This feature appeared in the i newspaper in March 2022. “The people will believe what the media tells them they believe.” As one of the most revered and prescient authors of the past century, George Orwell is the source of many famous quotes. Like this one, they are often bold statements that seem to cut to the heart of modern society’s problems. People often feel a sense of satisfaction in sharing them to support their own viewpoints – especially when they have a conspiratorial air. There’s just one problem: the sentence above isn’t an Orwell quote. A graphic bearing these words, with the author’s name beneath them, was shared thousands…
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Drifting from the truth: debunking fake Orwell quotes
“The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it.” This famous Orwell quote is ubiquitous: in the media, on placards at demos and rallies, and of course in meme form, repeated and shared on social media, millions of times over. There’s just one problem: this isn’t an Orwell quote. The author of Nineteen Eighty-Four never wrote, said, or even noted this down. It was written in 2009. Orwell is one of those writers who are well worth quoting. Every day, in the press, on social media, and in TV talk shows, Orwell’s thoughts, words, and sharp observations are referenced, alluded to, and…
