Scarborough Compares Russia’s Facebook Use in 2016 to Its Ability to ‘Control Walter Cronkite’s Broadcast’

Scarborough Compares Russia’s Facebook Use in 2016 to Its Ability to ‘Control Walter Cronkite’s Broadcast’ (The Washington Free Beacon)

MSNBC host Joe Scarborough said Monday that the Kremlin's use of Facebook to influence the 2016 election is "like Russia being able to control Walter Cronkite's broadcast in the late '60s."

The "Morning Joe" panel spoke with Jim Rutenberg of the New York Times, and discussed Rutenberg’s work on Russian use of social media to influence voters. The Times released information earlier this month following a Facebook report that the Kremlin spent $100,000 in political ads to influence the 2016 U.S. election. The Russian government is further suspected of funding troll accounts to promote particular views, such as anti-immigration. Rutenberg discussed the recent developments in an article published Sunday.

The Times columnist said Facebook was a key platform for Russia's actions during the election. Scarborough, in response, said that strategy was "brilliant."