In a time when contradictory sources of information constantly vie for our attention, how do we distinguish truth from lies? Follow journalist Liu Chih Hsin on a five-year international journey as he unravels the complex origins of the current glut of fake news and false information, and tells the stories of the people who generate and consume this fake content.

The rise of internet communications and social media has made it easier than ever to connect, interact, and exchange information with others. Yet, this non-localized exchange of ideas has brought new challenges to democratic societies. Extremists use the internet as a recruitment tool. Foreign adversaries can reach across the globe to amplify social divisions and meddle in elections. The methods of internet marketing can be applied to politics, manufacturing voices that drown out the genuine voice of the people. Now more than ever we need to understand how manufactured truth is altering politics, society, commerce, and even our individual psychology.

Determined to understand this complex phenomena, journalist Liu Chih Hsin set out for Brussels in 2016 to interview the heartbroken, yet still hopeful, mother of young man recruited by online Muslim jihadists. From there, Liu guides readers on a journey into the depths of the misinformation industry, tracing its chilling impact through Belgium, France, Indonesia, Germany, China, and Taiwan. Even as the mechanics of the industry are unveiled to readers, the emotional core of Making Truth remains its human stories. Refreshingly free of condemnation, Liu probes the lives of the victims, true believers, opportunists, and content farmers of the misinformation age, making us privy to the spaces in which they move, and the social structures that define their worldviews.

A necessary book for our times, Making Truth shines a light on one of the most troubling issues of the day, giving readers much needed perspective on a force that already impacts our daily lives, and delivering a warning about the future of open societies.