Dark clouds pass by the Parliament buildings in Ottawa on Thursday, May 19, 2016. In war, as the saying goes, truth is the first casualty. In a global pandemic, it seems trust doesn't fare too well either. At a moment in history marked by social-media snark and diminished public faith in long-standing institutions like government, the mainstream media and the post-war pillars of the rules-based international order, the world is dealing with a critical shortage of both at the worst possible time. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld