_Prefect]

1. Hard to swallow that the NSA is telling the truth in public.

Their track record thus far is dubious at best.

I agree with the sentiment of the remarks regarding Russian past actions, goals and likely behavior as far as it goes. I think the MSM are far too willing to publish anything that hints of scandal within the Democratic Party without vetting it. I have reservations about what the DNC leadership has been willing to do in this political year without need for emails from any source, questionable or not. I saw some of it at 1st hand.

I just have a genuinely difficult time hearing it from NSA based on prior experience. It's like when the Pentagon said they were not doing domestic propaganda. It may be true but I have no trust in the messenger based on long experience of duplicity on their part.

I think we are being fed a calculated degree of Red Scare at times by those neo-cons of both parties whose agenda is war with Russia.

I think we need to take ALL of it with a degree of salt given the history of our own domestic political conflicts and in realization that agencies have their own ongoing agendas .

So far as I know we have yet to elect a perfect specimen to the office, although several good men (thus far) have held the post.

[Nitram]

2. Intelligence services would always rather use the truth to achieve their ends.

Last edited Thu Oct 13, 2016, 12:58 PM - Edit history (1)

It's easier, cheaper and more credible. There's almost always a grain of truth in disinformation and propaganda.

[Ford_Prefect]

3. When I read the list of signatories I again doubt the intent of the commentary.

[Bill USA]

4. methinks YOU might be a Russian, or Trumpian, mole lying to us to throw us off your disinformation

campaign. .... (Jee, I wonder if paranoia could be catching?)

[Bill USA]

5. I don't know why they identified signatories to the letter as NSA members. HEre's the list of

... people who signed the letter:


Jeremy Bash, former Chief of Staff at the Department of Defense

Dan Benjamin., former State Department Coordinator for Counterterrorism

Max Boot,, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations

Michael Chertoff, former Secretary of Homeland Security

Derek Chollet, former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs

Richard Clarke, former National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Counter-terrorism

Mieke Eoyang, Vice President of the National Security Program at Third Way

Robert Kagan, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institute

Brian Katulis, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress

Juliette Kayyem, former Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs, Department of Homeland Security

Carl Levin, former United States Senator from Michigan

Jim Miller, former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy

Julianne Smith, former Deputy National Security Advisor to the Vice President

Ken Sofer, Senior Policy Adviser at the Center for American Progress

Tara Sonenshine, former Undersecretary of State for Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy

Moira Whelan, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs and Digital Strategy