This article by Randall Lane, chief content officer and editor of Forbes, is one of the most encouraging things I’ve seen recently. This is the kind of thing we need more of. The article is not that long, so of course you should go read the whole thing for yourself.
www.forbes.com/...
A Truth Reckoning: Why We’re Holding Those Who Lied For Trump Accountable
In this time of transition – and pain – reinvigorating democracy requires a reckoning. A truth reckoning. Starting with the people paid by the People to inform the People.
The people Randall is explicitly referencing here are Sean Spicer, Kellyanne Conway, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Stephanie Grisham, and Kayleigh McEnany.
As American democracy rebounds, we need to return to a standard of truth when it comes to how the government communicates with the governed. The easiest way to do that, from where I sit, is to create repercussions for those who don’t follow the civic norms. Trump’s lawyers lie gleefully to the press and public, but those lies, magically, almost never made it into briefs and arguments – contempt, perjury and disbarment keep the professional standards high.
So what’s the parallel in the dark arts of communication? Simple: Don’t let the chronic liars cash in on their dishonesty. Press secretaries like Joe Lockhart, Ari Fleischer and Jay Carney, who left the White House with their reputations in various stages of intact, made millions taking their skills — and credibility — to corporate America. Trump’s liars don’t merit that same golden parachute. Let it be known to the business world: Hire any of Trump’s fellow fabulists above, and Forbes will assume that everything your company or firm talks about is a lie. We’re going to scrutinize, double-check, investigate with the same skepticism we’d approach a Trump tweet. Want to ensure the world’s biggest business media brand approaches you as a potential funnel of disinformation? Then hire away.
(emphasis mine)
This is indeed a start, and it should only be the start. We need similar pressure applied to all those who lied for Trump, be it others in the Trump Administration, in Congress, or in any corner of the media. That might be a big ask, but we as a society must put a price on deceiving the public. If we can’t make lying illegal, we should at least make it utterly taboo.