Fighting lies with lies

Darren O’Byrne

PROPAGANDA AND DISINFORMATION AREamong the biggest threats facing liberal democracies today. The internet’s promise to democratise information, while partly fulfilled, has further polarised societies by nurturing ignorance and feeding conspiracy theories. With discourse thus poisoned, it is becoming increasingly difficult to discern truth from fiction, making the fight against disinformation arguably the most important one we face. For many, the future of democracy depends on it. But how to defeat it? From studying disinformation’s recent history, it becomes apparent that lies must often be told to defeat lies, and that in such situations it helps to have the best liars in your corner. Joseph Goebbels was the twentieth century’s most infamous and prolific liar, but quantity is not quality, and he was ultimately outwitted by Sefton Delmer, the Head of…

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The Critic (Digital) - 1 Issue, May 2024

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