Never has there been more concern about dishonesty in public life. From President Trump to the Brexit debate, we hear constant talk of falsehoods and fake news, and appeals to alternative facts.

In his new book, Post-Truth: Why We Have Reached Peak Bullshit and What We Can Do About It, which he will discuss at this event, Evan Davis steps inside the panoply of deception and spin employed not just in recent politics, but in all walks of life to explain why bullshit is both pervasive and persistent. Drawing on behavioural science, economics, psychology and his knowledge of the media, Evan will discuss why bullshit has apparently become the communications strategy of our time. 

Evan Davis (@EvanHD) is a well-known broadcaster, presenting the current affairs programme Newsnight, on BBC 2; The Bottom Line on Radio 4 and Dragons’ Den on BBC 2. He was a presenter on Radio 4s The Today programme for six years and prior to Today he was the Economics Editor of the BBC.

Professor Charlie Beckett is Director of LSE's Commission on Truth, Trust and Technology, and Director of Polis, LSE's journalism think-tank.

The Institute of Public Affairs (@LSEPubAffairs) is one of the world's leading centres of public policy. We aim to debate and address some of the major issues of our time, whether international or national, through our established teaching programmes, our research and our highly innovative public-engagement initiatives.

Polis (@PolisLSE) is part of the Department of Media and Communications aimed at working journalists, people in public life and students in the UK and around the world. Polis is the place where journalists and the wider world can examine and discuss the media and its impact on society.

Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSEposttruth

Podcast

A podcast of this event is available to download from Post-Truth: why we have reached peak bullshit and what we can do about it.

Podcasts and videos of many LSE events can be found at the LSE Public Lectures and Events: podcasts and videos channel.