propaganda technique
Casting doubt
Also called: Manufactured doubt, Doubt
Casting doubt questions the credibility of a person, institution or finding without giving grounds, to make the audience distrust it.
How it works
Raising questions costs little and sounds reasonable. Repeated insinuation without evidence can erode trust in solid findings or reliable sources.
Examples
"Can we really trust those election results? I'm just asking questions."
"Scientists have been wrong before, so why believe them now?"
How to spot it
- Questions with no evidence behind them.
- "Just asking" or "some people say".
- Doubt is aimed at a whole institution rather than a specific claim.
How to respond
- Ask what specific evidence suggests a problem.
- Point to how the finding was checked.
- Distinguish healthy scepticism, which follows evidence, from unsupported suspicion.