Salon: Not All Conspiracy Theories are Crazy

When is a conspiracy theory outright loony tunes and when is it borderline acceptable for rational discussion? Salon has an interesting measuring stick. Earlier this month, the site treated the vile Sandy Hook Truthers with proper WTF contempt.

But perhaps in the interest of (false?) balance, Salon also suggests in a piece posted yesterday that 9/11 Truthers shouldn’t be put into the same batshit bin as the Sandy Hook Truthers. In case you’re not sold, there’s some discussion of the JFK assassination.  And a parting recommendation that even Alex Jones should not always be dismissed out of hand. Yeah, you read that right.

The piece prompted an incredulous tweet from Zach Beauchamp:

What the hell, @salon? salon.com/2013/01/22/giv… Oswald acted alone. Alex Jones is a nut. These are not open questions.

— Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp) January 23, 2013

Conspiracy theorists are a fascinating (and, as with the Sandy Hook Truthers, repelling) breed. That’s why they make for good film and television. Do some of the more outrageous tales they peddle make for legitimate journalistic inquiry? Salon seems to think so.

UPDATE: Well, on closer inspection, maybe not. Slate reports that Salon has pulled the piece.