My Turn: A truth oft told remains the truth

STAFF FILE PHOTO

STAFF FILE PHOTO STAFF FILE PHOTO

By LOUISE DOUD

Published: 01-14-2025 7:00 AM

Two recent columns in the Recorder have spurred me to think more deeply about what we can do about current untruths circulating in U.S. politics.

I was interested in Richard Brunswick’s Jan. 10 My Turn discussion of the term “post-truth politics” [“Democracy is drowning in a sea of post-truth politics”] when, according to Wikipedia, the “boundary between truth and untruth is erased,” and many in current “political life do not care for truth, proof and evidence.” He cited Sophia A. Rosenfeld’s ideas to bring the truth back into politics that include public fact-checking, sticking to restating the truth, highlighting disinformation promoted by media companies, improving information literacy, nonviolent protest against lying and corruption, not re-opening settled debates, and getting Citizens United reversed so that gobs of big corporate money doesn’t pour into campaigns as it does now, rendering elections less democratic.

Brunswick’s column ends with the thought that shared truths are necessary to maintain democratic decision-making and avoid a slide into fascism.

So, how do we progress toward reestablishing shared truths? This is a humbling question. What motivates me is to directly counter the strategy adopted by the incoming president of “a lie oft repeated becomes the truth” (meant to be a warning about the negative effect of repeating lies), and transform it to “a truth oft repeated remains the truth.”

Principled fact-checking is, of course, paramount to maintaining truths in public discourse, separating them from gossip and rumors. We may need to repeat truths (i.e., facts) over and over and over again, until they seep further and wider into the public consciousness, to become shared across political divisions.

It’s worth a try. Choose reliable sources, check the facts to support truths, and be vocal about sharing them, again and again, and again. We can take back the public narrative from fear-evoking, truth-shattering manipulative commentary by participating in truthful discourse in a principled manner — a great way to honor the memory of our past president, Jimmy Carter.

The facts of his presidency listed in the Washington Post commentary published in the Jan. 3 Recorder include great accomplishments that have lasted over 40-plus years and made his presidency actually quite successful: deregulating the airline industry, which lowered consumer fare prices; solving the Iran hostage crisis (hostages were released on Reagan’s Inauguration Day — a political move that does not diminish Carter’s dogged diplomacy that made it possible); treaties creating more home rule for the Panama Canal Zone; The Camp David Accord bringing peace to the Israeli-Egyptian violent conflict; Carter’s diversifying appointments of 57 non-white and 41 female judges to the federal bench (more who were not white males than all previous presidents combined); and appointing Paul Volcker to head the Federal Reserve (which helped stabilized the economy).

Knowing these and other accomplishments of the Carter presidency allow us to see as untrue the idea that he “failed,” a label attached to his presidency by his political opponents.

Let’s take inspiration from Mr. Carter’s example, and widely share well-supported factual information. Doing this has the potential to quell fears and unite us with the understanding of shared truths. We also should hold accountable and inspire journalists (and our elected representatives) across the political spectrum, and their publications, to do their jobs in a principled, truth-sharing manner, despite the repeal of the Fairness Doctrine.

We can together make this a widespread reality. A truth oft told remains the truth!

Louise Doud lives in Warwick.