J&J, Merck and Pfizer are the subjects of a House Judiciary Committee investigation for their alleged participation in a government-sanctioned censorship campaign during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pictured: U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C./iStock, Becky Wright
House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) has asked Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Merck, along with other pharmaceutical companies, to turn over documents related to an alleged “censorship regime” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a news release posted Tuesday, Jordan pointed to documents obtained by his committee, which claimed that the three drugmakers met with representatives from Stanford University, tech companies and agencies of the U.S. government’s executive branch in December 2020 to form a united front against misinformation related to COVID-19 vaccines.
Jordan also cited “other reporting” that allegedly revealed how the pharmaceutical industry pressured social media companies to strike posts about low-cost generic vaccines from their platforms.
The activities of the coalition, which allegedly sought to moderate online speech and content pertaining to the shots, “raise questions about the extent to which these actions affected the civil liberties of American citizens,” according to the press announcement.
The House Judiciary Committee has launched an investigation into the matter, for which Jordan has sent letters to Pfizer CEO Anthony Bourla, J&J CEO Joaquin Donato and Merck CEO Robert Davis.
In the letters, Jordan said that the pharma companies might have been part of a widespread censorship campaign “by determining what types of content constituted ‘misinformation’—sometimes at the behest of or with the encouragement of the federal government.” Censorship efforts sanctioned or directly backed by the state would constitute a “grave threat” to the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, the lawmaker contends.
Jordan is asking the companies to hand over all communications with executive branch agencies and tech companies related to the “moderation, deletion, suppression, restriction, demonetization, or reduced circulation of content.” The House Judiciary Committee is also requesting a list of employees or contractors that have come into contact with the executive branch and tech companies.
The investigation will also look at grants, contracts and other funding that the companies have received from the U.S. government. Jordan’s request covers pertinent documents starting January 1, 2020, and the companies have until July 13, 2023 to comply with the request for information.
In July 2021, the U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy urged government agencies, healthcare workers, the media and tech companies to put up a stronger fight against COVID-19 misinformation, which could impact the peoples’ adoption of public health measures such as wearing face masks and vaccinations.
Pharma companies have also launched their own efforts to combat coronavirus misinformation. Pfizer, for instance, has published a webpage containing important information about the pandemic and debunking popular falsehoods. Merck, meanwhile, has expressed its support for boosting health and scientific literacy to help people make informed choices.
Tristan Manalac is an independent science writer based in metro Manila, Philippines. He can be reached at tristan@tristanmanalac.com or tristan.manalac@biospace.com.
