As the midterm elections bear down on us like a falling piano, I've been reflecting on the current information environment. Republican nominees in about half the country's gubernatorial races continue to dismiss the results of the 2020 election, and in at least four key swing states there's a good chance the next vote count will be overseen by an election denier.
Two years after Trump's unceremonious exit, with his infamous 30,573 lies in the rearview mirror, might seem a little late to sound the alarm on the post-truth era. It can be tempting to assume there's simply nothing new to say about this moment. Politicians always lie and always will. I'll admit that the endless hand-wringing in op-eds like this one about the value of the words "lie" vs. "falsehood" often leave me feeling depleted and apathetic.
