Government and corporate deception

A Narrative Review of the COVID-19 Infodemic and Censorship in Healthcare Uploaded 22-03-25LIESTER, MITCHELL; Sohaib Ashraf; Patricia Callisperis; Hector Carvallo; Shankara Chetty; Robert Enzenauer; Carlos Franco-Paredes; Raul Pineda; Panagis Polykretis; Rachel Wilkenson; and Peter McCullough. 2025. "A Narrative Review of the COVID-19 Infodemic and Censorship in Healthcare." Secrecy and Society 3(2). DOI: https://doi.org/10.55917/ 2377-6188.1087https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/secrecyandsociety/vol3/iss2/3/Ideological and financial motivations have undermined science for decades. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_ZDQKq2F08https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJBaBJawnSYOrganizations and governments used misinformation, disinformation, censorship, and secrecy to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. Information can be distorted and shaped by corporations and governments for financial gain or ideological purposes. Various rationales for employing censorship and secrecy during the COVID-19 pandemic are examined including,how organizations and governments create confusion about the risks associated with their products,and blame avoidance to shift responsibility and to avoid accountability for their actions. Methods of censorship employed during the COVID-19 pandemic are reviewedData sourcesScientific papers, government documents, mass media articles, books, and personal accounts of physicians and scientists. Use of censorship and secrecy created a challenge for scientists, physicians, politicians, and the general public in trying to understand COVID- related topics. Defeating the Merchants of DoubtOreskes, Naomi, and Erik M. Conway. 2010. Nature 465 (7299): 686-87. https://www.nature.com/articles/465686aTactics of doubtCorporations engage in deliberate strategies to create doubt about scientific findings. (the tobacco industry, cast doubt on the health risks of smoking) despite overwhelming evidence of the dangers of smoking. Use of so-called “experts”Corporations hire or fund scientists to challenge or undermine scientific findings. Support the corporate narrative Media manipulationBy introducing fringe or discredited perspectives, corporations ensure that media coverage gives disproportionate weight to their desired narrative'In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.'https://www.socratic-method.com/quote-meanings/martin-luther-king-jr-in-the-end-we-will-remember-not-the-words-of-our-enemies-but-the-silence-of-our-friends#google_vignetteBy creating doubt and confusion, corporations manipulate public perception for their own financial gain. William R. Freudenburg Risk and Recreancy https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-349-62201-6_5Privileged Access, Privileged Accountshttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/236805506_Privileged_Access_Privileged_Accounts_Toward_a_Socially_Structured_Theory_of_Resources_and_DiscoursesWeapons of Mass Distractionhttps://www.elgaronline.com/display/book/9781803921044/ch27.xmlBlame avoidanceShifting of responsibility / accountability for actions that result in adverse social consequences. Disproportionate attribution of blameWhen corporations manipulate public narratives to redirect blame toward othersNormalization of devianceOver time, risky practices become normalized, reducing the likelihood that problems will be recognized as serious threatsPrivileged access to informationBy controlling access to critical information, corporations and governments make it difficult for the public or regulatory bodies to fully understand the risks or consequences of their actions or products. By controlling the flow of information, corporations diffuse or delay blameMisdirectionDivert public attention away from their actions,they focus attention on smaller, less critical issue Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices