Sunday, June 22, 2025

Bill Crawford: Even Government Data Succumbs to Truth Management

Truth management, persuasion schemes that tailor truth, confronts us constantly, a disturbing aspect of modern life.

Once the province of politicians and totalitarian governments – the Soviet Union’s disinformation apparatus during the Cold War was a marvel – truth management has now infiltrated the sources we rely upon for information in America.

“Sound decision making relies on the ability of an individual to analyze the facts at hand and come to a rational conclusion about the best course of action based on those facts,” according to the American Security Project.

Where can you turn for accurate information?

“Local news media in the United States plays a particularly critical role in debunking misinformation and disinformation,” wrote Marina Dickson in her treatise entitled Disinformation in the United States.” Yet local media is in decline, decimated as more and more turn to social media for information.

“Facebook is fine for keeping up with friends and neighbors,” wrote newspaper publisher Wyatt Emmerich. “It has a role in communicating local news. But a Facebook post is not the same as a genuine local article written by a properly trained professional journalist.” In journalism school students are taught to verify the facts, he said. The problem, he notes, is the United States has lost half its journalists, most of them local journalists. “Ironically, the more viral and fake the news, the more eyeballs click on it.”

 

“Disinformation often spreads rapidly and with deeper penetration than true information,” agreed the American Security Project.

“Online disinformation is particularly insidious because of its immediacy, its capacity to deceive, and its ability to reach its target,” wrote legal analyst Barbara McQuade in her 2024 book Attack from Within.

Generative artificial intelligence will only make matters worse. It’s already “boosting the spread of disinformation and propaganda,” according to an MIT Technology Review article.

One way to see through disinformation has been to go direct to data for information. The U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, National Center for Health Statistics, National Agricultural Statistics Service, and other agencies publish readily accessible and statistically reliable data.

Well, maybe.

Inside Higher Education reported the Trump administration has begun purging federal demographic data “on a wide range of topics, including public health, education and climate” from government websites. Politico reported Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has upended efforts to collect some health data. And USDA officials delayed and redacted a farm trade report that forecast a trade deficit contrary to Trump’s rhetoric.

Reliable local news “it’s dying and this is a threat to our democracy,” said Emmerich.

It appears truth management is here to stay.

“The truth will set you free” – John 8:32.

Crawford is the author of A Republican’s Lament: Mississippi Needs Good Government Conservatives.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

In other words, "You Cant Trust Nobody"...Especially The Government...

Anonymous said...

“If you torture statistics long enough, they'll eventually confess the truth.”

“If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters.”

Senator Alan Simpson

Anonymous said...

Donald Trump lies without blinking. When we have a President who constantly lies to the American Citizens, we have a problem. As demonstrated by the recent “No Kings” protests, many American Citizens are deeply concerned.

Kingfish said...

Don't know what this post has to do with Jews, Nazi, but I'm not approving your comment

Anonymous said...

Translation: you listen to us (the media) and don’t trust even your own eyes when clear video evidence tells you otherwise.

Example:
“June 6: ICE conducted citywide immigration raids across L.A., which led to protests in downtown, some turning into street riots involving blockades, thrown objects, and property damage.”
“June 7: As those riots intensified, President Trump invoked Title 10 and authorized about 2,000 National Guard troops to be federalized and deployed to L.A. to “quell them”

But Gavin Newscum, Karen Bass and their propaganda pals in the so-called “news” media would have you believe that Trump’s sending in the national guard is the reason for the riots, EVEN with video evidence stating otherwise.

Another example: On June 8, 2025 The AP and other outlets characterized the 6–3 ruling upholding Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors as a “jolting setback to transgender rights.”

Yep, you read this correctly, according to the AP, having mentally confused children not yet even old enough to join the military, get a driver’s license, drink alcohol, rent a vehicle, vote in our elections, rent an apartment, or sign up for health insurance – wait until they are an adult before making a decision to mutilate themselves by cutting their parts off, is according to the AP, “a jolting setback to transgender rights.”


"But evil men and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived." 2 Timothy 3:13

Anonymous said...

I can believe what I see. I can hear words and know that if someone tells lies and makes jokes at the expense of others. It's been a reliable measure of whether a person lacks integrity and is unreliable.

Anonymous said...

The whole lying about Biden’s condition until they couldn’t anymore is tough to swallow. “You should only trust trained journalists” is a tough take after the lies about Covid and Biden. At least a lot of voices on the left like Van Jones and Jake Tapper have taken accountability and started to have a conversation about media responsibility. That debate last year was surreal. It revealed a Soviet or North Korea level of state sponsored disinformation

Anonymous said...

No one takes you serious

Anonymous said...

Easy now, facts hurt liberals feelings.

Anonymous said...

3:44 & 8:00 PM, it is a mystery what percentage of Democrats actually lack the metal capacity to understand how ridiculous they sound when repeating the BS propaganda re: Trump’s lies; as if Democrats themselves do not take lying to a treasonous level.

CNBC’s Andrew Sorkin was regularly pushing this “Trump lies” narrative prior to last November’s election with very little pushback. That is until he used it on Bill Ackman. Ackman (I’m no fan but what he said was 2+2=4 logic) said something to the effect of - maybe one day we will have 2 presidential candidates to choose from with neither having ever told a lie.

The Democrat party of Bill "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky" (January 26, 1998) Clinton;
the Democrat party of Hillary “I remember landing under sniper fire” (March 2008) Clinton;
the Democrat party of Barack Hussein Obama (whose first run for the Illinois state senate in 1995 was launched at a gathering at Weather Underground Domestic Terrorist Bill Ayers' home);
and the Democrat party of Joe Biden, that (along with the so-called “news” media Bill Crawford is telling us we should listen to) publicly described the Hunter Biden laptop story as having the "hallmarks of a Russian information operation;”

really needs to find another narrative; because it makes them look extremely stupid.


“You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.” Romans 2:1

Anonymous said...

I repeat, when the President of The United States lies constantly to the Citizens of The United States, we have a problem. That’s the beginning and end of that.

Anonymous said...

I don't know how old you are, puddin, but can you name a president in your lifetime that hasn't lied to the citizens?

Kingfish said...

Clinton lied so much Rush made a living off of him alone.

Anonymous said...

He isn't called "Slick Willy" for nothing.

Anonymous said...

Alex Jones is always right

paulo said...

Clinton lied about Monica, Trump lied about Stormy, Karen and E Jean Carrol. He has been convicted and found libel in a civil suit because he lied. That’s on a personal level. Trump lies about everything and it’s either ignored or brushed over.

Anonymous said...

Paulo/12:14 PM, I remember that day in May of last year when “jurors in New York state court found Donald Trump guilty on 34 felony counts.” A left leaning relative asked me right after the verdict was read what I thought about it. I said I’m about to mail Trump a campaign contribution – and did.

One can only speculate how much this government weaponization by the Democrat party of crime did to help Trump’s fundraising - and his eventual win of the presidency again - but we do know it helped for sure.

Here’s to hoping the mortgage fraud New York Attorney General Letitia James gets to see the inside of a prison cell for her actual crimes. As for the Biden crime family, looks like they’re covered by his autopen pardons, but the Deity will take care of them – that’s a for sure.


"Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked." Psalm 97:10

Anonymous said...

A jury found that he committed libel . A judge found him guilty and so far his appeals on these and the election denial claims have all be shot down. The evidence was clear.
As far Biden if there was anything illegal, they were official acts and as SC ruled. You can’t prosecute a president for official acts.

Anonymous said...

Every president has lied at some point to the American people, everyone knows this. It's part of the political scene.

Anonymous said...

That's authentic crazy talk right there.

Anonymous said...

4:05 – sounds like you have a whole lot of faith in judges and jury verdicts. A good read or two might help with the naivete. “Kings of Tort” by Alan Lange and Tom Dawson will be a great start. But you can’t just read it alone, so be sure to also include “The Fall of the House of Zeus” by Curtis Wilkie as well. Afterwards, you might have a good feel for just how utterly corrupt lawyers and judges can be, especially the Democrat kind.

By the way, “allegedly,” disbarred attorney and Democrat convict Dickie Scruggs (he’s in the two books referenced above) had dealings with Joe Biden’s brother, Jim. Didn’t Jim Biden (also known as James Biden) receive a full, preemptive pardon from President Joe Biden on January 20, 2025, during Biden’s final minutes in office. If so, wonder why ole Jim needed this pardon?

Anonymous said...

KF - how many of these garbage posts are AI generated? Seriously.


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Wrestling returns, except this time it will be a Battle Royal with Othor Cain, Ben Allen, Kim Wade, Haley Fisackerly, Alan Lange, and “Big Cat” Donna Ladd all in the ring at the same time. The Battle Royal will be in a steel cage, no time limit, no referee, and the losers must leave town. Marshand Crisler will be the honorary referee (as it gives him a title without actually having to do anything).


Meet KIM Waaaaaade at the Entergy Tent. For five pesos, Kim will sell you a chance to win a deed to a crack house on Ridgeway Street stuffed in the Howard Industries pinata. Don't worry if the pinata is beaten to shreds, as Mr. Wade has Jose, Emmanuel, and Carlos, all illegal immigrants, available as replacements for the it. Upon leaving the Entergy tent, fig leaves will be available in case Entergy literally takes everything you have as part of its Trollfest ticket price adjustment charge.

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In the spirit of helping those who are less fortunate, Trollfest '09 adopts a cause for which a portion of the proceeds and donations will be donated: Keeping Frank Melton in his home. The “Keep Frank Melton From Being Homeless” booth will sell chances for five dollars to pin the tail on the jackass. John Reeves has graciously volunteered to be the jackass for this honorable excursion into saving Frank's ass. What's an ass between two friends after all? If Mr. Reeves is unable to um, perform, Speaker Billy McCoy has also volunteered as when the word “jackass” was mentioned he immediately ran as fast as he could to sign up.


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If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

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