That’s not what I’m saying. It’s the propaganda and lies from the campaign fueled by Russia to dismantle E.U. integration that I’m talking about. Its too easy for a country to just pay someone to be a journalist and spread propaganda, while also banning it in their own country. Tools of liberal democracy can and are being used against us, so we need to ensure that we limit their damage while respecting liberty.

Sorry, I misunderstood you then.

I do believe that the influence of Russian propaganda is vastly overestimated by you and others. I believe that they are paying and trying to influence and/or harm Western societies, but it's working because those are obvious break-lines that have been created over the past few decades.

I see it more like a glacier that is going to calve any minute, and Russia is a guy with a 2x4, using it as a lever to help widen a crack: in the grand scheme of things, it's insignificant.

RE "banning it in their own countries": of course, that's what authoritarian states do. It's always been my belief that if you want to uphold your standards as a country with a free and independent press, you need to accept that this can make things difficult. And your press must always, even if they think it hurts, be critical and vigilant.

The US media all falling in line for the Iraq wars multiple times in a row and essentially becoming propaganda outlets did immense damage. That they admitted as much afterwards and promised to do better is noble (and is a major difference, that wouldn't happen in the state-controlled media of Russia, China or Turkey), but ultimately useless.

I understand that they feel they have a responsibility to not harm their governments, but imho they are harming their societies much more by abandoning their role as an independent fourth power in democracy. If media companies discredit themselves, they're doing the enemy's work. If you know I'm out to get you and you keep lying for whatever reason, you're really making my job too easy, because all I need to do is point it out.

Russia didn't fuel Brexit. There's a long history of skepticism towards the EU in Britain. The idea that Russia could move the needle on British public sentiment towards Europe to any measurable degree is crazy.

We need less panic about what terrible political opinions people might voice and more trust in freedom of speech.

There is a tipping point for every paradigm in society and that could be at just a percent of the population.

And there's no evidence that Russia tipped Britain over that edge.

Britain's relation to the continent is something that people in Britain have a long history of having strong opinions about. It's utterly implausible that Russia could effect a 1% shift in public opinion on such a vital subject.

There was an intense, years-long debate inside Britain about EU membership. Trying to blame Russia for that is just ridiculous. It's a demonization tactic used by people who are upset about their countrymen's opinions.