Imagine an asteroid would be on trajectory to collide with earth in (say) 2025.
Possible order of hypothetical events:
1. Scientist discover the asteroid. Calculate risk of collision.
2. Asteroid comes closer, probability of impact is calculated as high.
3. People will start saying that we cannot let our economy be controlled by the specter of an asteroid.
4. The asteroid becomes visible. You can see it with your bare eyes.
5. Still people start claiming it's fake news: The scientists are lying, it's a great conspiracy, it's all just to control us all.
6. Destroying or diverting the asteroid is estimated to be so expensive that it will change our way of life.
7. Anti-Asteroid-Action demonstrations would start all over the planet, to protest any expensive actions against the asteroid.
8. News outlets will be asked to be keep the bias out of their reporting, because they would support "asteroid believers".
9. Countries will create treaties to stop the impact by 2030, or perhaps delay it to 2040.
10. Scientists report new data. Impact is certain. Models about consequences are increasingly accurate and dire.
11. These scientists are labeled as alarmists.
12. The rich countries refuse to take the financial burden, because they feel it's unfair.
13. Impact is now a few weeks away. Nothing happened. Nobody did anything.
Update: Layout and spelling.