About

The Firehose of Falsehood is every autocrat’s dream and it was crafted by the Soviet Union to sow chaos and division without direct force. According to researchers at the RAND Corporation, it describes a phenomenon where a nation’s leading class flood the news and information cycle with so much misinformation that it doesn’t matter if it is right or wrong, it merely confuses the population and causes chaos. It creates political cynicism and a pure distrust in discourse. “While the bulk of firehose claims are false or misleading or even mutually contradictory, a skilled propagandist may salt the mix with statements that are partly valid, lending apparent plausibility to the rest.” In this episode, Drew and Alex look into how Donald Trump may have used this tactic better than most and it eroded the shared truths that were prevalent in the US. They look into the COVID-19 pandemic, the “Big Lie” and more. They also look into the current situation in Brazil and how this can also relate to the firehose of falsehood. Some questions posed in the episode are -  Can misinformation be halted? Will Bolsanaro in Brazil lose popularity?  Can political discourse be useful anymore? Is the recent Arizona fraud audit just a dress rehearsal for 2022 and beyond?