Speaking up for science in an era of disinformation

Abstract

On 6 November Donald Trump was re-elected president of the United States after an election campaign characterised by fear, lies, and disinformation. Trump’s campaign featured his insistence that he was cheated out of winning in 2020—a lie that has left many Americans distrustful of their voting system. Martin McKee and colleagues describe how the rapid spread of such disinformation, particularly on social media, poses a threat to societies and democracies everywhere (doi:10.1136/bmj.q2485). They argue that it can be countered only if social media platforms are adequately regulated and if we can effectively expose disinformation and not be afraid to speak out.1 Trump’s pre-election threats that he would curb press freedoms and target journalists suggest that speaking out may become harder (www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/10/trump-journalist-media-press-freedom …