Yahoo News' Alexander Nazaryan 'did not become a journalist to push Russian disinformation' (just other kinds of disinformation)

Yahoo News national correspondent Alexander Nazaryan has absolutely had it with conservative media’s manufactured scandals:

Conservative media routinely manufactures scandals—John Kerry’s service in Vietnam, Hillary Clinton’s email server, Hunter Biden’s emails—then browbeats mainstream media into not covering those “scandals” to sufficient degree.

It’s bad faith politics & huge disservice to voters.

— Alexander Nazaryan (@alexnazaryan) October 28, 2020

Speaking of bad faith politics and disservices to voters …

This is journalism now

Ignoring the facts about the corrupt Biden family https://t.co/ZYGeBhmRua

— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) October 28, 2020

"Reporters" have moved from finding evidence and reporting stories to purposefully ignoring stories and encouraging readers to dismiss evidence. https://t.co/po43tzal6A

— Fusilli Spock (@awstar11) October 28, 2020

You pic.twitter.com/qfJuMbNlK5

— Ryan (@alwaysonoffense) October 28, 2020

If we’re understanding Nazaryan correctly, his contention is that anything that makes a Democrat look bad is just a manufactured scandal by conservatives and also it’s conservatives’ fault that the mainstream media doesn’t cover them.

Like so many of us, Trump campaign comms director Tim Murtaugh sees right through Nazaryan’s BS:

“Hunter Biden’s emails” is a nifty way to dismiss Tony Bobulinski, a U.S. Navy veteran, who publicly says he was in meetings with Joe Biden and has personal knowledge of the plan for Biden to be personally compensated by a Chinese energy company. https://t.co/kXXKvoN5sC

— Tim Murtaugh (@TimMurtaugh) October 28, 2020

But Nazaryan grew up in the Soviet Union, so if anyone knows Russian disinformation, it’s him. And he won’t be a part of it!

I grew up in the Soviet Union. I did not become a journalist to push Russian disinformation. https://t.co/xJ2tiRBbBI

— Alexander Nazaryan (@alexnazaryan) October 28, 2020

From the article you cite:

“We want to emphasize that we do not know if the emails, provided to the New York Post by President Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, are genuine or not and that we do not have evidence of Russian involvement,” the letter reads. https://t.co/3YugGb5Zks

— Tim Murtaugh (@TimMurtaugh) October 28, 2020

Alexander’s pretty confident he’s got all the evidence he needs:

“has all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.” https://t.co/4odlOWxusM

— Alexander Nazaryan (@alexnazaryan) October 28, 2020

Oh, OK.

The DNI says it isn't Russian disinformation and Tony Bobulinski has attested to the authenticity of hundreds of texts, emails, & documents. What evidence do you have, Al? https://t.co/aMtVjTIXUh

— JERRY DUNLEAVY (@JerryDunleavy) October 28, 2020

“Everything I don’t like is Russian Disinformation”

-A very serious journalist

— Zach (@someguywcancer) October 28, 2020

The seriousest.

“I am eager to push partisan agitprop. I just won’t push Russian agitprop, even when it isn’t Russian and isn’t agitprop. Because I’m a journalist whose only loyalty is to the truth.” https://t.co/vxEyMZnuaH

— Luke Thompson (@ltthompso) October 28, 2020

So stunning and brave in the war against disinformation.

Are you sure about that? https://t.co/luuf1CzqI0 pic.twitter.com/NmGkbZ0MEm

— LB (@beyondreasdoubt) October 28, 2020

lol pic.twitter.com/Oj5aJBeXvK

— Vince Coglianese (@VinceCoglianese) October 28, 2020

And more (via @JerryDunleavy):

"The past is not dead. It's simply in a Russian kompromat dossier." — William Faulkner

— Alexander Nazaryan (@alexnazaryan) February 13, 2017

for GOP, it all comes back to Fusion GPS and the Steele dossier.

— Alexander Nazaryan (@alexnazaryan) November 13, 2019

Kompromat only works on a subject who has a sense of shame.

— Alexander Nazaryan (@alexnazaryan) January 13, 2017

I will not eat your decadent American green eggs and hams.
I will not eat them with Murat,
i will not eat them for kompromat. pic.twitter.com/nqg94XFNTT

— Alexander Nazaryan (@alexnazaryan) February 23, 2017

man i was really hoping for some good kompromat to spice up a tuesday evening

— Alexander Nazaryan (@alexnazaryan) March 15, 2017

America first, right after Russia.

— Alexander Nazaryan (@alexnazaryan) January 16, 2017

Opinion: American Presidents should like America more than they like Russia.

— Alexander Nazaryan (@alexnazaryan) January 12, 2017

He actually thought the EO was just giving Alaska back to Russia, which is why he signed so quickly. https://t.co/u2dDpuYArd

— Alexander Nazaryan (@alexnazaryan) February 6, 2017

The Russia House pic.twitter.com/gDPsd5eIkM

— Alexander Nazaryan (@alexnazaryan) February 18, 2017

There’s lots more where that came from.

Alexander Nazaryan cannot abide Russian disinformation. Disinformation relating to Russia and Donald Trump, though? That’s juuuuuust fine.

You’re not a real journalist. https://t.co/wsx4izpYNA

— RBe (@RBPundit) October 28, 2020

Not in the traditional sense of the word, anyway. Fortunately for him, there are few actual real journalists left who will actually call him out.

Of course no other journalist or editor is going to call out Nazaryan for being a miserable hack, even though his colleagues will tell you privately he is. Because the guild mentality overrides even the demands of defending the profession.

— Luke Thompson (@ltthompso) October 28, 2020

Must protect the precious. Even if the precious isn’t worth protecting anymore.

Editor’s note: This post has been updated with additional text and tweets.