Newer studies show debunking usually works despite the proposed backfire effect.

Evidence

Scholars of misinformation have argued that refutation and denial may sometimes have the unintended effect of reinforcing the very conspiracist belief that is being discredited. As we noted in chapter 2, in the most vexing cases, actively rebutting conspiracist charges may have the effect of cementing them in people’s minds—this is called the “backfire effect.” On this view, erroneous understanding is amplified in the process of refutation. So it is not surprising to find some political observers arguing that the best strategy is to ignore conspiracism and its cousin falsehoods and lies, on grounds that, in practice, the act of rebuttal underscores conspiracist claims and gives them a degree of credibility. Yet recent studies show that corrections can be absorbed, or at least they may not have the perverse backfire effect of strengthening the views they are meant to refute. Fact checking can increase the reputational costs for political officials who disregard the accuracy of their statements. A reasonable conclusion is that to diagnose the threat that conspiracism poses, to unravel its logic, to falsify its specific claims, to call out the conspiracists, and to point to its destructive consequences are all necessary, though they are not guaranteed to disarm it. — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 350

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Correcting conspiracy misinformation can backfire and entrench the false belief. — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 119; Factual correction of conspiracism usually fails or backfires — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 119; Disconfirming evidence can strengthen rather than weaken committed beliefs. — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 97 (+7 more)

Broader Connections

• Factual correction of conspiracism usually fails or backfires #contradicts (0.95) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 119
• Correcting false beliefs can strengthen them rather than reduce them #contradicts (0.90) — Lee McIntyre, Post-Truth, 350
• Correcting conspiracy misinformation can backfire and entrench the false belief. #contradicts (0.85) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 119
• Backfire effects occur only among extreme believers in triggering contexts #qualifies (0.85) — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 138
• Disconfirming evidence can strengthen rather than weaken committed beliefs. #contradicts (0.80) — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 97
• Weak suppression evidence reinforces rather than weakens conspiracy belief. #contradicts (0.80) — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy, 433
• Confrontation with contrary evidence can intensify rather than weaken firm belief. #contradicts (0.80) — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 97
• The backfire effect does not occur symmetrically across the political spectrum #qualifies (0.80) — Lee McIntyre, Post-Truth, 109
• Even committed purveyors of false claims eventually yield to evidence #corroborates (0.75) — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 110
• People often resist or reverse belief updating rather than tracking evidence #contradicts (0.70) — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 104