Politicians do this all the time. Fox News and the mainstream media make their careers out of it. I think we as a society have forgotten how to deconstruct an argument and fact check the specifics.
Deconstructing arguments is difficult, and fact-checking is incredibly time consuming with often little immediately benefit (besides the smug sensation of knowing more that it often provides).
This is why popularizers and journalists have an incredible responsibility to provide this deconstruction and fact checking on behalf of the public, and it's why there is so much outrage, particularly from the scientific community, when they fail.
This is why popularizers and journalists have an incredible responsibility to provide this deconstruction and fact checking on behalf of the public, and it's why there is so much outrage, particularly from the scientific community, when they fail.