Why FACTS don’t matter anymore…

U.S. Vice President JD Vance sparked a furore as he took to the stage at the Munich Security Conference and delivered what can only be described as a masterclass in untruths. He lambasted European leaders for supposedly suppressing free speech and ignoring voters, even invoking the ludicrous notion that the West’s greatest threat wasn’t Russian aggression but its own internal policies (Vance, 2025). At one point, he even suggested that people weren’t “even allowed to have book burnings anymore” (ibid.)—as if this was some tragic infringement on civil liberties.

Vance’s comments weren’t just another example of populist bombast; they epitomized a growing phenomenon: the deliberate degradation of facts to elevate political narratives. Across the UK and beyond, right-wing media monopolies, political opportunists, and foreign actors have weaponised misinformation to the point where objective truth has become secondary to ideological convenience.

The Right-Wing Media Monopoly and Its Track Record of Misinformation

In the UK, a handful of media moguls wield enormous influence over public discourse. Rupert Murdoch and the 4th Viscount Rothermere control large swathes of the press, with The Sun, The Times, The Daily Mail, and The Telegraph acting as their primary mouthpieces (Freedman, 2021). These outlets have a long history of publishing misleading or outright false information—yet, when challenged, their readership often defends them with a tired refrain: “Well, I bet you just read The Guardian.”

This “newspaper vs newspaper” narrative is a convenient smokescreen that distracts from the real issue: media monopolies dictate what is considered “truth” in the UK. Research from the London School of Economics found that The Daily Mail has systematically misled readers on immigration, climate change, and welfare policies, often using cherry-picked data and inflammatory rhetoric (Freedman, 2023).

For instance, The Daily Mail falsely claimed in 2014 that “Flights and buses [were] full as Romanians head for the UK” (Daily Mail, 2014). The article insinuated that the UK was about to be flooded with immigrants—except, as later revealed, this was a fabrication. In reality, flights arriving from Romania were mostly empty (ibid.). Similarly, The Sun has had to issue numerous retractions, including a 2010 article falsely alleging a terrorist threat to Coronation Street (The Sun, 2010). Despite being debunked, these stories stick in the public consciousness, influencing perceptions long after they’ve been discredited (Jerit & Zhao, 2020).

The issue isn’t just that these outlets publish misinformation—it’s that they rarely suffer consequences. The UK’s press regulatory body, IPSO, has been criticized for its lack of real enforcement power, allowing publications to continue misleading the public with minimal repercussions (Löfflmann, 2022). Due to a largely politically illiterate electorate, the UK has seen more people believing the nonsense they see on their screens and newspapers, and using this as affirmation of their baseless rhetoric.

A 2022 YouGov poll found that 58% of UK adults believed at least one false or misleading claim about climate change, with the majority of those respondents citing social media or right-wing tabloids as their primary sources of information (YouGov, 2023). Another study revealed that 32% of Britons believed that ‘woke activists’ were responsible for declining free speech, despite no evidence to support such a claim.

These figures highlight how misinformation isn’t just a political tool—it actively shapes public opinion, often in ways that undermine democracy.

Populists and the Degradation of Truth

Populist leaders thrive on undermining trust in institutions. Figures like Nigel Farage and JD Vance repeatedly claim that “the mainstream media” is lying while simultaneously using right-wing outlets to spread their own fabrications (Jenne, 2021). This strategy erodes public confidence in fact-based reporting, creating an environment where “alternative facts” (Conway, 2017) are given the same weight as evidence-based analysis.

The Kremlin has been particularly adept at exploiting this dynamic. Russian disinformation campaigns, amplified by right-wing media, have successfully sown doubt over everything from climate change to electoral integrity (Jankowicz, 2020). The 2016 Brexit referendum saw a flood of misleading stories, many of which originated from Russian-backed sources and were then laundered into the British press via outlets like The Sun and The Daily Express (ibid.).

This tactic is rooted in what J.P. Goode and D.R. Stroup (2015) describe as “everyday nationalism,” where national identity is reinforced through media narratives, often at the expense of objective truth. By constantly portraying Britain as under siege—whether from immigrants, the EU, or “woke leftists”—right-wing media ensures that their audience remains emotionally invested in the narrative, rather than critically assessing the facts.

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The Challenge of Defending Truth in a Post-Fact Society

The problem isn’t just misinformation itself—it’s the growing belief that all information is equally valid, regardless of its accuracy. When facts are no longer seen as objective, political opinions become impervious to correction. As Margetts et al. (2016) argue, social media has further exacerbated this issue by creating echo chambers where misinformation spreads unchecked. The increasing willingness to disregard facts in favor of ideological narratives makes it difficult for those engaging with evidence-based arguments to gain traction.

So, how do we fight back? Greater transparency in media ownership, and stricter penalties for misinformation are all necessary; even respected institutions like the IEA or the ASI are secretly funded and often use their influence to force votes to benefit their doners (Lyon, 2018). But ultimately, media literacy is the most powerful weapon against this tide of untruths. People must be equipped with the skills to critically evaluate sources, recognize bias, and separate fact from fiction.

Until then, conversations with your family members, friends and colleagues will diffuse with the age old mantra (like it is some wise phrase when reality, it is just a meaningless throwaway comment) “everyone’s allowed their own opinions”- or in other words, I haven’t done any independent research but what I say is just as valuable as somebody who dedicate their life's work to seeking out the truth.