Thanks for your approval of my efforts to keep things in touch with reality. It is clear Putin realizes the value of using high-profile "mouthpieces" with their own (different) personal agenda to destabilize faith in unbiased established news sources amongst the people of the world. The latest Russian claim "they're going to use a dirty bomb on their own territory and claim we did it" is frankly laughable.
As for something even nastier than Putin emerging, it is usually the nature of ruthless dictators to eliminate any such rivals. There was no clear successor to Stalin, and neither Himmler nor Goebbels had Hitler's vile leadership charisma.
It is depressing than the internet has super-enabled that concept so often attributed to Winston S Churchill "A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its trousers on."
Apparently, it can be traced back as far as Roman poet Virgil, in the form Fama, malum qua non aliud velocius ullum tranlated as ‘Rumour, than whom no other evil thing is faster.’
Virgil didn't know about the internet, but he did know how human nature just loves to believe in the "secret information" they get outside established, verifiable channels.
Johnathan Swift born 1667, who was something of a futurist, might have been imagining the unregulated Internet when he wrote:
“Besides, as the vilest Writer has his Readers, so the greatest Liar has his Believers; and it often happens, that if a Lie be believ’d only for an Hour, it has done its Work, and there is no farther occasion for it. Falsehood flies, and the Truth comes limping after it; so that when Men come to be undeceiv’d, it is too late; the Jest is over, and the Tale has had its Effect…”
source wikipediaThe original interview[19] audio[20] was altered to piece together words that Kerry spoke at different times during the debate, falsely making it sound as if he said, "I personally raped for pleasure." When the falsehood was exposed by a reader of Johnson's blog, Johnson deleted the article without apology.[21]
All the best
wadinga