Heed the warning signs

In July, Dan Coats made a point of telling the country: “The warning lights are blinking red again.” The director of national intelligence had in mind that Russian interference remains an active threat to the November elections. His imagery was notable, alluding to concerns before the Sept. 11 attacks, intelligence officials and others failing to connect the dots. ..

Dan Coats identified another priority. “It is essential,” he said, “that we apply critical thinking to all sorts of information.” In that way, know the adversary and the technology. Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, wants to aggravate divisions among Americans and thus weaken the country. More, Twitter and other social media are programmed to confirm our biases. As a result, misinformation spreads more rapidly. Social media have an obligation to play more the editor . ...

The briefing by national security officials came as the president struggles with his own thinking, returning again to labeling the Russian intervention “a big hoax.” He says this when a key priority in building a real deterrent goes to letting the Russians know there will be a heavy cost if they persist. So far, the president hasn’t sent such a clear and consistent message. He might have started by attending the briefing.

Read the full editorial from the Akron Beacon Journal at bit.ly/2vlCwfm