It would be good to remember that a vast majority of people don't respond to reason. They respond to emotion. If you make someone feel good about your argument, they will agree with your argument.
It seem the more likely one is to want to help society, the less likely that person understands this fundamental aspect of human nature.
And so somehow the ones who really GET IT are the ones in power, and the ones who don't want to make anything better.
It's so refreshing when you find a persuader in charge of everything who also wants to make everything better, like say Duterte in the Philippines, for example.
Dropping the subject isn't always the best idea. It's only a good idea if they're unreasonable individuals. You can often have very interesting conversations with well-reasoned but poorly-informed people.
It seems papers were still published, but government scientists were not allowed to say whatever they wanted to the media outside of what they said in their scientific papers.
I don't presume to speak for the organization I work for or the industry I work in.
I hate tinfoil hat conspiracies. Its starting to plague society and get people disconnected from problems that need immediate attention.
Its good you dropped the subject, there's just no reasoning with them.