The erosion of evidence: how to counter disinformation when the state is spreading it
When trusted institutions have been captured by the state, how do we preserve trustworthy information?
The State as a source of disinformation
Disinformation has long been a challenge, but recent years have seen its acceleration - first during the Covid pandemic, and now this is being supercharged in the US as state institutions themselves become distributors of falsehoods. The gold standard bodies we once trusted, like the CDC and FDA, are being co-opted, undermining the very foundation of public trust in science and health.
Consider examples from the current landscape: the official position of the White House is that Donald Trump won the 2020 election, and the January 6th rioters are hailed as patriots. President Trump has fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics for publishing employment data he disliked, and has threatened legal action against media organisations reporting unfavourable polling.
National parks and museums have been ordered to review and remove exhibits related to slavery and Indigenous history, aligning content with “American ideals”. Mentions of climate change have vanished from agency websites, including the National Park Service, Department of Defense, Department of Transportation, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the White House itself.
In April, the National Science Foundation cancelled all funding for research on misinformation, disinformation, and AI-generated deepfakes.
Health evidence is reducing, and misinformation is growing
The CDC has laid off thousands of workers, including key epidemiological teams, and real-time surveillance of infectious diseases and foodborne illnesses has been drastically reduced.
Worse, the administration is actively spreading health misinformation. Unfounded claims - such as Tylenol (paracetamol) causing autism when taken during pregnancy or early childhood - are being pushed, with the president urging pregnant women to stop taking it.
RFK Jr has sacked the independent vaccine panel (ACIP) and sacked the ethics and HR teams at the CDC. He’s replaced them with his own picks. Professional bodies advising ACIP, like the American Academy of Pediatrics and Infectious Disease Society of America, have been removed, further eroding scientific rigour. The administration now advocates separating combined vaccines (like MMRV for Measles, Mumps, Rubella and Varicella (Chicken Pox)) into single-disease versions, despite evidence that the combined vaccine is both safer and more effective. This will reduce uptake and drive up disease in children.
At a recent Make America Health Again (MAHA) rally, Del Bigtree, a close ally of RFK Jr, declared that “God is an anti-vaxxer,” framing vaccine resistance as a moral imperative.
Challenging times
This is an incredibly difficult time. Social media platforms, led by figures like Elon Musk, amplify science and health disinformation, while influencers with massive followings promote false health information. Now, with the US government joining in, where can people turn to when “.gov” is no longer trustworthy?
When state institutions are captured, scientists must find new ways to speak up for science. The privilege of working in your own academic or clinical bubble is gone. If we believe in “informed choice” - whether about our health, our children’s health or even our vote - then accurate information must get out there.
How the scientific community is responding
And the US scientific and health community is responding:
Previous CDC directors have published a joint op-ed in the New York Times, warning that RFK Jr is endangering public health.
Former ACIP members have formed informal coalitions to continue public education, engaging with media outlets and academic institutions to maintain trust in immunisation.
The American Public Health Association (APHA) continues to publish evidence-based guidance and policy briefs, launching campaigns to defend vaccine science and public health infrastructure, and advocating for transparency in health data.
Science advocacy groups, such as the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), are mobilising thousands of members to track political interference and support whistleblowers.
Media outlets like ProPublica, STAT News, and The Atlantic have ramped up investigative reporting on science suppression and misinformation.
Local health departments and NGOs are stepping in to fill gaps left by federal retreat, with states developing their own vaccine recommendations.
These efforts must be celebrated, amplified and supported.
Global spread - and the cost of speaking out
It’s a mess, and it’s coming to Europe too. For example, Alternative für Deutschland in Germany has promoted extensive disinformation around Covid and vaccines.
We cannot be naive about the difficulties ahead. Communicating more - and to more audiences - is essential, but speaking out comes with a cost. And the cost is often higher for those who aren’t white, high-status men or those in insecure employment. Many, myself included, experienced this during Covid.
How do we create and curate trusted sources of evidence and information when even gold-standard state institutions have become untrustworthy? I certainly don’t have all the answers - perhaps not even any answers. But as a scientific community, we need to come together to find them - urgently.
Many thanks as always for your courage and clarity. I fear that in the UK we are following g a similar path, with political appointments to strategic leadership positions that should be scientific, or politically neutral.
What about the World Health Network? They appear to be doing their best to spread more robust, evidence based, public health information.
Thanks for this great Substack. We need to expose disinformation at every level. As you mention we need to support all scientists and researchers especially women and BAME individuals. What’s happening in America is very worrying and there are signs that it is coming over here too.