Truth Decay (book)

Truth Decay is a non-fiction book by Jennifer Kavanagh and Michael D. Rich. Published by the RAND Corporation on January 16, 2018, the book examines historical trends such as "yellow journalism" and "new journalism" to demonstrate that "truth decay" is not a new phenomenon in American society. The authors argue that the divergence between individuals over objective facts and the concomitant increase in the relative "volume and influence of opinion over fact" in civil and political discourse has historically proliferated American society and culminated in truth decay.

The term "truth decay" was suggested by Sonni Efron and adopted by the authors of the book to characterize four interrelated trends in American society.

Kavanagh and Rich describe the "drivers" of truth decay as cognitive prejudices, transformation of information systems, competing demands on the education system, and polarization. This has consequences on various aspects of American society. The authors argue that truth decay has engendered the deterioration of "civil discourse" and "politica paralysis". This has culminated in an increasing withdrawal of individuals from institutional sites of discourse throughout modern American society.

Truth Decay was positively received by audiences. The book was a nonfiction bestseller in the United States. Indeed, Barack Obama included the "very interesting" book in his 2018 reading list. Further, it stimulated a panel discussion at the University of Sydney on the role of media institutions in society and the ways in which democratic governance and civic engagement can be improved.