Merchants of Doubt Is an Anatomy Lesson in Uncertainty Campaigns

The Stranger: "Merchants of Doubt is a chilling but enthralling anatomy lesson in uncertainty campaigns that have been waged since the 1950s to battle bad news—about tobacco, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, toxic flame retardants that don’t really work—with the same tactics: deflect, manufacture confusion, create false controversy, attack the messenger, appeal to people’s sense of “freedom.” Uncertainty campaigns can stall change for decades: It took 50 years for the facts to catch up with the tobacco industry, which made its famous payout in 1998. But when it comes to climate change, Oreskes points out, we don’t have 50 years to spare."