On the one hand I'd like to encourage comments like this because I feel that thoughtful, introspective conversations are rare, it would be good to have more, and this seems like the sort of comment that might encourage such conversations.

On the other hand I also want to snark off by something something like "Hi, Eliza!"

So I guess I'll ask: was this a serious comment? (I genuinely can't tell)

My comment is serious.

To me: that it’s important to be aware of, because unaccountable selfish interests win by default.

I don't think it is a mystery that a member of the press could be a spy / some have been.

But I don't think that really means anything as to the post they were replying to when someone talks about the level of paranoia some folks have.

I see these kind of posts where someone mentions something and you get these sort of "look one time(s) this thing actually happened" info bit gets posted with no elaboration. I'm not at all sure what that is supposed to mean. Support for the idea that "every journalist is a spy and if they aren't they should be"?

If the intent is to justify that paranoia / those actions I'm not really sure that makes sense / you could justify just about anything then.