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Quackwatch

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Quackwatch is a United States-based website focused on promoting consumer protection and providing information about health related frauds, myths, fads, fallacies, and misconduct. It primarily targets alternative medicine, questionable health claims, and practices it considers pseudoscience. It was founded in 1996 by Stephen Barrett, a retired psychiatrist and former co-chair of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. Initially operated under the nonprofit Quackwatch, Inc., it became part of the Center for Inquiry (CFI) in 2020. Its content is now maintained by CFI's Office of Consumer Protection

Official website

Link to the official site · not written by Vinony

Wikidata facts

Instance of
Website
Founded by
Stephen Barrett
Headquarters
United States
Official website
quackwatch.org/cases
Show 3 more facts
inception
1969-00-00
Alexa rank
194702
title
Quackwatch
Sources (7)

via Wikidata · CC0

~13 min read

Encyclopedic overview

13 sections
Contents
  • History
  • Mission and scope
  • Site content
  • Related and subsidiary sites
  • Influence
  • Mention in media, books, and journals
  • Citations by journalists
  • Recommendations and endorsements
  • Site reviews
  • See also
  • References
  • Further reading
  • External links

Quackwatch is a United States-based website focused on promoting consumer protection and providing information about health related frauds, myths, fads, fallacies, and misconduct. It primarily targets alternative medicine, questionable health claims, and practices it considers pseudoscience. It was founded in 1996 by Stephen Barrett, a retired psychiatrist and former co-chair of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. Initially operated under the nonprofit Quackwatch, Inc., it became part of the Center for Inquiry (CFI) in 2020. Its content is now maintained by CFI's Office of Consumer Protection and Pseudoscience.

Quackwatch has been cited by, and received both praise and criticism from, mainstream media, academic journals, and professional organizations. Supporters describe it as a resource for evidence-based health information, while critics, particularly proponents of alternative medicine, have challenged its tone and objectivity. The site includes articles, position papers, and links to regulatory actions, and it has been involved in broader efforts to monitor and report health fraud through affiliated networks such as the National Council Against Health Fraud and The Skeptics Society. thumb|Quackwatch files at Center for Inquiry

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Quackwatch” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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