He explained that the decisive influence in the great battle of ideas and policy was wielded by the intellectuals whom he characterised as 'second-hand dealers in ideas' […] "If I shared the view that better ideas were not getting a fair hearing, his counsel was that I should join with others in forming a scholarly research organisation to supply intellectuals in universities, schools, journalism and broadcasting with authoritative studies of the economic theory of markets and its application to practical affairs." (a) How misinformation and disinformation related to climate change and energy is financed, produced and disseminated; (b) The origins, growth and prevalence of 'astroturfing' and its impact on public policy and debate; (c) Connections between Australian organisations and international think tank and influence networks associated with the dissemination of misinformation and disinformation related to matters of public policy; and (d) The role of social media, including the coordinated use of bots and trolls, messaging apps and generative artificial intelligence in facilitating the spread of misinformation and disinformation. Their brand of radical liberalism required a "roll-back" of the post-war social democratic or welfare state, and the "roll-out" of new functions for the state (with new institutions) that would "purge the system of obstacles to the functioning of free markets" and make it incredibly difficult for people to rebuild the type of post-war society they were dismantling.
Author: Gareth Hutchens
Published at: 2026-01-25 19:38:26
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