A documentary collection criticizing the USA healthcare business was faraway from Amazon’s video-streaming platforms earlier this 12 months after it was denounced by UnitedHealth for allegedly being “defamatory”.
The docuseries, developed by Wisconsin filmmaker Mary Strause, was faraway from the platform after a legislation agency employed by UnitedHealth despatched a letter to Amazon advocating for the collection to be eliminated, stating that it defamed the well being care firm.
The video was faraway from each Amazon and Vimeo’s platforms because of UnitedHealth’s authorized efforts. Moreover, their actions resulted in The Guardian suspending the publishing of an article investigating the corporate after they sued the media group over one other article which they alleged was defamatory.
That is the newest indication of a extra aggressive marketing campaign adopted by UnitedHealth to silence its detractors, in keeping with The New York Instances. The corporate has begun concentrating on media that criticize them in any means, form or type, arguing that such criticism would encourage violence in opposition to their workers after the capturing of CEO Brian Thompson final 12 months.
This new marketing campaign is indicative of an elevated willingness of corporations to levy authorized repercussions in opposition to critics and detractors. Observers have famous that related campaigns have been on the rise because the Trump administration assumed energy.
“Some model of this has been happening for a protracted, very long time,” stated Lee Levine, a retired First Modification lawyer who has defended information retailers, together with The New York Instances. Nevertheless, “the incidence of it has elevated,” he indicated.
UnitedHealth has not too long ago skilled antagonistic results from damaging press, which is probably going an element motivating their new method. They’re actively coping with a number of federal legal and civil investigations, together with investigations into supposed Medicare fraud and antitrust violations, in keeping with The Wall Road Journal.
“Unfavorable publicity could adversely have an effect on our inventory value, injury our repute and expose us to surprising or unwarranted regulatory scrutiny,” UnitedHealth famous in its most up-to-date annual report.
Initially printed on Latin Instances
