Publisher Sues Elizabeth Warren for Attempts at Censoring Covid-19 Book
9th February 2022
On September 7, 2021, Warren dispatched a letter to Amazon in which she claimed that certain books sold by the internet giant contained “COVID-19 misinformation.” In her letter, Warren singled out “The Truth About COVID-19”as the most blatant example of “disinformation” about vaccines and treatments being “peddled” by Amazon, even including a screenshot of the book as shown on Amazon’s webpage.
The next day, the Massachusetts senator issued a press release, publicizing her letter to Amazon and posting a link to a copy of that letter on her government website. “Senator Warren is calling on Amazon to take aggressive action to stamp out COVID-19 misinformation,” the press release read.
After Warren issued her press release, national media widely publicized her letter, causing publisher Chelsea Green to immediately fear this would cause booksellers to stop stocking or promoting “The Truth About COVID-19.” Those concerns proved valid. On September 10, 2021, Barnes and Noble informed Chelsea Green via email that it would stop offering “The Truth About COVID-19” as an e-book. Barnes and Noble’s brick-and-mortar stores and most independent booksellers are also refusing to carry the book.
Additionally, while Amazon continues to sell the book, the online giant notified Chelsea Green it would not run ads promoting, or simply including, “The Truth About COVID-19.” Amazon also removed the book from the “medical work” category, where it had previously been listed. Amazon also stopped advertising “The Truth About COVID-19”to users whose purchase history would indicate an interest in the text.