\n\n“Truth decay encompasses four trends, each of which is relevant to what we\u2019re experiencing now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first is increasing disagreement about facts and data. An example in this context would be the disagreement about the safety of vaccines<\/a> and whether people will take them once they\u2019re made and distributed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The second trend is the increased blurring of the line between fact and opinion. This is caused a lot by commentary in cable news or social media, places where facts and opinion are mixed together and make it really hard to determine what\u2019s real and what\u2019s someone\u2019s opinion or analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The third trend is the increasing volume of opinion compared to fact. You\u2019re just seeing a lot more opinion out there. If you\u2019re looking for facts, you have to work pretty hard to dig through all that commentary before you can actually find the raw facts you might be looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, declining trust in key institutions that provide information. We\u2019re experiencing this now with the government and the media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Put together, people are not sure what\u2019s true what\u2019s not, and they don\u2019t even really know where to turn to find factual information they\u2019re looking for.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n …<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Dr. Anthony Fauci<\/a>, for example, seems to be the guy providing the media and the public with the necessary facts about the coronavirus right now. But because the president undercuts him and disagrees with a lot of what he says, he\u2019s become somewhat of a polarizing figure. If you\u2019re a Trump fan, you might not be a Fauci fan, and vice versa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At such a crucial time, how is the expertise of someone like Fauci or other public health experts not innately trusted?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n …<\/p>\n\n\n\n “people like to confirm their own beliefs. They don\u2019t necessarily want to hear information that disagrees with their views, and it leads people to reject information from experts that doesn\u2019t fit their narrative.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n …<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I\u2019m skeptical this moment will lead to only facts coming from the top and an extra effort from the bottom to seek facts. Tens of thousands of Americans have died, millions have fallen ill<\/a>, and yet there doesn\u2019t seem to be a change. The US isn\u2019t rising to the moment.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n …<\/p>\n\n\n\n “this is a national failure because it prevents us from making progress on the big issues that our country needs to confront if we want to continue being a prosperous nation and maintain the position we have in the world.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n