Who Decides ‘Truth’
17 March 2025 | Written and Photographed by Parker Floris
13 Jan 2024 | Free Palestine protest, Sydney
‘Truth’ Isn’t What You Think It Is
What we accept as true has always been shaped by those in power. Institutions throughout history have decided what ideas are acceptable and which are too dangerous to be allowed.
Galileo wasn’t charged with heresy because he was wrong—he was charged because his findings regarding the earth not being the centre of the universe threatened the authority of the church.
Fast forward to today, and we see a new kind of enforcement. Platforms label content as "misinformation," governments propose regulations for "harmful speech”, and fact-checkers determine what is real and what isn’t. But who decides, and by what standard?
The question isn’t just whether misinformation exists—it’s who has the authority to define it, and what are the consequences when they get it wrong?
How Do We Even Know What’s True?
At its core, truth or in other words, reality is shaped by how our bodies react to the world. Light hits our eyes, sound waves reach our ears, and our nervous system and brain converts these into signals we interpret as reality. But since no two people process information in the exact same way, our perceptions of reality inevitably differ.
Despite these differences, we operate on a pragmatic truth—good enough for daily life. You don’t need to understand quantum physics to catch a ball. Scientists don’t always need to observe every possibility to make conclusions. But what happens when the foundations are lead astray?
How Misinformation is Weaponised
Misinformation is often framed as a threat to democracy, but it has long been used as a tool of control. When the US, UK and allies launched the Iraq War in 2003, intelligence agencies claimed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). That was false. But journalists who questioned this faced pushback, and whistleblowers like Katharine Gun and Chelsea Manning were prosecuted with the latter imprisoned. The truth was rewritten in real-time, enforced by legacy media institutions, and only later acknowledged as a mistake when reality could no longer be denied.
This pattern repeats. When WikiLeaks exposed classified government secrets, Julian Assange became a bigger villain than the crimes he exposed. When Edward Snowden revealed mass surveillance programs, the focus wasn’t on the abuse of power but on how to silence him. When Australian whistleblower David McBride leaked documents exposing war crimes in Afghanistan, he was the only one imprisoned.
Those who control the definition of misinformation can rewrite history while punishing those who dare to challenge it.
What Happens When They Can’t Control the Information?
Governments and media oligarchs can’t always erase information, so when they fail to control the flow, they control the people who share it instead.
The US government attempted to ban TikTok, citing national security concerns. But, numerous public statements by congress members make it clear that it was actually in large part due to their allowance of content discussing the Palestinian Genocide, which traditional media and even platforms like Meta actively suppressed.
Hong Kong journalists covering anti-China protests were arrested under "national security" laws.
Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University student was arrested and is still being held without charge for leading protests daring to speak out against US foreign policy in the Middle East.
If controlling information doesn’t work, controlling those who spread it becomes the next step.
13 Jan 2024 | Free Palestine protest, Sydney
The AI Takeover: What Happens When Machines Decide?
For centuries, humans curated what is considered "true" or "false." But what happens when AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT become the arbiters of information?
AI-generated search results reshape how we access information—prioritising what algorithms deem relevant, compared to traditional research.
Misinformation detection is increasingly automated, while AI inherits human biases and introduces its own.
Deepfakes threaten public trust, as fabricated video can influence court cases and public opinion. Just look at Lindy Chamberlain (“a dingo ate my baby”)—convicted of murdering her child with little more than media speculation and shoddy forensic evidence. Imagine now, the amount of cases that will be swung by forged video “evidence”, especially against those unpossessing of the finances to defend themselves.
The era of human gatekeepers may be ending. But does that mean truth will be freer—or more controlled than ever?
What Does This Mean for the Future?
Truth is always contested. Whoever controls information shapes reality. The more centralised this control, the more vulnerable truth becomes.
The fight over misinformation is often about power, not accuracy. Governments and corporations don’t just want to stop falsehoods—they want to decide what counts as false.
The AI revolution will complicate everything. As AI systems curate knowledge, train on biased data, and determine search rankings, we must ask: who controls the AI?
Not all numbers tell the full story. Metrics like GDP distort reality. Governments cite economic growth as proof of progress while wealth inequality continues to skyrocket.
The question is, who do we want deciding truth?
In an era of perpetual uncertainty, it is possible that we see a move back towards trusted, independent institutions who have the resources to verify the accuracy of information. This however would require significant economic and structural shifts in the status quo to not only allow these organisations to maintain editorial and scientific independence, but also encourage society to search for and demand such.
What Can You Do About It?
Question narratives—Who is speaking? What do they have to gain from this perspective? What is the alternate angle that is being conveniently ignored?
Diversify your information sources—Don’t rely on a single platform or institution. Seek out international perspectives and independent journalists.
Think critically about AI and search algorithms—The future of truth might not be in the hands of journalists or governments, but in lines of code, and the fingers and money behind them.
Support whistleblowers and independent journalists—The most important truths are often revealed by those who risk everything to expose them and aren’t beholdent to corporate interests.
Stay engaged—The worst thing we can do is become apathetic. Misinformation thrives when people stop questioning altogether.
Truth has never been static. It has always been debated, suppressed, and redefined. But in an era where AI and media oligarchs shape our reality, the responsibility to seek it out and recognise when we are being mislead, has never been more important.
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