Joseph Mercola

• Robert F. Kennedy Jr, a self-described vaccine sceptic, announced his candidacy to run for president as a Democrat in April.
• Our new study on the rhetorical techniques used to spread vaccine disinformation partly explains Kennedy’s appeal to voters.
• We examined the strategies of RFK Jr and American osteopath Joseph Mercola, two prominent members of the “disinformation dozen”.

1. Identity and belonging

• COVID truthers offer their followers access to an exclusive in-group identity.
• They adhere to a dualistic belief system that divides the world into good and bad actors, light and dark forces.
• For COVID truthers, it is not simply that their opponents have acted through ignorance or error – they frame them as corrupt and evil.

2. True knowledge and enlightenment

• Figures such as Kennedy and Mercola capitalise on this, appealing to those disillusioned with the government’s official narrative.
• They present themselves as having access to privileged knowledge and understanding.
• They do this by revealing alternative “facts” that contradict the official narrative, and that they claim have been concealed from the public.

3. Meaning and purpose

• COVID truthers provide their followers with meaning, offering a reason to believe in a greater purpose.
• This can take the form of New Age spirituality, suggesting that humanity is undergoing a “shift in consciousness”, or a more secular commitment to truth, freedom and justice.
• Kennedy frequently deploys the language of social justice in his posts and newsletters, as a rallying call to unite his followers.

4. Leadership and guidance

• Kennedy’s campaign contrasts the power of corrupt government institutions, corporate cronyism and nefarious media elites with the powerlessness that the disenfranchised public feels.
• As a consequence, he positions himself as an incorruptible leader with the capacity to “clean up government”, restore civil liberties, and speak truth to power.

Why this matters

• Filings with charity regulators show that revenue for Kennedy’s organisation more than doubled in 2020, to US$6.8 million.
• In our current post-truth era, where opinions often triumph over facts, influencers and celebrities can achieve authority.

• Through its BETTER CITIES FOR PETS program, Mars Petcare is helping by awarding grants to cities for the fifth year in a row, while celebrating over 100 cities across North America that are leading the way in pet friendliness.
• The program has awarded nearly half a million dollars in grants to support pet-friendly initiatives since its inception in 2017.
• Mars Petcare's latest BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ grants, awarded in November, aim to help cities assisting pet parents that are facing challenges keeping and caring for their pets.
• Along with awarding grants, the BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ program recently celebrated a milestone, surpassing 100 certified cities recognized for their pet-friendly efforts.

• BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Jan.27, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ --Fulcrum Equity Partners, an Atlanta-based growth equity fund, announces their investment in My Pet's Vet Group ("MPVG"), a Birmingham, AL veterinary medicine platform with hospitals in Ohio, Texas and Georgia.
• Fulcrum's investment will be used to further accelerate de novo growth and strategic M&A into contiguous markets across the Southeast.
• Almost one in five households acquired a cat or dog since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis.
• Fulcrum Equity Partners is an Atlanta-based growth equity firm that manages over $600 million and provides expansion capital to rapidly growing companies led by strong entrepreneurs and management teams.

• SEATTLE, Nov. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --A lawsuit filed today against Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)
• The complaint relates to a letter Warren wrote to Amazon.com, the world's largest bookseller, warning Amazon's "peddling" of plaintiffs' book is "potentially unlawful."
• "Senator Warren broke the law and betrayed our fundamental right to free speech," said Dr. Joseph Mercola, founder of Mercola.com, a natural health website.
• Organic Consumers Association is a 501(c)(3) consumer education and grassroots lobbying organization advocating on behalf of millions of consumers for safe, healthful food and a clean environment.