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Does Truth Matter ?

It appears that it does not from the evidence seen recently online and in the printed media. So, does truth matter? During the current pandemic all types of fake news has appeared. In the UK an excellent example of this relates to Wetherspoon in Canterbury a well-known and respected pub chain which has been subject to “many untrue statements”. Wetherspoon has rigorously responded to set the record straight by seeking corrections for the many misrepresentations done by most UK newspapers and the American Forbes magazine.

Wetherspoon has the financial resources, political contacts  and legal clout to obtain apologies. Congratulations to them for taking a stand against false ‘news’. But what about an organization/business that suffers a similar fate?  How can they respond to defend their enterprise? What about when  Wikipedia is used to discredit, and stigmatize with fake, misleading and false information? Any anonymous cartel, or cabal can be ruthless to collude deception to meet their own agenda. Competitors, journalists, publications and the internet can pump out detrimental spin.

So what about those organisations and people who have been slandered? There are companies who can be hired to displace negative stuff, where people are unlikely to stumble across it.  This may be more efficient and effective than making demands asking that original text be removed.  False and fake information can rocket across the internet and world before the truth can be promoted. Search engines can be manipulated to pump out biased pages to deceive purely because they have a high ranking.

One of the best examples of a website well-known for fake, false and contentious information is Wikipedia already mentioned. Teachers and academics warn students against its credibility: Wikipedia is not a reliable truthful source as it can be edited, or vandalised by anyone or group at any time, spewing out information that is just plain wrong.

Truth does matter, like freedom of speech. However, today there is a vacuum between facts and fiction. Truth twisted is a fraud. In business, commerce, industry, government and the professions truth must be paramount.