debunking

  1. D

    Examples of lens reflections confused with UFOs in media photos.

    I thought it might be worth making a thread on easily demonstrable lens reflections in news media photos. So many of these get posted on social media as things like "UFOs over Ukraine!" or with questions such as "what are those lights in the sky?". Source...
  2. Mendel

    MediaWise #IsThisLegit program

    I'm describing a video that demonstrates three simple debunking steps for social media and offers help debunking misinformation. In my opinion, it's like a basic vaccination against conspiracy theories: it's the attempt to teach the basic debunking steps we all use, to everyone. Source...
  3. Mick West

    Here's to the "Debunker"!

    I was looking up origins of the word "debunker", and found a few interesting takes on it from 90 years ago. Mostly only available in snippet form. A mixture, but quite positive. 1926 - The outline of bunk: The admirations of a debunker - Page 491 Debunkers, they attacked the bunk of monarchy...
  4. Mick West

    NY Times: In Italian Schools, Reading, Writing and Recognizing Fake News

    An interesting reaction against fake news and conspiracy theories comes from Italy, where a new school program attempts to inoculate an entire generation against disinformation by giving them a toolbox of techniques for spotting it...
  5. Mick West

    Debunking: A Meta-Analysis of the Psychological Efficacy of Messages Countering Misinformation

    How do you debunk conspiracy theories effectively? Based on what I've seen over the years what works for people is a combination of finding out things they believed to be true were actually false, seeing people they used as sources of information give out wrong information, and being exposed to...
  6. Whitebeard

    Martymer 81

    Dunno if any of you guys have come across Martymer 81 before, but he is one of my favourite youtube sceptical debunkers. He has produced a number of pretty good and informative videos on a number of subjects including... LOGICAL FALLACIES Source...
  7. Mick West

    Fireproof Cabbage, Burning Snow, Flat Earth - Are Some Things too Silly to Debunk?

    I enjoy the process of debunking: the investigation into claimed evidence, and then communicating the results of that investigation to the public. But are there any claims that are simply too silly to even bother investigating? We've all seen videos on Youtube that make you shake your head in...
  8. Mick West

    Burying the Debunk: How Fake News about "Pyramids" in Antarctica Creates False Balance

    Tall tales of pyramids in Antarctica date back to the 1931 H. P. Lovecraft story At the Mountains of Madness. The story was written at a time when the continent had barely been explored, and huge expanses were still yet to be surveyed. The remote and inaccessible nature of the land allowed...
  9. Mick West

    When Absence of Evidence is Evidence of Absence in Conspiracy Theories

    After discussing a conspiracy theory (such as the "chemtrails" conspiracy theory) for several years online, as I have done, you get very familiar with all the claims of evidence. You also get familiar with the science, facts, and reasoning that debunk those claims of evidence. After running...
  10. deirdre

    study on how to 'sway people'

    Havent read the full paper yet, or ever heard of the site "change my view" but sounds like interesting info. and checking out the site "Change My View", itself could be helpful to debunkers to see what works and what doesnt. overview: Researchers analysed two years of posts on forum site...
  11. keefe

    Debunking guide

    Some tips on debunking from the University of Queensland course Denial 101x - the course is about climate change, but the information in this video about the cognitive process applies to any debunking. Here's a few quotes from the video Lewandowsky: It’s very challenging to correct...
  12. Critical Thinker

    Why we debunk and who do we reach.

    There have been other threads started about 'why we debunk' that CTers started in order to cast aspersions about why people would debunk.They do not seem to grasp the idea that there are people that would take the time to dispel falsehoods without someone paying them to do so. I, on the other...
  13. Trigger Hippie

    Russian Troll Houses

    Russian bloggers are hired to spam forums and social media sites with pro-putin and anti-west rumours, disinformation and bunk. I've never heard of these until today. Although, in hindsight I really shouldn’t be surprised they exist. How effective is the trolling? Consider the following from a...
  14. Mackdog

    Google to start debunking

    I ran across this today, and apparently Google is thinking about changing the way it filters search results, to more of a debunking type of system. I do not know if this will happen or not, but according to the article, they will be using information from web sites such as Snopes and...
  15. Mick West

    Charlie Hebdo Conspiracy Theories - Ignore or Address?

    The horrific killing of 12 people at the Paris offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo seems disturbingly straightforward. The magazine has a long history of using satire to critique radical Islam (and many other targets). They have published many cartoons depicting Mohammed, something...
  16. Pete Tar

    Vox article on Debunking, avoiding The Backfire Effect

    Some good advice we should keep in mind. http://www.vox.com/2014/12/22/7433899/debunk-how-to Lewandowsky: The moment you get into situations that are emotionally charged, that are political, that are things that affect people’s fundamental beliefs — then you've got a serious problem. Because...
  17. N

    Can we rely on debunkers?

    Since the art of debunking various phenomena is like figuring out how Houdini really pulled off a trick there is a belief system built in to the debunkers methodology that all things can naturally be explained. Just as there is a belief system built into some conspire types. However I have...
  18. resisting_the_bunk

    Mycoplasma

    An acquaintance forwarded this: http://educate-yourself.org/cn/mycoplasmalinkingpathogenNexussep01.shtml First claim: "The pathogenic Mycoplasma used to be very innocuous, but biological warfare research conducted between 1942 and the present time has resulted in the creation of more deadly...
  19. Mick West

    Practical Debunking forum guidelines

    This sub-forum is for posts ABOUT debunking and the practical application of skepticism. It's not for posting bunk, or for posting debunking of bunk (except as examples). Things to post here: General how-to guides on debunking Specific How-to guides for individual major topics, like 9/11...
  20. Mick West

    What the Bible says about Debunking and Skepticism

    I was raised Catholic in England. I decided at around age 15 that there was not actually any good reason for believing in God, so I stopped. But I've always been interested in the influence the Bible has on the lives of people. It's really a mish-mash of mixed messages, often quite horrific...
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