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Antivaccine nonsense Bad science Popular culture

John Ioannidis attacks The BMJ as “biased” about COVID-19 in a preprint. Irony meters everywhere explode

Kasper Kepp and John Ioannidis have published a preprint accusing The BMJ of “COVID advocacy” bias in its publications. Although The BMJ has been bad on COVID-19 and vaccines, in this case the “bias” is the rejection of COVID-19 minimization and “natural herd immunity.”

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Antivaccine nonsense Medicine Pseudoscience

Thacker the hack keeps Thacking and hacking

I know I’ve written about Paul Thacker’s attacks on young physician Dr. Allison Neitzel three times now, but he just keeps going lower and demanding more not-so-Respectful Insolence. Orac is happy to oblige.

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Antivaccine nonsense Medicine Quackery

A female physician responds to hack journalist Paul Thacker

After being forced through legal threats to “apologize” by a bunch of quacks and attacked by a hack journalist, Dr. Allison Neitzel tells her side of the story with respect to the hack. It’s a sad story, but I would much rather have her in my profession than the quacks who threatened her.

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Antivaccine nonsense Medicine Quackery

Big antivax sites amplify Paul Thacker’s hit piece on Dr. Allison Neitzel

A week ago, Dr. Allison Neitzel posted an “apology” to some particularly odious antivax quacks. Predictably, the big antivax sites went into high gear to use the forced apology to amplify attacks on her.

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Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

Hack conspiracy journalism: Paul Thacker vs. the definition of “physician”

I normally don’t publish email exchanges, but when someone like Paul Thacker misleadingly characterizes an email exchange with me, let’s just say that I will make an exception in his case.