This great (& painstaking) factcheck by @dpfunke of a Covid-related FB post has me wondering how we best tackle harmful conspiracy theories like this.

Makes me wonder if tackling them claim by claim (a claim-centric approach per @TomRosenstiel) is essential - but not enough. https://twitter.com/dpfunke/status/1250138838770614272

Conspiracy theories (such as that well exposed here) are straw houses built with a mix of some facts, some false & misleading claims. Problem is, as one false or misleading claim is knocked out, another is brought to replace it. What seems to matter to the believer is the 'glue'.

In the straw house analogy, (bear with me), what keeps the house together is not so much the individual claims (or 'facts') but the alleged links between them, false correlation/causation that 'glues' them together so the house still stands even when claims are exposed as false.

It is much easier for me to say than for any one org to do it, but it seems to me the key to tackling conspiracy theories is,

1. Yes, factcheckers need to factcheck specific claims in harmful false theories, but also....

2. Set out contextual evidence undermining not just false claims but the theory

For just one e.g. in this case, the post says Burundi has malaria but no cases of Covid, ergo malaria treatment is effective against Covid. BUT many African countries have both. The glue doesn't hold

3. Go after not just the facts but the theory of causation. Debunk the glue, as it were.

The Spurious Correlations website set up six years ago by Tyler Vigen is a good tool for this, making point that the correlation of random facts proves nothing. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-27537142

4. This is a job for educators too, not just journalists. Teaching basic news literacy + cause/correlation are essential too.

Fact-checking claim by claim, works with some claims. For conspiracy theories, it seems to me, more tools are needed.