Thread by @factaotearoa

Antivax group “New Zealand Doctors Speaking Out with Science” recent conference has got us thinking about how conspiracy theorists and antivax campaigners use (and abuse) “experts” to make their ideas seem more credible.

So how does it work? 🧵

This thread is part of a series on conspiracy theorist techniques and tactics. It builds on our previous thread on how they use front groups to appear credible.

If you find it useful, please share and look out for more from us in the coming weeks /2

https://x.com/factaotearoa/status/1838815550702784750

Most people think experts know more about issues like climate change & vaccines than conspiracy theorists.

It's hard to convince people 'global warming is scam' or a 'vaccine genocide' is real when experts disagree, so one solution is to persuade people to ignore them /3

When Voices for Freedom asked “Are your spidey senses tingling?” they were inviting people to trust their gut feelings instead of public health experts.

Why follow their advice or consider whether they know more about Covid-19 than you do, if you "just know" they are wrong? /4

More often, conspiracy theorists try to undermine trust in experts by claiming science and medicine is irredeemably corrupt.

And experts who disagree with them are portrayed as being motivated by power, money or fear to hide "the truth" or just plain evil /5

Groups like NZDSOS and VFF routinely accuse public health experts and doctors of covering up mass vaccine deaths and injuries in service of a sinister global conspiracy

The outcome is predictable: calls for "justice", trials and even executions /6
stuff.pressreader.com/article/281676…

Even if it's not a deliberate strategy to stoke anti-science hostility, the abuse and harassment conspiracy theorists generate deters experts from speaking out, so there is less pushback when they share their "truth" /7
newshub.co.nz/home/new-zeala…

Conspiracy theorists also cultivate their own experts

'Influencers' like Chantelle Baker or VFF may be confident and relatable, but they lack relevant qualifications & expertise.

They can say they've “done their research” but it doesn't make them particularly credible /8

So they put a lot of effort into finding people who can make their talking points seem legitimate.

It's a symbiotic relationship where influencers gain credibility and content when experts appear on their platforms, and "experts" get exposure to a wider audience in return /9

As their ideas run counter to mainstream expert opinion, they've leaned heavily on pseudo-experts like Lynda Wharton & Guy Hatchard who lack relevant expertise but use scientific/medical-sounding rhetoric & cherry-picked studies to appear knowledgeable /10 stuff.co.nz/national/expla…

Neither are experts in vaccinology or public health (GH has a Ph.D. in Psychology & published papers related to meditation & LW has diplomas in acupuncture and naturopathy). But their "wellness industry" experience meant they could be promoted as experts on Covid & vaccines /11

VFF always understood that experts with genuine credentials are more convincing. So they cultivated a relationship with the 'Covid Plan B' academics and invited its immunologist, Simon Thornley, to speak at their launch event /12
stuff.co.nz/national/healt…

This strategy plays off a misperception that an expert's “authority” comes from their qualifications or professional title.

In reality, it comes from *systematically identifying and reflecting the totality of evidence, and refining their views as new data emerges* /13

VFF's approach relies on a logical fallacy "arguing from (in their case, borrowed) authority"

They platformed NZDSOS doctors who agreed with them about Covid-19 or vaccines, and then presented this agreement as evidence that their perspective was 'backed by medical science' /14

This would be more convincing if NZDSOS were *systematically identifying and reflecting the totality of evidence, and refining their views as new data emerges*

But they thought vaccines made people magnetic and contain self-assembling nanotech /15
stuff.co.nz/national/healt…

They also still promote ivermectin, long after large, high quality Randomised Control Trials have demonstrated that it doesn't work as a Covid-19 treatment

And they helped VFF promote a conspiracy theory about it/16
substack.com/@gidmk/p-14252…

The theory promoted by VFF to get those "spidey senses tingling" is that ivermectin cures Covid-19, but "THEY" suppressed the truth because they wanted people masked, locked down and willing to get vaccinated.

NZDSOS helped out by validating VFF's ivermectin disinformation /17

Conspiracy groups also platform prominent experts from abroad to gain credibility

The NZDSOS keynote speaker was a respected & highly published US critical care doctor, but he now promotes ivermectin and recently lost his board certification for spreading misinformation /18

Dr Paul Marik ostracized himself from mainstream medicine after his high-profile sepsis treatment was a failure, going on to co-found a group which hyped
ivermectin as a 'miracle cure' /20
yahoo.com/news/2-fringe-…

But a key paper used to demonstrate efficacy was retracted when the publisher was alerted Marik had provided inaccurate data

He's not an oncologist but has written a book on cancer & now parrots antivax talking points about fictitious "turbo cancers" /21
retractionwatch.com/2021/11/09/bad…

Both parties benefited from his appearance at the conference.

NZDSOS could pretend it has clout, as it was taken seriously by a "renowned critical care physician" who endorses its anti-vaccine disinformation.

And Marik got an opportunity to increase his book sales... /22

And complain about being censored - during a sympathetic interview on a mainstream media podcast with an audience of thousands

As he posed as a persecuted hero and promoted more antivax & Big Pharma conspiracy theories, the presenter announced he's "sick of the word expert"/23

We hope you found this thread useful.
It’s part of a series on techniques & tactics used by conspiracy theorists, with tips on how to find reliable information.

So check out our website for a longer version of this thread, more articles and videos
factaotearoa.nz/fake-it-till-y…

We inadvertantly described Simon Thornley as an immunologist here. His specialisms are epidemiology and biostatistics.

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