Against Post-Truth An Empirical-Theoretical Inquiry into News Media

Introduction: What This Book Is (Not) About  Part I - Post-Truth in Theory  1. Post-Truth: Where Are We At?  2. A Change of Perspective  3. From Theory to Use  Part II  Post-Truth in Use  4. Mapping the Debate  5. What’s the Meaning of Post-Truth?  6. Who’s the Subject of Post-Truth?  Part III Post-Truth in Question  7. The Post-Truth Discourse  8. Post-Truth Unmarked  9. Conclusion: Behind and Beyond

Biography

Matteo De Toffoli holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Pisa, and is a librarian at the University of Milan. His research interests revolve around post-structuralist discourse theory and the public use of concepts such as post-truth, conspiracy theories and populism, with a particular focus on their repercussions on democratic politics.

"The precious intervention at hand manages to advance a multi-level analytical operation drawing on a rigorous conceptual and methodological framework. This nuanced articulation is then allowed to produce challenging academic and political insights moving beyond the banality of hegemonic ideological criticism targeting “post-truth”. Offering a much-needed deconstruction of the ultimately problematic claims surrounding the simplistic employment of the post-truth logic in contemporary debates, De Toffoli invites us to come to terms with a crucial question: what if employing such a logic obscures rather than illuminates the important challenges we are currently facing?"

Yannis Stavrakakis, Professor at the School of Political Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

 

"Against Post-Truth offers a compelling and philosophically incisive reassessment of one of the most influential categories in contemporary political and epistemic discourse. Moving beyond conventional diagnoses of the “post-truth era”, De Toffoli draws on discourse theory and cognitive sociology, grounded in a systematic analysis of Italian and British news media (2016-2024), to reframe post-truth as a normative and political construct rather than a self-evident condition. Ambitious, clear-eyed, and analytically rigorous, the book invites scholars to rethink how contemporary crises of democracy, knowledge, and public discourse are diagnosed – and how much explanatory work the very label “post-truth” can legitimately do. It is an original and timely contribution that will shape future debates in political philosophy, media studies, and political sociology."

Lorenzo Viviani, Professor of Political Sociology, University of Pisa

 

"Rather than taking the notion of “post-truth” at face value, De Toffoli provides a much-needed critical exploration of how this idea has been discursively constructed. Guiding the reader through theoretical debates, before taking a detailed look at the use of the term in context, this book carefully unpicks something we have come to take for granted. It is therefore an essential reading for challenging our assumptions about post-truth and the construction of reality more generally."

Katy Brown, Research Fellow in Language and Social Justice, Manchester Metropolitan University