Cold War Daily

What happens when bad information is fed into important streams of conversation? 

Information thought to be sensitive likely has more power to misinform than uncorroborated information. After all, the expectations of its importance are higher.

A New York Times article reports on a purge of informants used by the FBI – for this reason, the suspicion they were passing on disinformation. 

Reportedly some of this information “was used by the special counsel investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 election” per a statement by a whistleblowing FBI agent.

As the Times writes it: “the F.B.I. watched as informants across the bureau’s different divisions began peddling new information that was politically explosive. It included reports regarding President Biden’s family and former President Donald J. Trump, as well as other inflammatory topics, according to former and current U.S. officials and an ex-informant for the counterintelligence division.”

Intelligence as disinformation in the aftermath of 2016 forms a key discussion in episode 6 of Dark Shining Moment. It’s an element of the longer game of Russia’s subversion of the US. This is layered under some of the more high profile interference with hacks and leaks and social media campaigns.