Pre-bunking and Inoculation

Pre-bunking, or inoculation theory, is about building resistance to misinformation before it takes hold. Instead of only correcting false claims after the fact, it works by exposing people to weakened versions of common misinformation tactics—like emotional manipulation, misuse of statistics, or false “both sides” framing—so they can recognize and resist them later (exactly what we are doing with this site!).

The idea, first developed by William J. McGuire, is similar to a vaccine: a small, controlled exposure strengthens your ability to defend against a stronger version later on. In healthcare contexts like MAiD, this matters because once misinformation becomes familiar or emotionally embedded, it is much harder to dislodge. Research by Sander van der Linden and colleagues shows that pre-0bunking approaches—like teaching people to spot misleading techniques—can significantly improve their ability to resist misinformation, often more effectively than debunking alone.