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Comment by nickpeterson | Hacker News Reader

I think a more effective strategy might be shaming individuals who make up the company. Just start buying internet ads with a persons name and how they wrote reports to try and convince people something that caused cancer didn’t cause cancer.

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If this sort of thing was effective (and legal, I don't know) you'd think it would be seen regularly.

I can't decide if it's better explained by the power of corporate(/political) PR or simply that people don't actually care

I would imagine a huge piece of it is libel and slander laws protect you unless you’re in the public sphere.

I would argue publishing a journal is a very public thing, note the root word of publishing.

What about publishing an HN comment? At the root of it, they’re both means of publicly disseminating information.

I think "public figure" refers to how well known the person is. In this case, I'd guess that a way larger group of people read the journal than will read these comments.

Don't think naming or shaming those that write the algorithms for social media companies/search is gonna work either. They are numerous, and operate in an ecosystem where incentives will always make it an uphill battle. Regular folks are paid to pollute water and soil too after all. Money, especially in salary-sized amounts, have disproportiinal power.

How's that strategy working out for the antivax movement?

Pretty well, I'd assume. Antivax sentiments have never been as widespread and mainstream than they are right now.

Canadians generally (to a supermajority level) dislike the unvaccinated, shun them, and would see them pay a healthcare surtax. Employers don’t want them around.

https://nationalpost.com/news/tensions-high-between-vaccinat...

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-poll-shows-...

https://toronto.citynews.ca/2022/01/12/canada-poll-unvaccina...

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/majority-of-canadian-small-busin...

The convoy was despised as well.

https://www.cp24.com/news/almost-2-3rds-of-canadians-oppose-...

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