Brandolini’s law
Etymology
Also called the "bullshit asymmetry principle," it was stated by Italian programmer Alberto Brandolini in a 2013 post, reportedly after watching a talk-show guest go unchallenged. The insight itself is old — versions of "a lie travels faster than the truth" long predate it — but Brandolini gave it a crisp, quotable modern form. It has become a staple of discussions about misinformation.
noun phrase · /bran-doh-LEE-neez law/
The principle that the effort needed to refute nonsense is vastly greater than the effort needed to produce it.
What it names
It explains why disinformation is so hard to fight: a lie fits in one line, while the correction needs paragraphs, sources, and patience nobody has.
Example
Fact-checking the viral claim took our team three days of work; Brandolini’s law meant the original tweet had already won.
Related idea
Brandolini’s law is about the cost asymmetry of rebuttal; the firehose of falsehood is a propaganda strategy that exploits it, overwhelming defenders with more false claims than anyone can possibly answer.