GLP podcast: It’s time to end the bipartisan war on science and medicine

Today’s science disinformation ecosystem is sustained by a truly strange coalition of MAGA conservatives and liberal “wellness warriors” who have little in common except a deep distrust of expert medical institutions. Despite glaring ideological divides, these two groups coalesce to promote groundless health and environmental claims, undermining evidence-based policy along the way. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a central figure in the movement, leveraging his disdain for government oversight and industry to unite supporters that cross a broad left-right political spectrum.

The disinformation cycle itself thrives on social media, where wellness influencers and ideological outlets amplify fear-driven narratives and exploit public skepticism of institutions like the FDA and CDC. But rather than fixing real problems within these public health agencies, the bipartisan wellness crusade uses them as fodder for its own idiosyncratic and often dangerous policy proposals.

This bipartisan convergence threatens public health innovation, particularly in agriculture and medicine, where life-saving technologies face unwarranted vilification from activists who wrongly see such innovations as inherently harmful. The solution to these distorted narratives? Healthy skepticism and a willingness to challenge our own ideological assumptions. Too many people today allow their existing beliefs to mold their views on scientific and medical questions, when they should be guided by rational thinking and data wherever possible.

Podcast:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Join hosts Dr. Liza Dunn and GLP contributor Cameron English on episode 315 of Science Facts and Fallacies as they discuss:

• Viewpoint: Here’s how the MAGA—liberal ‘wellness warriors’ science disinformation ecosystem works

Dr. Liza Dunn is a medical toxicologist and the medical affairs lead at Bayer Crop Science. Follow her on X @DrLizaMD

Cameron J. English is the director of bio-sciences at the American Council on Science and Health. Visit his website and follow him on X @camjenglish