Plandemic

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About

Plandemic refers to a viral conspiracy theory documentary criticizing the government's response to the coronavirus. The film accuses the government of orchestrating the outbreak for the financial gain vaccine producers. Shortly after uploading the first part of the film, YouTube removed the excerpt due to its violation of community standards. As the film grew in popularity, numerous health experts denounced the film and the inclusion of controversial health figures associated with the anti-vaccination movement.

Origin

On April 26th, Mikki Willis, the owner of Elevate Films production company, posted on Facebook ^[1] about the film. He wrote, "If you’ve been following my posts, you might be wondering why I’ve been meeting with renown scientists and pandemic experts. I’m excited to announce that I’m deep into the production of a full length documentary intended to blast the light of truth into the darkest corners of our corrupt healthcare system. There has never been a better opportunity to expose those who profit from keeping us sick. Due to the urgency of this crisis, the film is set for release in just three months!" The post received more than 4,100 reactions, 1,500 comments and 360 shares in less than one month (shown below).

He posted the video on Facebook.^[2] He wrote, "Dear gatekeepers of truth and free speech, before removing this video, please read these words:

The world is watching you. We understand the pressure you’re under to censor any information that contradicts the popular narrative. We know the risk that comes with defying the orders of those who pull the strings. We realize even the biggest of tech giants are under the command of powerful forces that wield the ability to destroy your empire with the click of a key. But due to the critical condition of our world, 'I was just doing my job' is no longer an acceptable excuse." The post received more than 124,000 shares, 41,000 reactions and 14,000 comments.

Spread

That day, the video was uploaded to YouTube.^[3] Within two days, the video received more than 239,000 views. On May 6th, YouTube removed the video for violating community standards.

That day, YouTube Help^[4] user Bobbie Sandelli commented on the removal, writing, "[The video] contains information important to the American people re today's Covid19 pandemic. It needs to be restored as it gives relative information, both current and historical, about how we got to this stage…the global plan to take control of our lives, liberty, health and freedom. What are you afraid of?" The post received more than 2,100 upvotes (shown below).

On May 6th, The Big Think^[5] published "The anti-vaxx agenda of The Plandemic." They write:

- A new documentary, "The Plandemic," states that it is uncovering a global cabal trying to implement forced vaccinations.
- The first clip's interview subject, Judy Mikovits, is a known anti-vaxxer.
- This agenda-based film features contradictory evidence and false claims while being championed as a beacon of truth.

Several media outlets covered the film, including Forbes,^[6] Heavy.com^[7]^[8] and more.

That day, YouTuber ZDoggMD published "A Doctor Reacts to 'Plandemic.'" in the video, he refutes the video saying that Judy Mikovitz was arrested for stealing equipment, notes and data from a lab that she was fired from" and that she was disgraced in the scientific community for publishing findings that could not be replicated. Since then, he says, Mikovitz has been on a mission to prove that she is not "crazy." He calls the rest of the video, "the worst kind of Infowars garbage conspiracy nonsense." The video received more than 533,000 views in less than 24 hours (shown below).

The video continued to spread on Facebook. Joshua Feuerstein shared the video,^[11] where the post recieved more than 240,000 viewws, 8,500 shares, 4,200 reactions and 1,200 comments in less than 24 hours (shown below, left).

Actor George Takei wrote,^[12] "Please stop sharing unfounded conspiracy theories from discredited, anti-vaxxer “plandemic” fear-mongers. You look foolish and misinformed, and you become a tool for those seeking to undermine civil society and the work of our valued experts. Knock it off." The post received more than 25,000 reactions, 3,00 shares and 1,900 comments in less than 24 hours (shown below, right).

The film also became the subject of criticism on Reddit. On May 6th, 2020, Redditor^[9] ImpressiveFood wrote, "This fucking gish gallop video was sent to me by my cousin, and I'm now realizing how woo woo So Cal batshit he's becoming. Is there a good rebuttal for him to watch/read to this Judy Mikovits monster?" The post received more than 880 points (96% upvoted) and 300 comments. The following day, Redditor^[10] SherlockBeaver the post received more than 930 points (95% upvoted) and 290 comments in less than 24 hours.