Before, if not certainly after, the 2016 presidential election, allegations of Russian interference crowded the news cycle like a 21st century Red Scare, only this time, it was backed by fact. At least, that was the the case until the United States-Russia Helsinki Summit in 2018. There, President Trump all but set ablaze the US intelligence community with his widely publicized rejection of Russian interference and siding with Putin. This prompted outrage from even the most conservative corners of the media landscape: outlets ranging from CNN, the New York Times, to Fox News swiftly condemned Mr. Trump’s actions at the summit.
Almost as quickly as the backlash from conservatives came did they begin to shift and warp the narrative of what had transpired in Finland. They lauded Trump’s actions in his meeting with the Russian president as strong and “shrewd diplomacy.” This allegiance to Putin follows a pattern of conduct, one we’ve seen continue even into this year, akin to that of one who’s been blackmailed. While those allegations sufficient support, Trump’s behavior regarding Putin should come as no surprise as his dealings within the Ukraine and Russia span decades.
Why is it, then, that this registers to seemingly half of the nation, while it falls on the deaf ears of the remainder? You guessed it: filter bubbles, social media, and, as this article from Ellen Shearer at RollCall suggests, cognitive dissonance. Our brains, faced with countless conflicting messages every day, do their best to make sense of what is fact and what is fiction. In doing so, facts can be rejected as false and opinion regarded as truth. To read more, click here.
LIS 4022 Spring 2020 