Misinformation versus freedom, rights and science

A GroundUp series on the right to be informed

By GroundUp Editors

3 June 2025

We have argued that a right to be informed is urgent. Illustration: LIsa Nelson

We are bombarded with more information than ever in history. It is becoming extremely hard to separate fact from nonsense. GroundUp has written an 11-part series called The Right to be Informed.

Today we publish the last article in our series. We discuss how strongmen rulers in several countries have used misinformation to erode trust in science, violate human rights and damage constitutional democracy.

Here are the articles in the series:

1. Why we need a right to be informed (published 19 May)
2. How the world has changed (published 19 May)
3. Platforms versus publishers (published 19 May)
4. What we can achieve with a right to be informed (published 21 May)
5. How dangerous are the new technologies? (published 21 May)
6. Omitting to publish (published 27 May)
7. How the news industry has changed (published 27 May)
8. Freedom of expression and the right to be informed (published 27 May)
9. The attack on science (published 29 May)
10. Principle of best current evidence (published 29 May)
11. Misinformation vs freedom, rights and science (published 3 June)