The Weaponization of ‘Truther’

What does it mean to be a ‘‘truther’’?
We are all supposedly on journeys to truth. I had a rabbi tell me this once. And to be an agent of truth — a truth-*teller — is a noble thing. We praise journalists, gadflies, investigators or even politicians that speak ‘‘truth to power’’ and tell ‘‘hard truths’’ and unearth the ‘‘inconvenient truths’’ that defy official narratives and alter our destinies.

But it is not flattering to be called a ‘‘truther.’’ The term originated, as far as anyone can tell, to characterize people who embraced alternative explanations for the Sept. 11 attacks...

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