Reclaiming democracy in the age of post-truth politics

The age of post-truth politics is generally discussed as a threat to established democracy in the context of a profound transformation of the public sphere. Research has mainly focused on the driving factors and disruptive dynamics of post-truth politics, in particular with regard to the questions of the demise of political journalism, the polarisation of public opinion and the radicalisation of political conflicts that challenge fundamental democratic values. With regard to the effects of the new dynamics of post-truth politics on democratic society, the process of public opinion formation through the public sphere is disrupted in the double sense of the erosion of the trustworthiness of news and of the consensus of core democratic values. In this paper, we suggest that the post-truth challenge should not only be understood as a threat to established democracy but also a driver of democratic renewal. In dealing with the post-truth challenge, we expect that democracy is reclaimed in three important aspects: 1) the protection of information rights and standards by new emerging forms of transnational governance, and especially new regulatory competences of the EU, 2) the renewal of public sector communication both online and offline, 3) new forms of civic engagement and participation in truth finding by social movements new generations, etc. We provide a short analysis of these three interrelated aspects in the framework of upcoming European elections.