How Washington fell for Nord Stream conspiracy theories

After someone blew a hole in the Nord Stream Pipeline deep under the Baltic Sea in September 2022, the global media debated a geopolitical whodunnit.
The American media, bolstered by official statements from unnamed officials, suggested Russia was behind the attack.
"US and Europe condemn 'sabotage' as suspicion mounts that Russia was behind pipeline leaks," read a representative CNN headline. Russia, meanwhile, blamed the CIA — and soon found support from the legendary American journalist Seymour Hersh, who published a detailed, single-source Substack post claiming that US Navy Divers placed C4 charges to be set off later by the Norwegian Navy.