I think they're just trying to say in the most politically correct way possible that "average intelligence is low, most people are not researchers. Most people are borderline retarded. That's why research is a niche field and we should leave research to the researchers."
To that I agree entirely. But I don't trust reporters to interpret research, they're not science communicators. I prefer to read the papers myself.
I think that's a real, good argument for why experts are important in society. The call to action, however, to stick to authoritative sources and not to learn how to be an adept researcher, is something I don't agree with.
They will never advocate for self-reliance in the pursuit of truth because then too many people will call out the blatant lies. Precisely because that's exactly what is needed to reduce their power to influence people's beliefs.
