Spinning facts. Of spin, post-truth and the instrumentalisation of science. A case study from Denmark

Abstract: Connecting science to political agenda-setting is essential for a sustainable transition and acceptable politics. This task is complicated by phenomena like post-truth, for which facts are a non-issue. However, post-truth is not the only issue. The practice of political spin, in which the significance of facts is reconstructed according to specific interests poses another threat to scientific credibility and rational politics. Through spin, science runs the risk of being instrumentalised. It can render credibility to developments that are branded as sustainable while being the opposite. In this study, I have conducted a qualitative case study, examining the discourse on the environmental sustainability performance of Denmark’s agricultural sector, deployed by Denmark’s current government and Danish agriculture’s biggest interest organisation Landbrug & Fødevarer. Denmark’s agricultural sector is riddled with sustainability problems, even though the current government and L&F claim the opposite. I analysed a total of 26 texts through the lens of a Faircloughian critical discourse analysis (CDA), with the aim of identifying the role of facts and science in this discourse. Further, I conducted a fact-check on claims made, to assess whether the discourse is spun or post-truth. I found that Denmark’s current government and L&F both view science and factual knowledge as cornerstone of sustainable development. At the same time, their use of facts is highly characterised by spin; or from a Faircloughian perspective, constructed around ideological convictions. These stakeholders indeed instrumentalise science, thus lending their unsustainable policies scientific credibility. I argue, that science can be instrumentalised in both its production and communication processes. The former issue can be scaled up to a broader discussion on academic freedom under pressure. To counter the issue of political spin, I recommend the implementation of a ‘scientific watchdog’, through which misuse and excessive spin of science and facts can be traced and countered.