Fergus Finlay: We have to take on all of the things that undermine democracy

Trump controls the political system, the courts, and now the primary means of communication for millions of Americans. What about the rest of us? Are we really hopeless and helpless?

Meta is to scrap its longstanding fact-checking programme in favour of a community notes system similar to that on Elon Musk's social media platform X. Picture: PA

Can I tell you something? I’ve always been really proud, and never more so than now, that I work for a newspaper that values true stories and that works hard to expose lies. We live in a world where the values of newspapers like this have never been more important. I’m just an opinion writer, but the professionals who work in this newpaper are increasingly called on to stand in defence of some of the most important characteristics of a democratic country. In what is now routinely called a post-truth world, the endless drip of lies is tearing holes in vital fabric every day.

So what do we do about it? Are we completely powerless? Do we have to just hope its power won’t be turned on us? Must we live with the fear that if we open our mouths, hundred of jobs will disappear?