I was recently discussing the latest edition of a theater book, which I had worked on, with an indexer/fact checker. We were double checking titles such as Book of Mormon vs. The Book of Moron, and reviewing which of several shows mentioned won Tony Awards. Most authors, and ghostwriters, appreciate editors, fact checkers and proofreaders, who help us get it right. And yes, most authors out there still want to get it right.

Today, however, in an age in which truth often takes a backseat to “Alternative Facts,” (a.k.a. lies) and conspiracy theories, which can easily spread like wildfire, we are at the risk of sadly drifting into a misinformation malaise encouraged by extremists, internet trolls, and radio talk show hosts.

What is most disturbing is the new-founded theory that “if enough people believe something, it must be true.” Therefore, if you were to take a survey and more than 50% of the people asked, believed that 10+10=25, then it must be true. This is the new “facts by popular consensus,” approach to reality. Of course it may not work very well when you try convincing an IRS tax auditor to agree with your new math. And while you’re at it, try convincing scientists that Climate Change is a hoax created by the Chinese.

Has Lying Become Fashionable?    

Lying certainly seems to be gaining traction, and acceptance, or at least tolerance. After all, we have a compulsive liar in the White House who, much in the style of a con man, cult leader, or multi-level marketer, makes up fabrications and sells them on a daily basis to those who still want to believe his unsubstantiated line of thinking. Then he has a hand-puppet, Sean Spicer, back up the lies. Was that 20 million people at the Inauguration?

Of course lying has always been a staple in politics. Richard Nixon stated, about Watergate; “I can say categorically that… no one in the White House staff, no one in this administration, presently employed, was involved in this very bizarre incident. LBJ took us to war based on two of our ships being attacked in Vietnam’s Gulf of Tonkin. A year later, he admitted that for all he knew our Navy was shooting at whales. And who could forget G.W. Bush with those weapons of mass destruction or Bill Clinton with Monica, you might say he had his own weapon of mass destruction.

A significant tip of the hat also needs to be given to the U.S. media who, in an effort to draw higher ratings, often sanctions fiction over fact. They then do the fact checking as an afterthought. Yet, lying isn’t tolerated everywhere. Canada has laws to prevent the broadcasting of false or misleading news. Imagine how such a law might affect the American news media?

We’d end up with more stories about a dancing Pikachu being taken down by Korean security guards, or other such filler.

Fortunately, however, lying has not yet permeated throughout all of our culture:

• Children have long been taught to tell the truth, and are still reprimanded for doing otherwise.
• Adults have found that liars do not always prosper, just ask Bernie Maddoff or the folks at Enron.
• We are still asked to solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, (so help you God) when taking the witness stand in a court of law. This comes with a very real penalty of perjury.
• Truth in advertising laws still pertain to television, radio, print media and yes, even websites. According to The Federal Trade Commission, federal law says that ads must be “truthful, not misleading, and, when appropriate, backed by scientific evidence.”

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Of course even the FTC cannot catch all of the misleading claims, such as those made by Nutella, which slipped past the FTC with claims of being a “health food.” A mom in California sued and won big. And one of those phone companies, which all claim the fastest service, has to be wrong.

The point is; while mistakes are inevitable, we should not turn a blind eye toward lies and misinformation. Complacency isn’t an excuse for allowing unrelenting fabrications to become the norm. We need to applaud fact checkers and demand honesty in the media, and from our politicians, on both sides of the aisle. For that matter, we should expect honesty from people with whom we interact in business, in schools and in our communities. As a ghostwriter, I’m happy to say that most people with whom I work are still looking for fact based stories and making an effort to find correct information for their books. Yes, facts still matter, even if we have to look a little harder to find them.

If you’re thinking about writing a book to tell your story, promote your business or illustrate your expertise in an area of interest, please contact me, Rich Mintzer, at 914-244-1020.

And if you happen to know someone who’d like to write a book, I’m happy to provide a finder’s fee for a new client.