Ari Shapiro

“I HOPE IT GOES WITHOUT saying that I believe in the importance of news. Democracy depends on accurate and truthful stories. But in these times that can feel apocalyptic, as we seem to grow increasingly alienated from the world and from one another, I keep returning to the truths I find in fiction.”
― Ari Shapiro, The Best Strangers in the World: Stories from a Life Spent Listening—A Poignant Journey Through Journalism, Global Connections, and Human Resilience in Today's World

“The most successful Facebook ad that Russian trolls purchased in 2016 reached well over a million people. It was called “Back the Badge,” described as a “Community of people who support our brave Police Officers.” The Internet Research Agency, a troll farm in Saint Petersburg, Russia, paid eighteen hundred dollars for it. The most popular Texas secession page on Facebook, which had more followers than the official Texas Democratic and Republican Facebook pages combined, was a Russian front. It was called Heart of Texas, and by the time Facebook took it down, it had a quarter million followers.”
― Ari Shapiro, The Best Strangers in the World: Stories from a Life Spent Listening—A Poignant Journey Through Journalism, Global Connections, and Human Resilience in Today's World