Article: The Case for Preemptive Debunking

[Mick]

You can view the page at http://metabunk.org/content/131-The-...tive-Debunking

[JFDee]

So, what is the next story to debunk ? Are there any on the rise ?

In Germany, the fight about homeopathy just entered the main stage, with well-established newspapers and magazines issuing skeptical articles, but an overwhelming part of the population (and silent support from some politicians) on the other side. I think the case looks pretty much hopeless - which rather supports your point of view here, since this "idea" has a history of roughly 200 years and should have been taken on seriously in the seventies already, when it began to make a rebound after a ditch following WW II.

[Mick]

Homeopathy really has been debunked, in the sense that all the science is there to show that it does not work. Unfortunately the bunk is so widespread (there are homeopathic hospitals), that what is needed is really something different from simple debunking, it's certainly too late for preemptive debunking.

[Mick]

I suppose you could divide pre-epmtive debunking into several types

• Debunking things before they happen - things like sun-lit contrails. Provide a detailed and accessible explanation so that next time it happens, people can figure out what it is.
• Debunking things while still in the fringe - new conspiracy theories pop up first on conspiracy sites. Debunk them before they get into the local media, or spread too far on YouTube.
• Debunking things before they hit the mainstream media - Like, once the Mystery Missile got on Fox News, a whole load of true believers were born. You want to stop Fox from going with the believers.
• Debunking things before they LEAVE the mainstream media - attention can be good if you are ready for it, and you can use the media attention to also promote access to the skeptical point of view. Once the attention fades, you have lost your chance to reach people.
• Debunking established topics - Like Homeopathy - here again, you want as much attention on the topic as possible. I think 80% of homeopathy users think they are herbal. If the media focusses attention on the subject, then people will find out that it's just water, and they might think twice about relying on it.

[JFDee]

Homeopathy - due to its history - is probably the worst example when it comes to pre-emptive debunking.

But I think there is a new type of bunk that skips stages One and Two because it is fueled - if not created - by the main stream media (well, a certain fraction of it).

We have the "Millennium Winter" hoax in Europe now, maybe you heard about it. First there was the idea of the broken Gulf stream. A good wrap-up is here:
http://pesn.com/2010/08/01/9501682_G...from_BP_Spill/

Obviously, a thing like this has the potential to resonate in all people who watched "The Day After Tomorrow" (BTW: the role of disaster movies in the conspiracy phenomenon may be worth scrutinizing).
Anyway, this (proven wrong) statement became a building block for existing and new conspiracy ideas revolving about global warming or NWO, but still on an obscure level.

What made it explode was the early and cold winter weather. When a certain part of the MSM felt urged to do winter weather pieces, they thankfully made use of the "stall alarm" they found in the course of their "research". Add the statement of a Polish climatologist who answered a purely hypothetical question, and even some of the more careful media outlets raised their eyebrows.

http://eartheasy.com/blog/2010/12/th...nter-forecast/

It's hard to see where pre-emptive debunking could have applied here because it was made big by the media (and a coincidental harsh winter).

[Mick]

That type of sudden story calls for Just-In-Time debunking, which that eartheasy piece seems to do pretty well. I like that they advise people to "write a polite letter to the to editors asking for a correction". Action is required.

Interesting point about the role of movies. I've heard that a lot of bunk got magnified by the popularity of the X-Files, and similarly themed shoes and movies continue to fuel the fire. In some ways it's worse now with pseudo-reality shows like Jesse Ventura's Conspiracy Theory.

[Stupid]

Since many viral falsehoods are born out of the media, particularly television, it would be nice to see a TV series on debunking.

(There is Mythbusters, which is very popular. But they refuse to tackle the bigger conspiracies.....one reason is they cannot preform explosive tests on say...the NWO, or Area 51. )

I'd like to see a weekly TV show that looks at the previous week's headlines and other sensational stories that have just begun to go bunk, and debunk them, and correct them, setting the record straight with facts, interviews, etc.

I don't think the vast majority of the public realizes some of the wild bunk that is out there....it could be quite entertaining to expose bits and parts of ideas that you'd find in forums such as PrisonPlanet or Icke.

Another segment could be on long-standing beliefs such as chemtrails, orbs, mind control, etc....

[Mr. Suntour]

I'd love to see a 3 hour television special that appears once every few months, which would involve true conspiracy theorists/believers in each field (chemtrails/haarp/911/homeopathy etc) to present an unbiased by anyone point of view.

For example, "chemtrails" - Load up an airplane with testing equipment, all ok'd by both the skeptic and the conspiracy (CS) theorists. Find a location and time determined by the CS theorists and unknown by anyone but the few people involved in the testing. That way they can't say "the government knew we'd be testing this area, so they didn't use the tainted fuel". Take off and fly behind hundreds of different airliners (with the FAA's blessing of course) allowing the CS theorists to dictate which trails to test, hopefully there would be plenty of "grid" and "X" formations to test. The CS theorists would be there every step of the way to make sure nothing was "fixed" in favor of the debunkers.

Eh, just a pipe dream I guess.

[Mick]

Unfortunately a show with mostly negative results would be much less interesting that sensationalism, like Jesse Ventura's Conspiracy Theory.

Mythbusters did handle the Moon Landing Hoax quite well. And they do like blowing things up.

[Stupid]

What shouldn't happen, is Popular Mechanics going on Glen Beck (idiot) to air their debunking.
What was that about ?

[MikeC]

Dunno - could you provide a summary for those of us who live in places where the show is not shown?

[David Katz]

Hello Mick,

I want to thank you for what you do. It blows my mind how many people I know who believe in such things as chemtrails. Just today I heard a guy saying he was out in his yard and had to go inside because of all the chemtrails, and wished someone would knock all those spray planes out of the sky. I get tired of the usually fruitless task of replying to such people, so I often just refer them to your excellent site. You might think this would convince them of the error of their ways, but I am afraid that this rarely happens. But keep up the good work.

David

[Joe]

Hello Mick,

I want to thank you for what you do. It blows my mind how many people I know who believe in such things as chemtrails. Just today I heard a guy saying he was out in his yard and had to go inside because of all the chemtrails, and wished someone would knock all those spray planes out of the sky. I get tired of the usually fruitless task of replying to such people, so I often just refer them to your excellent site. You might think this would convince them of the error of their ways, but I am afraid that this rarely happens. But keep up the good work.

David

http://www.amazon.com/Conspiracy-Pol.../dp/B00BZW572S is this you David ?