The disturbing power of information pollution

I’d like to defend a contrary ideal: that democracies should be spaces of reasons. That is, democratic politics are at their best when disagreements are settled not by power or manipulation but by appeal to shared values, evidence, and facts. Indeed, in light of recent events — Brexit, the election of Donald Trump, and the rise of nationalism across the Western world — one might be excused for thinking this ideal is not just idealistic but irrational. Appeals to facts seem moot when those in power seem free to deny them, and when falsehoods come so fast from official sources that the media literally cannot keep up.

Michael P. Lynch

Read full article in the MIT Press by Michael P. Lynch