Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) holds a grand ceremony to welcome U.S. President Donald Trump at the square outside the east gate of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 9, 2017. Lan Hongguang/Xinhua News Agency/Press Association. All rights reserved. A political virus is spreading around the world. It is flaring up in a vast number of democratic countries across the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia. While varying from place to place, its symptoms include a toxic cocktail of fake news, deep polarization, elite shamelessness, and the degradation and delegitimizing of civic institutions. While there is growing agreement on the diagnosis, governments and societies are far from immune.
The effects of the virus are the same everywhere. For one, wary uncertainty and suspicion now accompanies virtually every topic and debate. The basis for a liberal society – facts, science, reason and respect – is coming under assault. Consequently, trust – the glue that holds democratic polities together – is coming unstuck. Instead fear, anger and discrimination – the fuel of autocracy – is taking hold. Civil discourse is being overtaken by a cascade of lies, including lies told by those who occupy the highest political offices.
Brazen falsehoods are defended by populist leaders and their supporters as "alternative facts". Information that is considered to be politically inconvenient, including stories generated by respected news outlets, are instead labeled as "fake news". The diffusion of total fictions is accelerated by hyper-partisan political networks and social media platforms that thrive on tribalism and conspiracy. A sizable number of citizens are prepared to consume such information uncritically, feeding a relentless cycle of lies and outrage.
