Smoke and Mirrors: The 60 Minutes ‘Breakthrough’ on Havana Syndrome Exposed by Robert Bartholomew

This article critiques how reporting on Havana Syndrome has leaned towards sensationalism, suggesting a narrative of foreign-directed attacks while disregarding crucial scientific studies and alternative viewpoints. By selectively presenting evidence, the media has amplified a theory that contradicts findings from recent NIH studies and intelligence reports, which attribute the symptoms to stress-related disorders and mass psychogenic illness rather than to an external energy weapon. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2024/06/smoke-and-mirrors-the-60-minutes-breakthrough-on-havana-syndrome-exposed/ About the Author: Robert Bartholomew is an Honorary Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychological Medicine at the University of Auckland who has written extensively on mass psychogenic illness, hoaxes, popular delusions, and pseudoscience. He has also written extensively on topics on the margins of science including UFOs, ghosts, haunted houses, Bigfoot, and lake monsters, and describes himself as a sympathetic skeptic. He is also a certified middle and high school teacher who has taught History, Social Studies, English, and Global Studies in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.  He is the author of Havana Syndrome: Mass Psychogenic Illness and the Real Story Behind the Embassy Mystery and Hysteria with UCLA Neurologist Robert Baloh. Subscribe to Skeptical Inquirer: https://skepticalinquirer.org/subscribe/ Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition is a production of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and the Center for Inquiry.