Truth is a function of Trust. The more you trust the source the greater the risk of being manipulated; especially under the influence of confirmation bias; of course there’s also repetition.
The gist of my theory (?) is, it’s not about power but trust. For example, Power often lacks transparency and completeness. We see it happen often enough, and yet many ppl still - for reasons I can’t explain - continue to trust the Power. If a mate did the same, you’d leave them, no questions asked.