Fake news and the root of trust.

I have a hard time knowing how to make decisions because our world is infinitely complex and I haven’t evolved enough to make sense of it all. My brain evolved to simplify, coalesce data and recognize patterns so that I can try to make more good decisions than bad ones. Ground truth is hard to find here in 2023, everything from aliens, to Covid, from Russia and Ukraine, to causes of inflation. The complex, multivariable world, is hard to describe and even harder to understand. Active campaigns against reason and truth make it harder.

What is a source for truth? And how can we know when that source is trustworthy or just using propaganda to aggregate power.

Back in 1969, the United State was steeped in a struggle for civil rights and for peace against the Vietnam War. Nixon was in office and had campaigned to protect American soldiers but was not acting according to that vow as President.

Spiro Agnew, who was then the Nixon’s Vice President, delivered a speech on November 13, 1969, in Des Moines, Iowa, in which he attacked the news media for their coverage of the Vietnam War and their criticism of the Nixon administration’s policies. This was the first time a sitting President actively disparaged the press. All the while, Nixon was working behind the scenes to discrete the growing marches and movements for peace

The Nixon administration to discredit these opponents and appealled to what they saw as a “silent majority” of Americans who supported the war effort. In his speech, Agnew accused the media of being biased against the administration and the war, and of promoting a liberal agenda that was out of touch with the views of ordinary Americans.

Agnew argued that the media were dominated by a small group of “elites” who were out of touch with the values and interests of the majority of Americans. A term that is still used to discrete opposition. Agnew criticized the media for focusing too much on the negative aspects of the war and ignoring the successes of American troops on the ground. He also accused the media of being unpatriotic. Agnew’s speech helped to solidify the support of Nixon’s base and set the tone for the administration’s combative relationship with the media throughout Nixon’s presidency.

Critizing the media obviously is a major pastime today by politicians.

After Agnew’s speach, Nixon tried to use fake news to his benefit during a photoshoot. During this photoshoot in September of 1970, a photograph that is commonly known as the “Honor America Day” photo, was taken during a White House event. This photo shows President Nixon sitting at his desk, surrounded by stacks of telegrams that supposedly contained messages of support for his policies on the Vietnam War.

These telegrams were inteded to be a photo op for Nixon, however it is more likely that they were part of a broader effort by the Republican Party and other conservative organizations to show support for the Nixon administration and to counter the growing anti-war movement. These telegrams were claimed to be evidence of a groundswell of support, but were fake. Fake news showing fake support for a controversial war.

There were even reports at the time that many of the telegrams were organized by the White House itself and that some of them were even sent by administration officials using false names. Regardless of the origin of the telegrams, the photo was powerful symbol of the political propaganda of the era.

Digital ledgers have the possibility of creating an open and transparent system of communication, donations, and political systems.

1. Transparency in political fundraising: One of the big issues in political campaigns is the lack of transparency in fundraising. Digital ledgers can be used to create a transparent and secure system for political donations. Donations could be recorded on a public ledger that is accessible to all, providing transparency in fundraising and reducing the potential for corruption.
2. Secure and transparent voting: Digital ledgers could be used to create a secure and transparent voting system. By using a decentralized ledger to record votes, it would be difficult for anyone to tamper with the results. This would increase trust in the voting process and reduce the potential for fraud.
3. Tracking government spending: Digital ledgers can be used to track government spending, making it easier to identify waste, fraud, and abuse. By recording all government spending on a public ledger, citizens could monitor how their tax dollars are being used and hold elected officials accountable.
4. Increased transparency in supply chains: Digital ledgers can be used to create a transparent and secure supply chain, which would enable consumers to trace the origins of products and ensure that they are ethically sourced. By recording every step of the supply chain on a public ledger, consumers can be confident that the products they are buying are not the result of exploitation or unethical practices.
5. Communications: Digital ledgers can be used to create secure and transparent communication or messaging systems, where messages and their origin could be encrypted and stored on a decentralized ledger, ensuring that they cannot be tampered with, faked, or censored by third parties.

Fake news no more