"The concept of truth feels particularly bleak in 2025. Government leaders deploy up-is-down narratives at an exhausting clip. Online worlds drip with artificial intelligence-generated slop that incites rage. Chatbots answer questions with fabricated information, and the government folds it into a report card on America's health. The last 10 years have been an ugly era for facts, marked by a drumbeat of untruths and near-constant charges of "fake news" from the decade's most influential player, President Donald Trump."
"The trouble with drumbeats is, as a matter of survival or sanity, we tend to tune out or grow numb to them. Even people with influence who might lament "misinformation" move on to other fights. The word itself is downgraded - at best it's a red flag, at worst it's a punchline. I understand why the outlook feels hopeless, but it's time to revisit the basics of why it's important to call out lies. They're more than just words. Lies harm livelihoods and families."
Truth feels bleak in 2025 as government leaders spread contradictory narratives and AI-generated content fuels anger and falsehood. Chatbots produce fabricated information that becomes incorporated into official assessments of national health. A decade of persistent untruths and constant charges of "fake news" have normalized misinformation and dulled public sensitivity to falsehoods. Many influential voices shift focus away from combating misinformation, further reducing the term's impact. Lies are framed as harmful beyond words, damaging livelihoods and families. PolitiFact examines deceptive statements daily, generally avoids ascribing intent by labeling claims "lies," and preserves an annual 'Lie of the Year' exception for consequential falsehoods.
Read at Poynter
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