Brian Rosser

The only way for us to acknowledge our common ground and precipitate authentic progress in our individual lives, as well as in the political sphere, is to commit to understanding reality itself. What happened is what happened. If I ever learn that I have shared information that is either false or misleading, I tend to feel deep personal shame; I tend to feel as though I have let my potential constituency down. If I ever share inconvenient truths with my audience, I do so knowing that it may offend the confirmation bias of those who already support me. The truth outweighs such a risk. I do so because facts matter. I PROUDLY take the Pro-Truth Pledge. I do so with an understanding that we are all susceptible to fake news and partisan Disinformation. When I am corrected by another, I feel that I owe a debt to the person, even if it what I wanted to hear. In my mind, they have offered me an invaluable service. They have filled gaps in my knowledge that had been left empty and could have remained as such had they not challenged the falsehoods I would have unknowingly had them believe to be true. I will identify and acknowledge my own speculation as exactly that: speculation. I welcome and commit to the truth. I hold my fact-checker friends in high esteem and welcome their input. No matter how ugly, it is our truths that connect us all. We are welcome to interpret the truths according to our own philosophies, but in its absence, we are indeed, at the mercy of those who would deceive us for their own benefit.