One of the explanations offered by Donald Trump critics for his stunning upset victory over “inevitable” Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton is that a pro-Trump Russian troll campaign somehow manipulated gullible Americans into voting for the former reality TV star over the seasoned politician. A new study, however, strikes right at the heart of that theory, finding that Russian online influencers appear to have no “substantial” impact on Americans on key issues.
Among the outlets on the left that have pushed the “Russians trolls got Trump elected” conspiracy theory is The New Yorker, which interviewed Kathleen Hall Jamieson last year about her book “Cyberwar: How Russian Hackers and Trolls Helped Elect a President—What We Don’t, Can’t, and Do Know.” Here’s an excerpt from the piece (formatting adjusted):
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