Ponebi Ponebi is an acronym standing for for "Peddlars of non-evidence-based information". It is used to describe groups or individuals, often profit based, who make claims on a range of commercial products, natural products, or even natural phenomena which are either wrong or not based on any credible information source.

Origins.

The term 'Ponebi' was originally coined in a series of government workshops in Australia where it was used to describe groups or individuals who persist in providing information with no scientific basis and who often contradict science based evidence with opinion, heresay and sometimes with falsified information.

Current use.

The term has now been used more widely to describe not only groups or individuals, but larger organisations and corporations who peddle incorrect information. Current use has moved towards descriptions of organisations such as climate denier groups and animal rights activist groups who prefer to use opinion or deliberately falsified 'facts' instead of science based arguments. While it may be considered slanderous to mention specific groups, good examples of these types of people and groups can be found in the book Merchants of Doubt by Naomi Oreskes and Eric M. Conway

Rather than specifying or detailing these groups, Ponebi can be used as a noun to provide detailed but non specific information about these types of groups. For example, 'Ponebi prevent people from understanding the evidence on climate change'.


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