An educated outsider will very likely side with the expert though. Just like with the hype around the LHC and its dangers, academics and educated people largely believed the physicists working on it and not the fringe group that claimed it will destroy the world. Although that might be vice versa with the general public. Of course you cannot draw any conclusions about who's right from this, but it should be investigated anyway because what all parties have in common is the need for support and money.

There are two different groups to be convinced here by each party. One group includes the educated people (academics) and mediocre rationalists and the other group is the general public.

When it comes to who's right, the people one should listen to are the educated experts who are listening to both parties, their position and arguments. Although their intelligence and status as rationalists will be disputed as each party will claim that they are not smart enough to see the truth if they disagree with them.