As COVID-19 has spread, so, too, have misinformation and conspiracy theories about the virus — amplified by figures like Alex Jones, and proliferating on social media and even at the highest levels of government.
Veteran FRONTLINE filmmaker Michael Kirk, who was already making a documentary about the rise of conspiracy theories in American politics when the pandemic hit, shares what he’s learned about how such theories have become central to understanding the nation’s response to the coronavirus outbreak.
“There’s been a concerted effort, now that everything is moved from the fringe to the center, to knock down knowledge-based information,†Michael says. “And all of a sudden, a large number of Americans simply do not believe what they’re being told. And that’s where we find ourselves now.â€
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The FRONTLINE Dispatch is produced at FRONTLINE’s headquarters at WGBH in Boston and distributed by PRX, a leading podcast creator and distributor working closely with WGBH on a range of podcast initiatives. The FRONTLINE Dispatch is made possible by a generous gift from the Abrams Foundation Journalism Initiative.
unreal .. corona was ABSOLUTELY made in a lab !!!!
Bet the conspiracy theorists don't look so "crazy" after all now 😂 govern mentis- control the mind 🤓🤡
Truth is stranger than fiction
Jones was only the gateway drug. He introduced millions to the possibilities of the conspiracy. It only became a problem for the authoritarians after he encouraged those millions to "do their own research".
I trust Alex Jones 5000000000 times more than I trust corporate media.
With Fauci's emails, this did not age well
Inside job 911 I knew the first day bill Clinton had to come in and help George Bush the family I in the bone and skull society.
OMG, REALLY?? THIS IS THE BEST THAT PBS CAN DO?? WHATS THE PROBLEM??? DO SOME REAL REAL REAL COVERAGE OF THE PLACE OF ORIGIN, PEOPLE OF ORIGIN, MONEY BEHIND THE LAB, COUNTRIES INVOLVED IN THE LABS AND ORIGIN, THE ESCAPE, THE US LIES….. WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF ????
TAKE THIS FOR A GRAIN OF SALT. This guy clearly doesn’t know alex
………………………..FIRST………IVE TRIED MANY….OF ALEX JONES………SO CALLED U WILL LIVE FOREVER WITH MY PILLS-PILLS…….NO OF THEM WORK IN THE BODY(what an intentional EVIL scam ALEX is intentionally doing-with his pills-Alex should be ARRESTED & IMPRISONED for LIFE -BY THE FBI & FED SIDE OF THE BBB.ORG-on HIS SCAM PILLS ALONE)…….&….I USED TO WORK FOR TRUMP…..SO I CAN TELL U I HAVE PROOF THAT TRUMP IS……FAR WORSE IN ALL BIZ AND SOCIAL CATEGORIES THEN WHAT THE PUBLIC HAS HEARD.(SECOND.I TRIED TO REACH OUT TO ALEX JONES……TO WORK WITH HIM…..ON HIS GREAT AND HORRENDOUS SIDE…..AND WITH MY RESOURCES).HE TOOK MY CARD……YET HE NEVER CALLED).NOW HIS SAYING THAT THE MAJOR-FEDERAL-IRS CRIME THAT…..BANNON AND TRUMP PULLED OFF……IS NO BIG DEAL……MEANING……TRUMP TOTALLY…..UN DERVALUING PROPERTY TO GET IRS TAX CREDITS……AND BANNON…..USING CHARITABLE FUNDS FOR NON PERISHABLE PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES WAS NO BIG DEAL TO.(wow).these are 2 MAJOR CRIMES…….that IRS agents usually lock up……high profile personalities for life.(obviously ALEX is a paid off……highly complex Russian agent WORKING for badly behaved ALIEN UFO operatives……to FOSTER the…..big lie of the STEAL of the election.(TRUMP tried to steal $ from my families metal fabrication company……THAT MEANS in some fusion of reality……that TRUMP tries to kill a lot of people……..by literally taking MONEY/FOOD out of their mouths).so with Alex giving TRUMP a pass at EVERY CRIMINAL turn……..and with Alex now VERBALLY saying that TRUMP should be allowed to steal money from the IRS AND US TAX PAYERS……..Alex has now crossed over the FEDERAL CRIMINAL LINE so much……….that it's TIME for Alex to do what Rush Limbaugh did(Rush Limbaugh commited suicide)………….AND Alex Jones should either turn himself in to FBI authorities and beg to be arrested AND OR……
Alex should commit suicide himself(FOR being the hypocritical CRIMINAL-SUICIDAL-WACKED OUT-LIBERAL-CONSERVATIVE THAT U ARE).your comments are welcomed.
Global reset and corporate takeover is also a conspiracy. Sheeple go to sleep and dont question anything. Just trust great corporations to look after you
Its almost like Youtubes algorithm promotes anything "debunking" something someone said that goes against the official narrative, and censors and bans everything else.
Channels like this that promote censorship and work against the best of peoples interest should get de-platformed instead.
The American public doesn't want to hear the truth. Alex Jones, Roger Stone and Donald Trump have taken advantage of this to their benefit as all three have no morals. Our planet is overpopulated and cannot sustain itself. 50 plus years of America running the world is coming to an end and Americans don't want to accept that and get on with recovering their position. Someone has to be blamed and thats what snake oil salesmen like these conspiracy theorists thrive on. We can't get all our news from only sources we agree with. Think for ourselves and be open to complicated but evidence based explanations. The world is complicated and clinging to conspiracy theories is a desperate, intellectually lazy act.
FALSE.FEAR.CONTROL.HERD THE SHEEP… People are waking up .
A society running in to irrational ignorant dark hole!!! Education matter, here is why!!!
Crazy that in America medical practices sponsor things!!??
You know what has taken center stage recently? Countless videos "debunking" conspiracy theories. They're all over YouTube. Hmmmmmm.
The audio quality of this made it hard to pay attention to
A conspiracy has been kept alive since the 17th Century and the conspirer to this continued conspiracy is the well known Rothschild dynasty, joined by the Rockefeller shortly after the Rothschild formed the United Nations under the pretence of world peace, being carried out by a one world parliament of about 27 country involvements.
A conspiracy is always real, when two or more individuals conspire together for one ultimate gain/goal.
There are no theories when people conspire together, it is a fact that must be proved.
What Alex Jones is doing, does not fall under the catagory of a conspiracy theory, but the exposer to such consparicies taking place.
The proof is only now surfacing, hence the Alex Jones is now being seen as the truth exposer to the conspracies that have been taking place for some time now.
Mass surveillance: in 90s and 2000s if you believed it you were "conspiracy theorist". 2013 snowden – conspiracy FACT
Subprime auto loans and failing usa economy: in the 2000s fake markets this was a conspiracy theory. 2008: Conspiracy FACT
9/11 – called a conspiracy theory. in 2016 saudis begged US congress to hush up documents to show shady activities there – conspiracy FACT
Huh, Alex isn’t so crazy about the government now. Lol
your a lying piece of $%&* mmmmmmmmmm you have all the answers aaaaa we are all in this together love the music 2 go along with your miss information mixed with real info your good at it lala lala lala mmmmmmmmmmm????????????????????? bing bing bing bing listen 2 the evil sound track evil on top of evil bing bing bing bing
The biggest pusher of conspiracy theories is the CIA (US gov).
PBS NEEDS TO STOP WITH THIS SELECTIVE YOUTUBE POSTING. POST THE FULL DOCUMENTARIES ON YOUTUBE LIKE THE OTHER NETWORKS! THERE IS NOT ANY GOOD REASON FOR THE LIBRARY TO BE ONLY AVAILABLE IN THE UNITED STATES REGION…
Alex Jones knows history. Put him up against any CNN talking head and he will mop the floor with them. PBS used ask questions and not be parrot.
Alex Jones good PBS bad
Opinions do not expose anything. The spirit behind a conspiracist is the cry out of someone that is asking further investigation because the explanations are highly deficient of an elemental instinct called trust. Prove them wrong because it's not a group of dogs that need pacifying. In a lot of cases there are thousands of professional studies not assumptions that have looked into these deficient reports. Alex is not alone in a lot of these cases. Cases also become classified for 25 yrs and more. Alex is with Jesus and these criminal are with margaret sanger and sal alinsky. You, are violating freedom of speech. If you're incapable of decernment, get Colombo!
Big tobacco kills what? Millions? per days? Kids Included. I suppose if we are going to let them operate we should provably allow. Alex to operate.
Jones has been proven right on many "conspiracy theories" (CIA term). Tell me, when has the mainstream mockingbird media ever been right on what they are telling you, or rather what they are NOT telling you? Please, for your own good, observe with a keen eye the sources and motives behind every bit of (dis)information you consume. Why is the information being given to you? Who is funding the spread of this information? What public narratives can be created with this information? "Those who are willing to give up essential liberties for a little temporary security, deserve neither liberty nor security." – Thomas Jefferson. If you cannot learn from the attrocities commited in the past, you are doomed to repeat them in the future. Our generational knowledge of what is right and what is wrong, what is safe and what is dangerous is lost every 100 years in cycles of up and down economic growth and financial turmoil. All of this has already happened in the past, as Mark Twain once said: "History may not repeat itself, but it often rhymes."
Frontline is a joke for attacking our great President and Alex Jones 😒, where's our freedom of thought 😤😤"
What a joke. In your face propaganda. Sure, Alex Jones is a very skilled snake oil salesman, a lot of what he says is BS, but it's not all BS, but let's face it, MSM (including PBS) is filled with snake oil salesmen. The coverage of 9/11 and Pizzagate in this "documentary", laughable. Predictably, most liberals watching this will buy snake oil.
The left cant get over the 2016 loss, because they have such establishment horrible candidates who screwed the candidates who could have won, Sanders or Gabbard. These are establishment MSM losers who have nothing left but to lash out at crazy people. Clean your house first dems!
"amplified by Vladimir Putin and Russia" ???? My gawd, talk about conspiracy theories…I guess the left has their conspiracy theories too.
Russiagate, peepeegate, Ukrainegate, and now alexjonesgate!
Another pathetic mainstream attempt to hide the obvious
Fascists ´ the whole lot of em. KKK of america
WASN'T RUSSA GATE A BIG CONSPIRACY THEORY BY THE DEMS. they all crazy
Defund PBS!
It's to late npr. Your a hollow shell of propaganda. You can't stop the truth or the not so fringe average people shaking off your foundations hold on the narratives they use to lead us into ignorance and technocratic servitude.
I was skeptical of conspiracies until Epstein.
Don't be sheep will be people.
People you must.( MUST.)Keep the TRUTH. This is the TRUTH. Be a Free thinker. Decide for yourself. Seek the truth on your own.
Alex Jones lies a lot less than the mainstream media, that's what this is missing.
Jeff Rense.
Don't forget the amount of nuts on coast to coast am over the years. Jeff Tense too.
Sheep
There are several "conspiracies" that are completely documented and are fact. All of the externalities like Alex Jones' audience and how they were used doesnt change that.
Broadcast Media has been caught lying about everything! Big Media is responsible for the distrust Americans feel towards it. Big Media has lost its audience to smaller and newer media on the internet. Time for you guys in big Media to come clean about the bullshit you have spread on everyone.
I'm surprised this is up