Viewpoint: ‘Could’, ‘hazardous’ and ‘linked’—Bad science reporting uses RFK, Jr.’s favorite words

From Wi-Fi causing “leaky brain” to the herbicide atrazine turning male frogs female, the myriad of crackpot concepts Kennedy spews aren’t of his own making, they’re a result of decades of approximations in public discourse and lazy reporting.

The holy trinity of bad science reporting will always include approximations such as “could,” “hazardous,” and “linked.” These are RFK Jr’s three favorite words.

The Children’s Health Defense, a vaccine skeptic organization Kennedy founded, heavily features these words to spread misinformation: “Could COVID Shots Trigger ‘Avalanche’ of a Contagious Form of Dementia?”, “Fluoride Linked to Diabetes in Kids,” “Aspartame Linked to Anxiety,” “Glyphosate Linked to Severe Depression,” “Household Cleaners Are Hazardous to Your Health,” among others.

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One should think of “linked” in the same way we learn that correlation does not equate to causation.

This is an excerpt. Read the original post here