Opinion by Tatiana Prophet

On Nov. 3, 2020, we witnessed manipulation in real time on the television screen.

First there were the early calls that candidates had won particular states, but really they were projections. And let’s hope they weren’t deliberate lies. A call should be definitive. It is not supposed to change. But the calls from various “decision desks” changed all evening, and all night.

Then there was the sudden pause in counting in crucial battleground states, then stonewalling, then a sudden jump in votes for Joe Biden.

We don’t have all the facts, but we do know when we’re being stonewalled, censored and controlled. What a coincidence that social media users are being herded by the tech companies into forbidden areas that are proven false by “fact checkers.” Well and good, but when the fact checkers are simply the same cast of characters, even a child could figure out that there’s a problem. Especially because the fact checks are a little like sawdust on the palate. Full of a definitive tone, but very little proof. And almost always, missing context.