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Denialism Whats Is It and How To Respond
Denialism Whats Is It and How To Respond
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ß The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.
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tobacco industry.10 In some countries, intestinal abnormalities in 12 children even though other senior Nazis were
such as Germany, the industry created with autism, which merely suggested a smokers, blocking attempts to dissemi-
complex and influential networks, possible link with immunization against nate anti-smoking propaganda and
allowing it to delay the implementa- measles, mumps and rubella.19 This has ensuring that troops has sufficient
tion of tobacco control policies for been used extensively by campaigners supplies of cigarettes.27 Logical fallacies
many years.11 In 1998, the American against immunization, even though 10 include the use of red herrings, or
Petroleum Institute developed a Global of the paper’s 13 authors subsequently deliberate attempts to change the argu-
Climate Science Communications Plan, retracted the suggestion of an asso- ment and straw men, where the oppos-
involving the recruitment of ‘scientists ciation.20 Fortunately, the work of the ing argument is misrepresented to make
who share the industry’s views of Cochrane Collaboration in promoting it easier to refute. For example, the US
climate science [who can] help convince systematic reviews has made selective Environmental Protection Agency
journalists, politicians and the public citation easier to detect. (EPA) determined in 1992 that environ-
that the risk of global warming is too Another is a paper published by the mental tobacco smoke (ETS) is carcino-
uncertain to justify controls on green- British Medical Journal in 2003,21 later genic, a finding confirmed by many
house gases’.12 However, this is not shown to suffer from major flaws, other authoritative national and inter-
having a voice. Instead, we argue, it is Bates No. 2025042325/2332. Available at: http:// 22 Bero LA, Glantz S, Hong MK. The limits of
necessary to shift the debate from the legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/vob81f00 (Accessed competing interest disclosures. Tob Control
subject under consideration, instead on 29 November 2008). 2005;14:118–26.
exposing to public scrutiny the tactics 10 Diethelm PA, Rielle J-C, McKee M. The whole 23 JTI | Corporate Responsability | Our Positions
they employ and identifying them truth and nothing but the truth? The research | Environmental Tobacco Smoke. Available
publicly for what they are. An under- that Philip Morris did not want you to see. at http://www.jti.com/page.aspx?pointerid=
standing of the five tactics listed Lancet 2005;366:86–92. ea77c40d7fd942f68b3bc8bcc17bf65d (Accessed
above provides a useful framework for 11 Grüning T, Gilmore A, McKee M. Tobacco on 29 November 2008).
doing so. industry influence on science and scientists in 24 Diethelm PA, McKee M. Lifting the
Germany. Am J Public Health 2006;96:20–32. smokescreen: tobacco industry strategy to defeat
References 12 Greenpeace. Denial and deception: a chronicle smoke free policies and legislation. Brussels:
of ExxonMobil’s efforts to corrupt the debate European Respiratory Society and Institut
1 Bateman C. Paying the price for AIDS on global warming. Available at: http:// National du Cancer, 2006. Available at: http://
denialism. S Afr Med J 2007;97:912–14. www.greenpeace.org/usa/assets/binaries/ dev.ersnet.org/uploads/Document/ab/
2 Newport F. Third of Americans say evidence leaked-api-comms-plan-1998 (Accessed on WEB_CHEMIN_1092_1166196139.pdf