"A Narrative Review of the COVID-19 Infodemic and Censorship in Healthcare" by Mitchell B. Liester et al., published in Secrecy and Society (Volume 3, Number 2, 2025), (DOI: https://doi.org/10.55917/2377-6188.1087), by Mitchell B. Liester and a team of co-authors is a riveting and timely dive into one of the most chaotic undercurrents of the Covid-19 plandemic: the flood of misinformation and the heavy-handed censorship that followed. Published in 2025 in Secrecy and Society, this article is a standout for its bold willingness to tackle a subject that's as divisive as it is critical—how governments, organisations, and healthcare systems grappled with an "infodemic" of misinformation and disinformation, often with tactics that reshaped public trust and scientific discourse.
What makes this review a winner is its panoramic scope. Liester and his collaborators—drawing from a diverse pool of scientific papers, government documents, media reports, and firsthand accounts from physicians and scientists—paint a vivid picture of how ideological and financial motives warped the pandemic response. They argue that misinformation (unintentional falsehoods) and disinformation (deliberate lies) weren't just background noise; they were weaponised, creating confusion about risks, treatments, and vaccines. The authors don't stop at finger-pointing—they meticulously catalogue the methods of censorship, from social media purges to journal retractions, and spotlight real-world examples that hit hard. It's a wake-up call delivered with the precision of a scalpel.
The article shines brightest in its exploration of motives. It posits that censorship wasn't just about controlling the narrative but also about "blame avoidance"—shifting responsibility away from powerful players and dodging accountability for questionable decisions. This isn't conspiracy chatter; it's a reasoned case built on documented instances where dissent was silenced, often to protect vested interests rather than public health. The authors' interdisciplinary lens—merging medicine, policy, and communication—makes it a rich read, accessible yet profound, appealing to both healthcare pros and curious laypeople.
Another feather in its cap is the emphasis on consequences. Liester et al. don't just lament the chaos; they connect the dots to show how censorship fuelled mistrust, sidelined valid scientific debate, and left patients and practitioners in the lurch. It's a sobering reflection, but also a hopeful one—by laying bare these missteps, the article implicitly calls for a better way forward, urging transparency and resilience against future infodemics. The personal accounts from frontline doctors and researchers add a human touch, grounding the analysis in lived experience and making it resonate on an emotional level.
Published under Secrecy and Society's banner, this piece fits perfectly into the journal's mission of unpacking how secrecy shapes society—and it delivers. It's not just a review; it's a clarion call to rethink how we handle information in crises. For we who lived through the Covid years of tyranny, and felt the fog of confusion, this article is a validating, illuminating read that turns hindsight into foresight. Liester and crew have crafted a must-read that's as courageous as it is insightful, earning its place as a key contribution to the post-pandemic reckoning.
https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/breaking-study-the-disastrous-covid
"The study titled, A Narrative Review of the COVID-19 Infodemic and Censorship in Healthcare, was just published in the journal Secrecy and Society:
Abstract
Ideological and financial motivations have undermined science for decades. In this narrative review, we explore how organizations and governments used misinformation, disinformation, censorship, and secrecy to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. 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 reviewed, examples are provided, and the consequences of these actions are reviewed. Information included in this review was obtained from scientific papers, government documents, mass media articles, books, and personal accounts of physicians and scientists. We examine how the use of censorship and secrecy created a challenge for scientists, physicians, politicians, and the general public in trying to understand COVID-related topics. Finally, strategies for managing censorship and secrecy during a pandemic are presented.
Here are the key highlights of the study:
1. COVID-19 Response Was Driven by Secrecy, Censorship, and Misinformation
- Governments and global health organizations deliberately manipulated information to control public perception.
- The response was not guided by science but by political and financial interests.
- Censorship of dissenting voices was rampant, with doctors, scientists, and journalists punished for questioning the official narrative.
2. Suppression of Scientific Debate on the Origins of SARS-CoV-2
- Early in the pandemic, any discussion of a possible lab-leak origin was dismissed as a "conspiracy theory"—despite evidence linking SARS-CoV-2 to gain-of-function research funded by the U.S. government.
- Government agencies and social media platforms actively silenced discussions and suppressed independent investigations.
- Whistleblowers revealed efforts to manipulate scientific conclusions—including CIA interference to shift findings in favor of a natural origin.
3. COVID-19 Vaccines Were Overhyped, Unsafe, and Mandated Through Coercion
- The claim that vaccines prevented transmission was false, yet mandates were aggressively enforced.
- Evidence of serious adverse effects was ignored or actively covered up by regulatory agencies.
- Doctors who raised concerns about vaccine safety or efficacy were censored, lost their medical licenses, and faced legal threats.
- The media and Big Tech worked with governments to smear critics, branding them as "anti-science" or "dangerous."
4. Cheap, Effective COVID-19 Treatments Were Suppressed to Protect Vaccine Profits
- Repurposed drugs like ivermectin (IVM) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) were demonized—despite strong evidence they worked.
- Physicians were blocked from prescribing these treatments, and pharmacists were instructed not to fill prescriptions.
- The FDA and CDC colluded with Big Pharma to push expensive, patented drugs like Remdesivir and Paxlovid instead.
5. Lockdowns, Social Distancing, and Mask Mandates Were Not Backed by Science
- Lockdowns caused immense harm, especially to children and small businesses, but were implemented based on fear, not data.
- The "6-foot rule" was a baseless guideline—even Dr. Fauci later admitted it "just appeared" without evidence.
- Governments and media silenced opposition, including world-renowned epidemiologists behind the Great Barrington Declaration, which advocated for a focused protection approach instead of mass lockdowns.
6. Media and Tech Companies Served as Enforcers of Government Censorship
- Big Tech platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube colluded with government agencies to censor dissenting voices.
- Scientific journals retracted papers that challenged the COVID-19 narrative, regardless of the quality of research.
- People lost their jobs, bank accounts were frozen, and financial institutions "debanked" individuals for speaking out against mandates and restrictions.
7. The COVID-19 Response Was the Most Widespread Attack on Free Speech in Modern History
- Government agencies weaponized the term "misinformation" to silence legitimate scientific debate.
- Doctors, scientists, and politicians were blacklisted for questioning the vaccines or advocating for alternative treatments.
- Legal battles are now exposing how the government colluded with private companies to suppress free speech and manipulate public opinion.
Clearly, the COVID-19 response was a disaster driven by corporate greed, political control, and a suppression of medical autonomy. Restoring scientific integrity requires full transparency, accountability, and consequences for those who orchestrated the censorship and coercion. Future public health emergencies must not be left in the hands of corrupt institutions that prioritize profits and power over human lives."