Veritas

By Péter MARTON

Here's a short story.

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A man came to the village one day. A mysterious figure. No one could quite make out his face under the wide-brimmed hat he wore. He even kept his head tilted constantly downward as if reading patterns from the ground to be covered by his steps.

The people of the village came out to greet him and to learn who he is. They were a curious folk -- not the kind that would bunker in and hunker down if once in a while a stranger comes by.

"I am the Truthteller," announced the unknown person, speaking with the confidence of someone accustomed to winning over audiences immediately.

"No, you're not," replied one of the village elders. "You're a teller of lies, that's what you are."

Now the man was ready to look people in the eye! A frantic gaze, challenging everyone -- how dare they! "That is a lie concocted by my enemies, the powers-that-be in this land," he shouted.

"Man, we have internet. We know about you. Go home," a younger person responded.

And then the man went home.

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In reality of course things can play out slightly differently. People are not necessarily that curious, and with filter bubbles, echo chambers and isolated media eco-systems the Truthteller may be able to get away with past lies and dishonesty.

With that, I have this piece of news to share today, about a reported attempt at sting journalism (perhaps better described as an attempt at stinging rather than journalism) against The Washington Post by a person linked by the Post to Project Veritas.

Veritas, by the way, is a Latin term. I'm saying the truth.


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