Fear vs Fact

Published: Aug. 5, 2016, 10 p.m.

b'

Mike Williams asks if we now live in a post-factual age \\u2014 where messages of fear dominate and the truth goes unspoken or unheard? He investigates the \\u201cBackfire Effect\\u201d which means that entrenched views can become more entrenched \\u2013 when confronted by contradictory facts. Politicians are often accused of distorting the truth \\u2013 with Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump the latest.

(Image - Group of people standing with one holding a newspaper with the headline "Earth Doomed". Credit - Everett Collection via Shutterstock)

'