A doubt campaign reached 43 million Americans on a settled question.

Evidence

And it worked. Capitalizing on the idea that science had shown “no conclusive link” between cigarettes and cancer (for science can never do this for any two variables), the TIRC took out a full-page ad in numerous American newspapers—reaching 43 million people—which had the effect of creating confusion and doubt on a scientific question that was close to settled. — Lee McIntyre, Post-Truth, 64

Categorization

Category: Factual Claims

• CANDY: A single full-page newspaper ad reaching 43 million people to unsell settled science is a striking elevator-worthy fact.

Related

• Seeding doubt about settled science effectively confuses the public (similarity 0.89)