The Audio Long Read From the archive: Why can’t we agree on what’s true any more?
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Feb 25, 2026 
William Davies, an author and commentator on economics and politics, reflects on why people distrust mainstream accounts. He explores how big data and cameras promise raw facts but actually fuel disputes. He discusses how selection, framing and missing context turn images into battlegrounds. He contrasts faith in intermediaries with the drive for unmediated truth and argues for valuing media independence.
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'Do Your Own Research' As A Political Slogan
- Davies points to the 'do your own research' slogan popularised during COVID as emblematic of the new epistemology.
- He links figures like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the spread of this mindset and its harms to medical expertise.
Outrage Targets Framing Not Just Facts
- Ubiquitous scepticism now targets not just lies but how events are framed, making outrage focus on perceived bias rather than objective facts.
- William Davies links this to widespread distrust of journalists, experts and institutions after events like Brexit and Trump amplified complaints about framing.
More Data Means More Disagreement
- The explosion of data has removed gatekeepers but increased disagreement because more records create fights over relevance and meaning.
- Davies argues big data's promise that "the data can simply speak for itself" is a fantasy that ignores necessary editorial frames.