Four Years On: From Relief to Dread

A dreary morning on Great Ayton Moor, perfectly suited to my mood.

Four years ago, I posted about watching Joe Biden’s inauguration as the 46th President of the United States. It was the first time I had ever bothered with such a ceremony, accompanied by an immense sense of relief. Today, there is no such relief—only unease and dread. What delightful surprises will the next four years bring, one wonders?

The return of Trump and the global rise of right-wing populism can, of course, be credited to the unstoppable tide of misinformation now woven into the fabric of society, thanks in large part to certain social media platforms. A problem that is now, unsurprisingly, a global epidemic.

A recent academic article found that radical-right populism is the most significant driver of misinformation. Left-wing populism and standard right-wing politics do not share the same distinction. The findings suggest that political misinformation is firmly embedded in the radical right’s assault on liberal democratic institutions¹Törnberg, P., & Chueri, J. (2025). When Do Parties Lie? Misinformation and Radical-Right Populism Across 26 Countries. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/19401612241311886. Uplifting, is it not?

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  Törnberg, P., & Chueri, J. (2025). When Do Parties Lie? Misinformation and Radical-Right Populism Across 26 Countries. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/19401612241311886