Institutional lying

Noble lies

Nature

Institutional lying refers to the deliberate dissemination of false or misleading information by organizations, governments, or other formal entities. This practice undermines public trust, distorts decision-making, and erodes the credibility of institutions. As a problem, institutional lying can perpetuate injustice, enable corruption, and hinder accountability. It often involves coordinated efforts to conceal errors, manipulate public perception, or protect vested interests. The consequences of institutional lying are far-reaching, affecting social cohesion, democratic processes, and the effective functioning of society. Addressing this issue requires transparency, robust oversight, and a culture of ethical responsibility within institutions.

Background

The global significance of institutional lying emerged prominently in the aftermath of major political scandals such as Watergate in the 1970s, which exposed systematic deception at the highest levels of government. Subsequent revelations, including corporate cover-ups and misinformation campaigns, have underscored the pervasive nature of institutional dishonesty. Increasing media scrutiny and whistleblower disclosures have further illuminated the widespread impact of such practices, prompting international debate on transparency and accountability within public and private institutions.

Incidence

“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the state can shield the people from the political, economic, and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for The State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of The State”. Joseph Goebbels (Goebbels Principle, previously described by Plato as “The Noble Lie”)

Confidence in public officials and in professionals has been seriously eroded. Incidences like Watergate, the covert American bombing of Cambodia, France's Greenpeace Affair, and numerous other political scandals have served to undermine public confidence, thereby affecting governments' images in the world, perhaps fostering further deception and cover-up.

Claim

Lies can only persist as long as they are shielded from critical scrutiny that would result from the free flow of ideas and people. Therefore for their survival, lies require barriers to such free flow, usually achieved through the introduction of censorship and travelling restrictions. Such restrictions promote differences in the information available to different people and generate differing views of the world. These differences in perception breed prejudice and lead to the emergence of dogmas which stand in the way of mutual understanding between groups. All these trends reinforce the emergence and persistence of lies and half-truths. If the spread of ideas, people or products is too rapid for existing institutions to adjust to them, these institutions will try to put up barriers to preserve themselves.

We know that they are lying, they know that they are lying, they even know that we know they are lying, we also know that they know we know they are lying too, they of course know that we certainly know they know we know they are lying too as well, but they are still lying. In our country, the lie has become not just moral category, but the pillar industry of this country. (Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn)

Counter-claim

The concern over "institutional lying" is vastly overblown. Institutions, by necessity, simplify and filter information to function efficiently; this is not malicious deception but practical communication. Obsessing over every perceived untruth distracts from real issues and undermines trust in essential organizations. In reality, institutional lying is not a significant problem—it's a manufactured controversy that diverts attention from more pressing societal challenges. Let's focus on genuine threats, not imagined ones.