The Truth Matters is one of those books that will be read most often by folks who need it least and least by those who need it most. It’s short and sweet, just checking out the first section to decide whether to read it next, I was soon twenty percent through the book, so I just finished it in about an hour. It is written by the conservative economist Bruce Bartlett who worked for Ron Paul, Jack Kemp, Ronald Reagan, and the first Bush White House and several conservative think tanks such as the Heritage Foundation and Cato Institute. For his sins, advocated supply-side economics but in 2013 admitted his error and said Keynes was right. I admire people who can change their minds when looking at the evidence. He is a former Republican because there’s nothing conservative about today’s Republicans.

Bartlett wrote The Truth Matters in hopes of combatting the rise of misinformation, disinformation, and the loss of faith in the media. It is a short book with good advice on how to evaluate what you read for credibility, how to evaluate sources, and how to do some of your own research. By far, the most valuable is the latter where he gives good sources to search for government studies, academic research, and other credible information without spending a fortune on subscriptions. Like me, he makes use of his library card and local library online research tools.

There’s useful information on evaluating historic economic data and wonderful suggestions for research sources. I am skilled at searching for information. I read an article, I hunt down the original source, even when the article fits my worldview. I want to know if the study says what the reporter says it says because too often, they don’t. Many people don’t understand statistics, don’t know how to interpret the findings and exaggerate or miss the point. The number of academics who have said “That’s not what I wrote” could probably form a line that crosses the nation. In spite of that, I learned new sources and new places to look from this book which surprised me. I know that sounds prideful, but I am good at finding stuff on the internet.

I highly recommend The Truth Matters though I suspect the folks who most need it are least likely to read it. If you believe the truth matters, you already seek the truth and don’t just let AM Radio wash over you and drown your ability to think for yourself. I know it’s written by a conservative, but that does not mean the followers of FOX News and Breitbart would ever read or believe it. They are not conservatives, they are radicals and white nationalists. There’s nothing conservative about them. So, like many good books of good sense by people of good will, it will be read by those who least need it and those who most need it would rather burn it than read it.

I received an e-galley of The Truth Matters from the publisher through NetGalley.

The Truth Matters at Penguin Random House | Ten Speed Press
Bruce Bartlett on Facebook, Twitter, at New York Times

Like many other school librarians, we have lately been curating materials and lesson plans related to fake news and civil discourse.

TRUTH MATTERS by Bruce Bartlett is a relatively short text, whose subtitle describes it as "A Citizen's Guide to Separating Facts from Lies and Stopping Fake News in Its Tracks." Bartlett, who worked in both the Reagan and Bush administrations, has been a contributor to Forbes and the New York Times and is a best-selling author. He lists several reliable news and statistical sources, like Journalist's Resource from Harvard University which we encourage our students to use. He also notes several news verification resources (e.g., Snopes, Politifact) which we are just starting to incorporate into lesson plans. Obviously, this is an industry in flux, but as we become inundated with even more information, it is absolutely essential that we are all increasingly aware of techniques and mechanisms to aid in evaluation. For a related an interesting perspective on confirmation bias, see this recent New York Times op-ed piece from conservative author Peter Wehner.

Online post also includes a review of OVERLOAD by Bob Schieffer and H. Andrew Schwartz.
Links in online post:
https://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/news-media/child-teen-news-consume-parent-habit
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/07/opinion/sunday/trump-republicans-confirmation-bias.html?_r=0

It is an unfortunate blight of our times that we have the proliferation of fake news and alternative facts.

Bruce Bartlett is a gifted journalist who certainly reigns in the word count to succinctly get his message across.

However, the content of the book is not really written for the consumption and enjoyment of the general public - instead the unintended target audience is actually journalists themselves. The entire book reads like a workbook for journalists with practical how-to-steps that journalists should follow, such as verification and citation of sources, as well as the impact that the internet has had on the commercialisation of journalism.

The Truth Matters is relatively enjoyable read, but there is nothing ground-breaking and it is aimed at a very narrow audience.

The Truth Matters clears the air. Inundated with catchphrases like fake news and lamestream media, it is a relief to visit this oasis of common sense. Bartlett sets out a top line summary of what to watch for, how to avoid traps, how to do real research (beyond Wikipedia and Google) and set up your own feeds.

It is all valuable information, and Bartlett provides website links he recommends and uses. There’s even a website where historians debunk the latest lies about what has gone before.

The book is way too short; it’s designed for the eight second attention span. It would be much better with some in-depth examples, and following some misinformation on its explosive path. So it could have been much more entertaining and had greater impact. But as a quick summary – it’s just a two hour read at most – it is still valuable and valid.

David Wineberg

This is a very important and timely book. Every library and student should read through this at least once.