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Prince Harry declares war on disinformation

BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images

Democracy is in crisis, faith in institutions is at an all-time low. The public’s trust in our leaders has collapsed; cynicism is all around. Which pillar of integrity can save us from the morass and rescue our crumbling polity? Step forward erstwhile aristo Prince Harry, the hereditary hedonist reborn as a fearless fighter of fake news. Since joining the beautiful people in LA eighteen months ago, the exiled royal has gone round collecting pseudo-jobs like a less employable George Osborne.

Eco-warrior, occasional podcaster, ethical banker and interminable speech-giver: there are many hats now worn by the dilettante Duke. And today it was the turn of Commissar Harry to adopt his Ushanka in his role as a member of the Aspen Institute’s Orwell-esque ‘Commission on Information Disorder.’ The Institute has concluded a six-month study into an ‘avalanche of misinformation’ online, with the 37-year-old prince setting out 15 demands on his foundation website, Archewell, for how to deal with this problem.

The report calls for ‘increasing social media transparency and disclosure’, with suggested ‘solutions’ including ‘community-led methods for improving civic dialogue and resisting imbalances of information power’.

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