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A misguided 'do your own research' line as Kennedy Jr unveils MAHA report [View all]
The more Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. talks about people doing their own research, the more important it is to explain why he's wrong.
May 23, 2025, 9:54 AM EDT
By Steve Benen
... The Washington Post reported, “Some of the report’s suggestions ... stretched the limits of science, medical experts said. Several sections of the report offer misleading representations of findings in scientific papers” ...
The Washington Post’s Monica Hesse wrote a compelling column on this a few weeks ago.
It probably goes without saying, but just in case: Researching a vaccine is substantially more complicated than researching a stroller. You research strollers by typing ‘best strollers’ into Wirecutter and buying whichever one has cupholders. You research a vaccine by getting a PhD in immunology or cellular and molecular biology, acquiring a lab in which you can conduct months or years worth of double-blind clinical trials, publishing your findings in a peer-reviewed academic journal, and then patiently navigating the government and industry regulations that are required to make sure your vaccine is safe and effective ...
RFK Jr. appears to approach these issues with the assumption that the scientific canon is inherently suspect because it’s crafted by those who reject his conspiratorial and unscientific perspective. When he advises Americans to “do their own research,” it’s a recommendation rooted in the idea that people should poke around the internet until they find sites that give them information that seems true — or that they want to be true ...
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/rfk-jr-maha-report-do-your-own-research-rcna208727
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