After the Fact?: The Truth About Fake News

Why are journalists and politicians trusted to tell the truth as little as estate agents? How can democracy function when everybody just believes whatever they want? Will we ever return to "normal"? Written in an engaging and accessible style for a broad audience, After the Fact? examines how neoliberal and centrist ideologies, unaccountable technology corporations, corporate and governmental mendacity, and complacent, shoddy journalism have combined to produce the political crisis we find ourselves in, and what the challenges will be if we are to survive it. Using a wide array of issues and examples - from identity politics to conspiracy theories to corruption scandals - this book is an entertaining appraisal of our changing relationship to political truth, taking issue with standard discourses around "fake news" and "post-truth".