Proving something does not exist, such as election fraud, involves use of the Null Hypothesis. I have always been suspicious of elections, but with all the eyeballs watching 2020, there is no way
fraud occurred; no credible evidence exists, or it would have been presented to the Court.
Misinformation can validate the election fraud theory by feeding the public socially constructed alternative facts. Such misinformation as “the virus is a hoax” and Donald Trump won the election by a “landslide” continues to be accepted by “right wing” alternative reality folks as demonstrated on Jan. 6. The cohort attacking the US Capital; true believers of their leader’s misinformation.
Free speech is Protected by the First Amendment, however misinformation that can be used to cause harm such as shouting fire in a crowded theater, is not protected. But real reality matters.
As Nicholas Christakis writes in “Apollo’s Arrow”: “science can stop the spread of disease with knowledge, but misinformation only serves to fuel the flames. Some of the worst outcomes could have been avoided had our predicament had been acknowledged, and acted upon at the appropriate time.”
Robert Lindstrom
West Yellowstone
Bozeman Daily Chronicle Letter to the Editor 1/27/21