This is called the Gell-Mann Amnesia Effect[0]. People
believe things about stuff they don't know, even if the source is wrong about stuff they do know.
I was reading somewhere that there are evolutionary drivers behind our cognitive biases. I wonder if this is because to cooperate in social settings you have to rely on other people's expertise.
It's amazing how often people mention Gell-Mann Amnesia on Hacker News. Seems like Crichton's strategy of trying to make the term more popular by attaching a famous scientist's name to it paid off.