So have over 800 politicians (including 4 members of the US Congress, over 50 state legislators, and 3 former US Democratic Presidential candidates) over 200 organizations (including Skeptical Science, Stand Up Republic, Media Bias Fact Check, and United Coalition of Reason) and over 1,000 other public figures (including globally-known public intellectuals such as Jonathan Haidt, Steven Pinker, Peter Singer, Chip Heath, and Michael Shermer). In fact, many thousands of private citizens across the globe have signed the pledge. The pledge is meant for both public figures and organizations, as well as for private citizens, such as you, dear reader. The pledge is the tip of the iceberg of a broader Pro Truth movement described in the book. Using research from behavioral science research about what causes people to lie and what motivates them to tell the truth, a number of behavioral scientists (including myself) and concerned citizens have launched the Pro-Truth Pledge at, which combines our knowledge of behavioral science with crowdsourcing to promote truth-oriented behavior. At the same time, tilting the scale toward truth requires addressing the psychological factors that cause people to tolerate untruths. Social and digital media have only accelerated this trend, exemplifying the potential of technological disruption to undermine our democracy.įortunately, if we can create a mechanism that differentiates the liars from the truth-tellers, we have a hope of protecting our democracy.

For many years now, traditional gatekeepers for ensuring the veracity of public information-news media, civic leaders, authorities on various topics-have been trusted less and less.

How do we get politicians to stop lying? How do we get private citizens to stop sharing fake news on social media? A new book, Pro Truth: A Pragmatic Plan to Put Truth Back Into Politics, provides an answer, documenting a new Pro Truth movement centered around the Pro-Truth Pledge. Pro Truth: A Pragmatic Plan to Put Truth Back Into Politics Pro Truth: A Pragmatic Plan to Put Truth Back Into Politics

Pro Truth by Gleb Tsipursky