Amazon Prime's documentary genre features many Academy Award-winning feats of investigative journalism. But it has a problem: Amazon categorizes legitimate documentaries from HBO and PBS in the same way that it does conspiracy theory films from the likes of Alex Jones.
The Telegraphfirst reported the troubling appearance of conspiracy theory "documentaries" on the streaming platform, in particular films from Jones and noted crazy-person David Icke. Jones is the talking head of InfoWars, who is currently being sued by families of Sandy Hook shooting victims for claiming that the deaths of their children was a hoax. Icke is a conspiracy theorist who calls himself a "conspiracy realist."
SEE ALSO:YouTube's algorithm is hurting America far more than Russian trolls ever couldConspiracy theories aren't just kooky -- they can have dangerous real world consequences. In general, they erode faith in our institutions and the pure veracity of facts (something that is already declining). They also spread misinformation that can lead to violence, which Americans witnessed in 2016 after a bizarre claim about Hillary Clinton, a pizzeria, and child sex-trafficking led to a shooting. That was called "Pizzagate," a conspiracy theory that Alex Jones helped disseminate.
Alex Jones films on Amazon.Credit: screenshot: AmazonFor Amazon, the question of whether a platform should even make these films available is up for debate -- a debate that has also rocked platforms like YouTube and Facebook. But what seems most concerning is the categorization of conspiracy theory films as "documentaries," alongside legitimate works of nonfiction filmmaking, without any context about their creators or factuality.
In particular, Amazon categorizes an Alex Jones film claiming that Obama's presidency is a high-level scheme to initiate worldwide slavery as a documentary. Icke's films, including 'The Reptilian Agenda,' which details the story of how lizard-people rule the planet, also receive the documentary tag.
The lizard people are coming.Credit: screenshot: Amazon
Alex Jones' "documentary" about Obama.Credit: screenshot: AmazonFurthermore, once you watch one Icke or Jones documentary, Amazon is happy to serve you more content about the Illuminati or the enslavement of the US via FEMA camps (thanks to Alex Jones again for that one).
The problem here is that through the mere appearance on Amazon, and the further "documentary" tagging of this content, Amazon lends these conspiracy theory films legitimacy, without any context.
How did these films show up on Prime? Generally, large content distribution deals govern what appears on platforms like Amazon, Netflix, and Hulu. In its Prime FAQ, Amazon explains the Availability of Prime Titles: "The selection of movies and TV shows available with Prime Video is always changing--new titles are added to the Prime Video catalog, and occasionally titles are removed."
Mashable has reached out to Amazon to learn how these films in particular made it to Amazon, and whether there are any plans to remove or recategorize them. We will update this story if and when we hear back.
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