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The Politics of Truth March 28, 2018

American University's Constitution Hall

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Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies 4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, DC 20016 United States

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The Politics of Truth

Perceptions of factual reality now come in partisan shades of red and blue, rendering large swaths of the American citizenry stubbornly misinformed and ever more disdainful of inter-partisan cooperation. What are the factors, specifically, that drive such dueling fact perceptions? What are the ensuing consequences? And how effective are the correctives to misinformation that reformers have proposed?

General Objectives

  • Structure intellectual exchange among the nation's leading contributors to this line of inquiry
  • Synthesize existing knowledge
  • Prioritize remaining questions
  • Chart a collaborative research agenda going forward
  • Organize the Politics of Truth Handbook

Intellectual Aims

  • Refine and clarify concepts
  • Distinguish causal mechanisms
  • Document the full range of consequences
  • Evaluate correctives