By Lucy Komisar
July 25, 2025
The Council on Foreign Relations had an event called “Challenges to Global Press Freedom,” Monday, July 21, 2025. Much of it dealt with “disinformation.” I wanted to ask a question about the impact of mainstream media writing disinformation, especially in view of revelations by Tulsi Gabbard of fake stories about alleged Russian influence in the 2016 election. And which MSM continues to disparage.
I was seated at the front center table (hard to ignore) but as a known critic of “acceptable” views I was, as often, not called on, so I sent the point I would have raised to two of the speakers, Graciela Mochkoifsky, Dean, CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, and Richard Stengel, political analyst at MSNBC, former editor of Time, former State Department Undersecretary of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs (ie the U.S. propaganda agency).
Neither responded. But I think what I wrote them is important. Because this is why so many people do not trust the mainstream media – from right to left.
My letter [my adds in italics]:
To follow up my indication at the Council that I would send you information raising questions about disinformation by the mainstream media. For serious people knowledgeable on the subject, the mainstream press has a serious credibility problem on stories relating to Russia. (Ask Prof Jeffrey Sachs at Columbia.)
- Alleged Russian interference in 2016 election: One example is obvious from just announced report by Tulsi Gabbard that documents used to back up the contention that the Russians interfered in the 2016 election were faked. [This breaking news story was not mentioned by panelists.]
So, the DNI put out a report that the mainstream media would use to say the opposite, that Russia interfered in the election. However, one didn’t have to wait till now to suspect the report. Anyone looking at the Jan 2017 document that asserted Russian interference (“Background to ‘Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections”) would see on the last page the admission that the claims were not backed by evidence. Here is the full document.
Yet, major media continue to write that the Russians interfered in the 2016 election. With no evidence. And no reference to the report saying the judgment wasn’t backed by proof. Washington Post before and after Bezos was the same. [One of the panelists talked about how different Bezos was from the Grahams.]
2. The William Browder/Magnitsky hoax.
The media takes stenography from Browder that his “lawyer” discovered Russian officials’ involvement in a major Treasury theft and he was therefore arrested and killed. Browder’s own deposition to US federal court Southern District of NY acknowledges Magnitsky didn’t go to law school, have a law degree or law license. He also acknowledged using a scam in which he claimed his shell companies (based in the Buddhist region of Kalmykia) hired workers with disabilities and was due a major tax cut.
Magnitsky had found the workers and paid them to say they worked as stock analysts for shells that held stock but employed no one. Browder said “everybody did it.” First, everybody didn’t do it. Second, it’s like a thief saying everybody is a thief. Not a defense!
Browder deposition.
Perhaps of most interest to Richard, as a State Dept official at the time of the Magnitsky Act and now political analyst at MSNBC, is a report by MSNBC Intelligence and national security reporter Ken Dilanian who did massive research, documented that Browder was a fraud and his Magnitsky story a fake. NBC translators even discovered Browder’s translations of Magnitsky’s alleged statements were forgeries.
Here is the story I wrote about Dilanian’s discoveries with links to his documents.
Here is a recent story I wrote about the Browder hoax, with extensive documentation.
Happy to talk to either/both of you more about this. BTW, Browder has attacked Gabbard, so maybe she will look into this!
Lucy Komisar
(Council member since 1994)
[As indicated there was no response. From ex-Time editor-MSNBC analyst or CUNY J School dean. Tells you why serious people ignore what such soi-disant “journalists” say.]
Another goodie !