Truth Is Under Attack

A New York Times article lays out an argument that truth itself is under a major direct attack. Is the argument persuasive? The NYT writes:

“An impeachment hearing on Capitol Hill presented radically competing versions of reality. An F.B.I. inspector general report punctured longstanding conspiracy theories even as it provided ammunition for others. And a trove of documents exposed years of government deception about the war in Afghanistan. 

While truth was deemed an endangered species in the nation’s capital long before President Trump’s arrival, it has become axiomatic in the era of ‘alternative facts’ that each person or party entertains only their own preferred variant, resisting contrary information. Rarely has that been on display as starkly as on Monday, underscoring the deep distrust that many Americans harbor toward their leaders and institutions. 

‘We’re in a dangerous moment,’ said Peter Wehner, a former strategic adviser to President George W. Bush and a vocal critic of Mr. Trump. ‘The danger is people come to believe that nobody is giving them the facts and reality, and everybody can make up their own script and their own narrative.’ 

In such a situation, he added, “truth as a concept gets obliterated because people’s investment in certain narratives is so deep that facts simply won’t get in the way.” 

“The story of the past half-century is the steady degradation of trust in the institutions and gatekeepers of American life,” said Ben Domenech, the founder of The Federalist, a conservative news site. ‘Everything from politics to faith to sports has been revealed as corrupted or corruptible. And every mismanaged war, failed hurricane response, botched investigation and doping scandal furthers this view.’”

Is truth under attack from the president and his supporters? Is there equivalence or near equivalence on this matter among republicans, democrats and the business community?