How They Made Us Doubt Everything
Channel Details
How They Made Us Doubt Everything
From smoking and cancer to climate change, this is the story of how to manufacture doubt. Investigating the industry response to claims there could be asbestos in make-up, and the tactics that could be used to cast doubt over the science and create controversy.
Recent Episodes
17 episodesTalc Tales: 5. Talc on trial
When we send off make-up for testing, the lab finds an asbestos fibre in two of the samples. Brunel University’s Experimental Technique’s Centre says...
Talc Tales: 4. ‘Time for more confusion’
When talc might be listed as a potential carcinogen, the industry assembles a ‘talc task force’. It’s the year 2000 and the talc industry has heard so...
Talc Tales: 3. ‘We may have problems’
Could companies clean up their talc? In the 1970s, talc companies worked out a plan to check their product for asbestos fibres. The problem was, miner...
Talc Tales: 2. Never 100% clean
In the 1970s, a scientist discovers asbestos fibres in talcum powder. After Mineralogist Arthur Langer discovered asbestos fibres in the lungs of norm...
Talc Tales: 1. Asbestos in my make-up?
After Hannah Fletcher’s cancer diagnosis, she investigates whether her make up contained asbestos. She was just 41 when she was diagnosed with mesothe...
Introducing Talc Tales
Is there asbestos in make-up? If you look through your make-up bag, you might have a blusher, eye shadow or face powder that contains the ingredient t...
The Tobacco Playbook: 10. Leaving the Tribe
Our story ends at the very top, with a fax to the White House. The campaign to spread doubt about climate change was so successful, it infiltrated the...
The Tobacco Playbook: 9. Deep Pockets, Useful Allies
Following the oil money as it’s pumped to contrarian scientists and think tanks.
As millions of dollars flow from oil companies to researchers...
The Tobacco Playbook: 8. Jerry gets ‘duped’
As climate change goes prime time, a super star climate change sceptic wins his last TV debate. Jerry Taylor was working at CATO, a free market think...
The Tobacco Playbook: 7. The Opponent
How do you win a battle, if you’re fighting in the wrong arena? A look at how the virtues of science were being used against the scientists. Uncertain...
The Tobacco Playbook: 6. From Fact to Theory
‘Unless “climate change” becomes a non-issue…there may be no moment when we can declare victory’. We reveal the communications plans drawn up by energ...
The Tobacco Playbook: 5. Big Oil's Big Group
As the world’s scientists agree on man-made climate change, the oil companies come together to form their own coalition. They aren’t just focused on t...
The Tobacco Playbook: 4. Tobacco in the Dock
As the evidence against tobacco mounts, the court suits keep coming. Tobacco keeps winning.
‘Due to favourable scientific testimony, no plainti...
The Tobacco Playbook: 3. The White Coats
The tobacco industry’s white coats are ready, the battle of science vs science begins. The battle for public opinion will be played out in the media....
The Tobacco Playbook: 2. ‘Doubt is our product'
At a secret meeting, a plan is drawn up to fight claims that smoking causes cancer. In 1953, the tobacco industry was hit by a major storm. ‘Salesmen...
The Tobacco Playbook: 1. Big Oil’s Big Crisis
From climate change to smoking and cancer, this is the story of how doubt has been manufactured.
In this episode we take you to an oil company’s...
Welcome to How They Made Us Doubt Everything: The Tobacco Playbook
From climate change to smoking and cancer, this is the story of how doubt has been manufactured. This 10 part series will explore how powerful interes...