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Is there any US political program mentioning "truth decay" (or similar concept) as an issue that should be tacked?

Politics Asked on December 12, 2021

I have learnt about “truth decay” by accident from here:

(..) “Truth Decay” — the diminishing role of facts and analysis in
American public life.

There are four trends that characterize Truth Decay:

  • increasing disagreement about facts and analytical interpretations of facts and data
  • a blurring of the line between opinion and fact
  • the increasing relative volume and resulting influence of opinion and personal experience over fact
  • declining trust in formerly respected sources of facts.

This makes me think about “post-truth”, but it is unclear if it is the same thing.

The same source mentioned that analysis alone is not enough and that multiple actors must be involved in acting to diminish “post-truth” effects:

RAND’s research agenda addresses these issues and much more. But
research and analysis alone cannot solve the complex problem of Truth
Decay. Policymakers, media companies, and individuals must also
act on the basis of this research.

This makes me wonder if any recent political program or campaign ever mentioned this as an issue.

Question: Is there any US political program mentioning “truth decay” (or similar concept) as an issue that should be tacked?

One Answer

The draft 2020 Democratic platform published July 22nd includes a somewhat-related policy - it doesn't explicitly refer to 'truth decay', but it does include a commitment to support 'fact-based and unbiased' journalism. From page 43:

Supporting Press Freedom

The free press is essential to our free democracy. Democrats roundly reject President Trump’s denigration of the free and independent press, which has endangered reporters’ lives, helped fuel conspiracy theories, and deepened distrust between Americans and their government. Democrats will appoint an independent media professional to head the U.S. Agency for Global Media, to ensure that the news and information projected around the world by the federal government meets the highest standards of fact-based and unbiased journalism. Democrats are concerned about the potentially harmful effects of corporate consolidation in the media industry, including in television, radio, and newspapers, and will reinstate and strengthen media ownership rules and direct federal antitrust agencies to investigate the economic impacts of mergers in the media industry.

Answered by CDJB on December 12, 2021

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