By Claire Melamed, CEO, Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data
Facts are back. President Biden began his term with a strong defense of truth, and a rejection of a culture where ‘facts are manipulated, and even manufactured’. The words in the inauguration speech have been backed up by actions: the creation of an ‘equitable data working group’, measures to ensure the accuracy of the census, and an order to put data at the center of the COVID-19 response. At last, an administration that prioritizes accurate information as a key instrument to achieve change.
It should never not be shocking that one of the most powerful countries in the world was governed for four years by a serial liar. Former President Trump told more than 30,000 lies during his four years, some of them actively dangerous. And disregard for truth is not confined to the USA. Around the world, we see a rising trend of misinformation.
What can we do to support the fightback for the facts? The first task, of course, is to have the facts there in the first place. That takes time, and money. And unlike investments in new roads, or parks, or hospitals, it doesn’t bring immediate political dividends.
But, like plumbing, rubbish collection, and other unglamorous but essential parts of modern life, the world is a lot worse without good data.
The COVID-19 pandemic is the latest front in the war for truth, and one in which misinformation can cost lives. The most basic facts in this war are about deaths — who is dying, where, and from what causes.
But, shamefully after decades of pouring billions of dollars into global health systems, we don’t have data on the actual causes for more than half of the deaths that occur in the world every year.
Studies have shown that misinformation spreads fastest in poorer countries with weaker data systems. Lies can too easily slip into the vacuum that is created where there are no facts. A global commitment to invest in basic data, as the foundation for good government, is urgently needed to protect us all from those who continue to fight against facts.
Here at the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data our coalition of 270 organizations are leading the fight for facts that change the world for the better. Together we work with governments around the world to improve the coverage, timeliness and accuracy of data, and show how investments in better data can pay off in the form of better lives.
Having more good data is half of the battle for truth. But it’s not all of it. Lies are not there only because the data is lacking, they are also there because it suits powerful people to lie. People have always lied, and always will. It’s too tempting, and too easy, and it works (and we should all be grateful all the time for the fact checkers who, in further good news this month, were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize).
If liars are to be expelled from politics, ultimately people have to stop voting for them. That’s partly about the voters themselves. Everyone needs to get better at spotting falsehoods — we need a population that will spot a lie and have the confidence to call out the liars.
But this not all down to individuals. The business models of some of the biggest companies in the world rely on all of us constantly scrolling, clicking and liking — and they aren’t too fussed about what we’re looking at. An appealing lie, or one that suits the prejudice of the crowd, will be sent around the world at the speed of light, amplified and accelerated with every interaction and in the process generating profits for the companies that host it.
Expelling lies from politics is also about curbing the companies that benefit from spreading those lies: regulation of the big tech companies is firmly on the political agenda, and when it comes, it must be squarely aimed at protecting the truth.
Facts are back. After allowing ourselves a moment of relief, let’s make sure that the liars are less likely to win next time.
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