Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings writes that “our republic” might be saved from Trump-era misinformation by basic facts, like the meaning of habeas corpus, which Kristi Noem recently flubbed.
The scathing takedown came in the form of a new op-ed in The New York Times. When “Senator Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire asked Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to define habeas corpus, a bedrock common-law protection under fire from the administration,” Jennings writes, “Ms. Noem wasn’t even close.”
The problem with her answer, writes Jennings, is that “inaccurate facts make for less informed decisions. Less informed decisions make for bad policy. Garbage in, garbage out.”
Noem’s “incorrect” habeas corpus definition is a great example, Jennings adds, but Jeopardy! viewers give him some hope.
“The game was taped months in advance, so it was by sheer coincidence that one of the five clues concerned the definition of, yes, habeas corpus” the week of Noem’s gaffe on the Senate floor. “The Jeopardy! contestant, you’ll be relieved to hear, responded correctly.”
“In a dark time, my secret optimism is that our viewers’ love for quiz games is a sign of what can eventually save us: a practical belief in fact and error that is more fundamentally American than the toxic blend of proud ignorance and smarter-than-thou skepticism that’s brought us to this point,” Jennings writers, concluding that ultimately, “trivia and Jeopardy! could save our republic.”
