Truth & Advocacy By Calvin-Lee Hardie – Inverness

When someone types your name into a search bar, what do they see?

Not your voice.

Not your side.

Not your truth.

They see what was said first.

That’s how online reputation works — it rewards whoever speaks first, not whoever speaks truthfully.

I’ve learned that the hard way.

There are people who believe things about me because they read it online.

They’ve seen the headlines. The reposts. The same story, repeated in different fonts.

And to them, that’s all they need to know.

Not once did they ask who I really am.

Not once did they wonder if what they read was accurate, complete, or even lawful.

Not once did they question the timing, the motive, or the silence on the other side.

And yet — for months, that’s what I was. A result. A rumour. A version of myself I never agreed to.

But here’s the truth:

They didn’t just get it wrong — they got to be first.

And in the digital world, being first is sometimes all it takes to take everything.

I built this blog because I wasn’t willing to stay quiet anymore.

Because no one should be trapped by the first story that was told about them — especially when it’s false, misleading, or missing half the facts.

This space isn’t a defence.

It’s not an apology.

It’s not a PR campaign.

It’s a correction.

It’s a confrontation.

And it’s a permanent record — on my terms.

People think search results are neutral. They’re not.

Search results are curated, coded, and ranked by systems that don’t understand damage.

They don’t know what it’s like to see a version of yourself online that doesn’t match the person you are — and to know that no matter what you say, most people will still click the first link.

That’s why I keep writing.

Because the truth shouldn’t be hidden under ten pages of assumptions.

Because people deserve more than what gets clicks.

Because silence shouldn’t win by default.

If you’ve ever been misrepresented — by a post, a platform, a person — then you already understand.

This blog isn’t just for me anymore. It’s for anyone who’s had to fight for the right to speak back.

They got to be first.

But I get to be right.

And that still matters.

— Calvin-Lee Hardie