The Propaganda FilesRussians 'attempted to hack elections systems in 21 states'
After DHS notified states, outlets reported that Russian government hackers had targeted or tried to hack election systems in 21 states, with USA Today naming Wisconsin among them.
The framing suggested a broader Russian assault on U.S. voting machinery than the record supported.
What was reported
After DHS notified states, outlets reported that Russian government hackers had targeted or tried to hack election systems in 21 states, with USA Today naming Wisconsin among them.
What actually happened
Within days Wisconsin said DHS had told it the targeted network was not an election system, and AP reported Wisconsin was not among states whose election systems were targeted. California's secretary of state likewise disputed DHS's description. In October, DHS official Christopher Krebs told Congress most of the activity was simple scanning that he would not call an attack. DHS stood by the core finding that Russian actors scanned systems in 21 states, so the error lay in the 'hacking' framing and in specific state examples.
The proof
AP's report that Wisconsin's election systems were not targeted, California's public rebuttal, and Krebs' House testimony that most activity was scanning.
The receipt. Copy this and paste it anywhere:
Russians 'attempted to hack elections systems in 21 states' — Bad Call. AP's report that Wisconsin's election systems were not targeted, California's public rebuttal, and Krebs' House testimony that most activity was scanning. Full file: https://www.thepropagandafiles.com/case/dhs-21-states-election-hacking-headlines/
Original reporting
- USA Today: Wisconsin one of 21 states targeted by Russian hacking of election systemshttps://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/09/22/wisconsin-one-20-states-targeted-russian-hacking-elections-systems-2016/694719001/
- The New York Times: U.S. tells 21 states that hackers targeted their voting systemshttps://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/22/us/politics/us-tells-21-states-that-hackers-targeted-their-voting-systems.html
- NPR: Feds tell states more about Russian hackinghttps://www.npr.org/2017/09/22/552956517/ten-months-after-election-day-feds-tell-states-more-about-russian-hacking
Corrections, findings & records
- AP: Wisconsin not among states whose election systems were targetedhttps://www.apnews.com/10a0080e8fcb4908ae4a852e8c03194d
- The Intercept: Yet another major Russia story falls aparthttps://theintercept.com/2017/09/28/yet-another-major-russia-story-falls-apart-is-skepticism-permissible-yet/
- The Nation: More media malpractice in Russiagate (cites Krebs testimony)https://thenation.com/article/archive/more-media-malpractice-in-russiagate
Archived copies
Stories get edited after publication. These open the Internet Archive's earliest saved copy of each original.
- Archived copy: USA Today: Wisconsin one of 21 states targeted by Russian hacking of election systemshttps://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/09/22/wisconsin-one-20-states-targeted-russian-hacking-elections-systems-2016/694719001/
- Archived copy: The New York Times: U.S. tells 21 states that hackers targeted their voting systemshttps://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/22/us/politics/us-tells-21-states-that-hackers-targeted-their-voting-systems.html
- Archived copy: NPR: Feds tell states more about Russian hackinghttps://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.npr.org/2017/09/22/552956517/ten-months-after-election-day-feds-tell-states-more-about-russian-hacking