In the latest chapter of “They all do it, so that makes it OK,” U.S. News and World Report on Monday revealed the shocking—shocking!—discovery, by psychologists and political science experts, that “politicians distort the truth more often, use more self-justifications and deceive in larger ways, and with more consequences,” than most people. (What’s next? No Easter Bunny?)
In a delicious irony, on the same day, U.S. News reported that public trust in journalists had fallen to the point that only 6 percent of Americans say they have a lot of confidence in the media. Could that be because politicians lie, and the media effectively swear to it—if not by repeating the lies without question, then by “revealing” that “they all do that”?
Politicians might lie more than most people, but Americans apparently believe Hillary Clinton lies more than most politicians: 21 percent of Americans consider her “dishonest” or “a liar."
