"A firehose of falsehood: the story of disinformation breaks down disinformation tactics and offers tools for defending and restoring truth. Using examples from Darius I of ancient Persia (522-486 BCE), to blood libel of the Middle Ages, to Soviet disinformation tactics and modern election deniers, Teri Kanefield and Pat Dorian show how tyrants and would-be tyrants deploy disinformation to gain power. Democracy, which draws its authority from laws instead of the whim of a tyrant, requires truth. For a democracy to survive, its citizens must preserve and defend truth. Now that the internet has turned what was once a trickle of lies into a firehose, the challenge of holding on to truth has never been greater. A firehose of falsehood offers readers these necessary tools"--Back cover.