Reassuring people "not to worry" about public health issues like vaccination or fluoridated water doesn't work. Nor does telling people "don't panic". So, what does?
The reporting of crackpot theories as news by mainstream news outlets only damages the credibility of the media and science, and undermines public trust in both.
Lyn Snodgrass, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
Unrestricted access to information is vital to a vibrant democracy.But if this information is inaccurate, biased or falsified, the fundamental freedom of informed choice is denied.
Researchers have found that today's students, despite being 'digital natives,' have a hard time distinguishing what is real and what is fake online. Metaliteracy might provide the answers.
Four stories on belief: from the allure of cults and conspiracy theories, to the effect of trauma on faith, to the way dogma has influenced science – and if technology can actually shift our beliefs.
Democracy rests heavily on the idea that, though we may not like those who govern, they gained that power by fair means. Donald Trump is undermining that idea.
The same forces that drive belief in conspiracy theories are the ones driving the rise of Donald Trump. So it's no wonder that, less than two months until the election, he continues to dabble in and promote them.
How does Donald Trump get away with the type of campaign he’s running? Why, if he’s a narcissistic demagogue, has he found an audience who respond to his politics?
Contrary to the claims of One Nation Senator-elect Malcolm Roberts' that climate change is not happening, there is abundant evidence it is, but it might not be enough to persuade him.
Whether it's Hillary Clinton's courting the UFO vote or Donald Trump's lending credibility to various conspiracy theories, the "triumph of reason" seems to have gone by the wayside.
Shortly after Glen MacPherson started hearing strange humming noises, he created the World Hum and Database Project so people around the world could document their own experiences with the Hum.
We now have access to an Internet containing a vast store of information much bigger than any individual brain can carry - and that's not always a good thing.
Kennedy’s murder has spawned countless books, films, television documentaries and websites, each devoted to solving the crime. And yet any agreement on the 'truth' seems as unlikely as ever.