Safeguarding Sound Science
Safeguarding Sound Science's Mat Kaplan talks to scientists, science communicators, and other experts to explore who's behind some of the more insidious efforts to sow distrust in science, how those efforts filter down to schools and classrooms, and what is being done to ensure that everyone — especially students — is exposed to accurate science.
Episode 2: "A Century of Disinformation: Naomi Oreskes and the Merchants of Doubt"
March 19, 2025
In her critically acclaimed books, Merchants of Doubt and The Big Myth, Harvard historian Naomi Oreskes argues that well-funded interest groups have purposely sowed doubt and confusion about climate change. Our host, Mat Kaplan, discusses these tactics with Oreskes, how these efforts mirror what's been done to obfuscate in other campaigns such as by the tobacco industry, and how these efforts to distort and misinform have been combated.
Additional Info:
- Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Climate Change, by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway
- The Big Myth: How American Business Taught us to Loathe Government and Love the Free Market, by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway