BELFAST — Left Bank Books, in downtown Belfast, invites the public to a free talk  by Belfast journalist Murray Carpenter on Tuesday, March 25, at 6:30 p.m., at the shop, to celebrate the release of his new book, Sweet and Deadly: How Coca-Cola Spreads Disinformation and Makes Us Sick.

Marshaling the findings of extensive research and deep investigative reporting, Carpenter details how the Coca-Cola corporation’s sophisticated shadow network has masterfully spread disinformation for decades to hide the health risks of its product from consumers—risks disproportionately borne by Black, brown, and low-income communities. Working from a playbook of obfuscation and pseudoscience that has worked well for other harmful products, from tobacco and trans fats to opioids, Coca-Cola has managed to maintain an aura of goodness and happiness, according to Carpenter, in a Left Bank news release.

As a journalist focusing on science, health, climate, and environmental stories, Carpenter has reported for The New York Times, the Washington Post, Wired, National Geographic, NPR, and Maine Public Radio. His work has taken him across the United States, and to Guantanamo, the Colombian llanos, and a factory town in China.

Reservations can be made by calling the bookshop (207.338.9009) or emailing: info@leftbankbookshop.com. Ample free parking is available in front of the shop and in an adjacent city lot.