Appeal to Authority

This is also called Argumentum ad verecundiam.

Because a claim is expressed by an authority, or elites, meaning a person or persons in power, somehow it is automatically true. This is not to be confused with authority in the sense of being an expert.

This is a form of red herring.

Examples

The World Health Organization and corporate media are considered to be authorities, albeit corrupt ones. These corrupt authorities say we should panic about Swine Flu and pay for a vaccination. Therefore it is true that you should panic and pay.

The FDA which is in cahoots with Big Pharma has redefined the scientific term vaccine to include experimental gene therapies, which are the opposite of vaccines as they do not prevent infection and merely reduce symptoms. The FDA has done this so that Big Pharma companies can make a huge profit off of a mandated experimental gene therapy. The FDA is considered an authority on public health. Therefore the FDA's redefinition of the term vaccine is valid.

Weaknessess

Appeal to authority asserts that power equals truth, or that the powerful can define truth and conceal the facts. That is ridiculous on the face of it. Whether a claim is true or false does not depend on who expresses it, or fails to express it.

The authority can be a politician, a public official, a corporate-funded scientist, a politically-influenced scientist, etc.