Can we still handle the truth? Journalism, ‘alternative facts’ and the rise of AI

‘Digital platforms were eroding the gatekeeping power of the old publishers and upending their business models. Some politicians didn’t just spin, they lied. And then they attacked the press for calling them out.’ Illustration: Victoria Hart/Guardian Design

We all have moments in life when we know something big is happening, that we are stepping into a new and consequential experience, and our mind takes a mental Polaroid, an intensely clear snapshot of what that moment looks like and how it feels, and then stores it away in a file marked “important”.

Well, my mind does anyway, and in my professional life so far there have been three.