From ‘Fact Check’ to Failure: Why Government Attempts to Control the ‘Truth’ Backfire—Lessons from Ridgewood to 9/11
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
RIDGEWOOD, NJ – The best of intentions can sometimes lead to the most challenging outcomes when it comes to government communication. Ridgewood Village Manager Keith Kazmark’s initiative, “The Manager’s Fact Check Friday,” which launched with the stated goal of providing “good, accurate information—right from the source,” appears to have quietly been discontinued.
The initial rollout was framed as a necessary response to a “world where we question the accuracy and truthfulness of all types of information.” However, the cessation of the program raises a critical question: Does any governmental entity claiming the sole authority to “fact check” or define “truth” inevitably undermine the public trust it aims to build?
