The Guardian: There are five primary, interconnected forces behind the assault on science and reason. We call them the “five Ps”: the plutocrats, the petrostates (eg Russua, Saudi Arabia) the pros (eg paid promoters of anti-science), the propagandists and – with important exceptions – the media. Together they have generated a perfect storm of antiscientific disinformation that now threatens humanity.
Per PBS: The Trump administration released its latest report Tuesday on how to “Make America Healthy Again,” the second installment of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s strategy to combat chronic disease among children. While this report amplified calls to address long-standing environmental and behavioral practices that harm kids, experts said it was slim on details about how to turn policy priorities into regulatory action. They also worried about a disconnect between what this report says and how the Trump administration has unraveled research that would address these issues.
As detailed in the book “ Science Under Siege”, no media entity has done more to spread climate and Covid-19 antiscience disinformation than Fox News. Much as they have paid the price for their promotion of lies regarding the 2020 election and voting machines, it’s time for outfits that attack science and scientists to pay the price for the threat they pose to human civilisation.
The Guardian: The objective is to inundate the public with fossil fuel-friendly propaganda that undermines climate action or public health measures including vaccinations. Scientists are often portrayed as enemies or villains. The well of public opinion so critical to informed voting is poisoned.
Health and environmental experts who spoke to PBS News said RFK Jr.,s actions speak louder than words; research has shown that actions like the administration’s push to shred health and environmental regulations could contribute to worsening, not improving, the outcomes and wellbeing of children.
The Administration can tout the value of science in as many reports as it wants to; that makes no difference in health and climate issues when policies disable and enact laws which promote pseudoscience and conspiracies which convince a gerrymandered voter base to vote against their own self interest.