In the minds of many, the assassination remains a tragedy cloaked in mystery. How does this lack of closure – and the general distrust it fomented – resonate in American culture and politics today?
Some people have objected to childhood vaccination since it was introduced in the late 1700s. And their reasons sound remarkably familiar to those of anti-vaxxers today.
Peter Meylakhs, Russian National Research University The Higher School of Economics ; Yadviga Sinyavskaya, Russian National Research University The Higher School of Economics , and Yuri Rykov, Russian National Research University The Higher School of Economics
In Russia, social networks have given a new life to the conspiracy theory that HIV-AIDS is a global hoax.
Twenty years ago, the paranoia that consumed cults like Heaven’s Gate existed on the margins of American society. Now it’s moved toward the center of the nation’s political life.
Reassuring people “not to worry” about public health issues like vaccination or fluoridated water doesn’t work. Nor does telling people “don’t panic”. So, what does?
The reporting of crackpot theories as news by mainstream news outlets only damages the credibility of the media and science, and undermines public trust in both.
Unrestricted access to information is vital to a vibrant democracy.But if this information is inaccurate, biased or falsified, the fundamental freedom of informed choice is denied.
Researchers have found that today’s students, despite being ‘digital natives,’ have a hard time distinguishing what is real and what is fake online. Metaliteracy might provide the answers.
Four stories on belief: from the allure of cults and conspiracy theories, to the effect of trauma on faith, to the way dogma has influenced science – and if technology can actually shift our beliefs.
Democracy rests heavily on the idea that, though we may not like those who govern, they gained that power by fair means. Donald Trump is undermining that idea.
The same forces that drive belief in conspiracy theories are the ones driving the rise of Donald Trump. So it’s no wonder that, less than two months until the election, he continues to dabble in and promote them.