How to Build a Truth Engine

In the midst of the American Presidential Election, the subject matter of this George Clooney-produced Documentary couldn’t be more pressing. Alongside a noble effort to highlight the fallability of our current information ecosystem, a team of experts share their research, models and tools they have developed in the modern era to factcheck and verify information, in defiance of fascist and oppressive regimes worldwide.

The documentary steers clear of the word ‘propaganda’, and conspicuously missing from the conversation is an interrogation into systems such as the US Government and other Western powers who have also been complicit in genocides and hate regimes throughout history up until the modern day, and have lied about their involvements. Further - the film seems to avoid having a detailed discussion as to why most people’s trust in traditional institutions eroded in the past few decades, and how to win that trust back in a way that is steadfast and visibly equitable.

Despite all this - this is a documentary about vital tools we will all rely on in the years to come, as long as they have been built to find corruption, oppression, genocides and atrocities wherever they can be found across the world, and not just when an Alt-right President is in the White House. Although, certainly especially then. A highlight of this incredible work and these systems is Susan Benesch and the ‘Dangerous Speech Project’, which I highly suggest you do research into yourself.

Overall, an important watch to get you up to speed on the conversation from the point of view of Traditional Media outlets, and university researchers at the cutting edge of this work.

HOW TO BUILD A TRUTH ENGINE will have its UK premiere at Leeds International Film Festival on 4th November www.truthengine.net for more information.