Truth sandwich

George Lakoff
@GeorgeLakoff
 Twitter logo, a stylized blue bird

Truth Sandwich:
1. Start with the truth. The first frame gets the advantage.
2. Indicate the lie. Avoid amplifying the specific language if possible.
3. Return to the truth. Always repeat truths more than lies.

December 1, 2018[1]

A truth sandwich is a technique in journalism to cover stories involving misinformation without unintentionally furthering the spread of false or misleading claims. It entails presenting the truth about a subject before covering misinformation, then ending a story by again presenting truth. Margaret Sullivan summarized it as "reality, spin, reality — all in one tasty, democracy-nourishing meal".[2]

The idea was developed by linguist George Lakoff, and the name was coined in June 2018 by Brian Stelter of CNN.[3][4] Lakoff observed media organizations spreading misinformation by quoting politicians or pundits who lie or mislead.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Poynter-2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Washington Post was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Sartwell, Crispin (2018-08-05). "'Truth Sandwich'? Baloney!". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on 2022-02-15. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  4. ^ Waldow, Julia (15 June 2018). "George Lakoff says this is how Trump uses words to con the public". CNNMoney. Retrieved 7 April 2024.