However, regardless of whether or not they are indeed effective, these
politically targeted activities – and public knowledge about them – still may
raise threats to the health of democratic processes. Disinformation campaigns
might accelerate erosion in public trust of institutions seen as critical to the
maintenance of democracy. First, skepticism around the veracity of online
information generally might also limit the inﬂuence of journalistic channels
producing and distributing accurate information (Barthel and Mitchell 2017).

https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108890960 Published online by Cambridge University Press

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Tim Hwang

This may hinder the ability for democracies to engage in authentic, effective
deliberation and arrive at decisions considered “legitimate.”1
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