When crackpot conspiracy theories are touted as news we all lose
Peter Ellerton, Lecturer in Critical Thinking, The University of Queensland Humans are fascinated by potential disasters, legends or prophecies that promise the end of the world. There is even a word for the study of such things: eschatology, from the Greek eschatos for “last” and -ology “to speak” or “to study”. There is also something about the grandeur of such claims that makes them magnets for conspiracy theorists and religious fanatics. But just because this fascination exists, it doesn’t mean it’s desirable to pander to it. Not when it’s without reason, and especially not in the name of science. Alt-journalism Recently the UK’s The Sun newspaper demonstrated a spectacular jettisoning of journalistic rigour to report that Earth was about to be struck by a giant rock and that the results of this collision would be catastrophic. Now, this is disturbing for three reasons, none of which are do do with the possible consequences of such an impact. Leaving aside appeals to alternative facts, the first reason this is disturbing is that this claim was published at all. While there is indeed an object meandering in our general direction, it will pass us at a distance that is further than the closest approach of the planet Venus. If you manage to sleep well with Venus in such proximity, this new body need not disturb you either. This bit of information is so easily found that ignoring it in the article speaks volumes about the intent of the piece. And that’s leaving aside nonsensical sentences such as “it’s so huge you’ll be able to see it from Britain”, because seeing something from Britain seems more of an issue of positioning than size. The second reason is that this tenuous thread of hysteria was linked to wider conspiracy theories, an act one […]
