My new article is out in Skeptical Inquirer (Vol. 50, No. 4): “Boosting Facts and Busting Myths about Mythbusting.”
Correcting misinformation can backfire. Done carelessly, a debunk repeats the very falsehood it targets and leaves it stickier than before. I examine six recurring myths about mythbusting itself – including the comfortable assumption that better facts alone change minds – and set out evidence-informed alternatives, among them the fact–myth–fallacy–fact structure (the “truth sandwich”).
What you take away is practical: a small repertoire of strategies for countering false claims without amplifying them, and a clearer sense of when to debunk, when to prebunk, and when to stay silent. Effective mythbusting does not tell people what to think. It helps them think for themselves!
Read it here:
- Siegel, Stefan T. (2026). Boosting Facts and Busting Myths about Mythbusting. Skeptical Inquirer. 50(4), 30–34. https://skepticalinquirer.org/2026/06/boosting-facts-and-busting-myths-about-mythbusting/ | https://doi.org/10.58079/13lyr