In truth : a history of lies from Ancient Rome to modern America / Matthew Fraser.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fraser, Matthew, 1958- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

History--Errors, inventions, etc.

History.

Truthfulness and falsehood--Political aspects.

Truthfulness and falsehood.

Truthfulness and falsehood--History.

Journalism--Political aspects--History.

Journalism.

Press and politics--History.

Press and politics.

Political leadership--History.

Political leadership.

Journalism--Political aspects.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xx, 437 pages ; 24 cm

Other Title:

History of lies from Ancient Rome to modern America

Place of Publication:

Guilford, Connecticut : Prometheus Books, [2020]

Summary:

"From the ancient Greeks and Romans to the modern era, how have people determined what is true? How have those with power and influence sought to control the narrative? Are we living in a post-truth era, or is that notion simply the latest attempt to control the narrative? The relationship between truth and power is the key theme. Moving through major historical periods, the author focuses on notable people and events, from well-known leaders like Julius Caesar and Adolf Hitler to lesser-known individuals like Procopius and Savonarola. He notes distinct parallels in history to current events. Julius Caesar's publication of his Gallic Wars and Civil Wars was an early exercise in political spin not unlike what we see today. During the English Civil War and the Enlightenment, pamphleteering coupled with the new power of the printing press challenged the status quo, as online and social media does in our time. And "fake news" was already being used by German chancellor Otto von Bismarck in nineteenth-century Europe and by the "yellow journalism" of American newspaper magnates William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer near the turn of the twentieth century. The author concludes optimistically, noting that we are debating and discussing truth more fiercely today than in any previous era. The determination to arrive at the truth, despite the manipulations of the powerful, bodes well for the future of democracy"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Part 1. Caesar's things

I came, I saw, I published

Show me the money

The Nero unreality show

Part 2. Icons and iconoclasts

Secrets and lies

PR men in the monasteries

Bonfires of vanities

Part 3. Twilight of the icons

Selling indulgences

Lèse Majesté

Coffee and cake

Part 4. Empire of lies

All the news that's fit to fake

Bismarck's fake news

To hell with Spain

Part 5. Supermen, supermyths, superpowers

The gun that killed the Hun

Triumph of the will

Shaken, not stirred

Part 6. The war on truth

Guardians of the truth

The digital town square

Lord of the lies

Conclusion.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Fraser, Matthew, 1958- In truth

ISBN:

9781633886247

1633886247

OCLC:

1108141195