In an about-face, Amazon reinstated a book by a controversial novelist that claims the threat of COVID-19 has been overstated by the media, the Washington Post reports.
Amazon had initially refused to publish Alex Berenson’s Unreported Truths About COVID-19 and Lockdowns: Part 1: Introduction and Death Counts and Estimates, saying it did not comply with the company’s guidelines.
Berenson, a thriller novelist and former reporter for the New York Times, blasted the company’s decision on Twitter, calling it “outrageous censorship from a company that has gained hugely from lockdowns.”
Entrepreneur Elon Musk also criticized Amazon’s refusal to sell the book, tweeting, “This is insane … Time to break up Amazon. Monopolies are wrong!”
Time to break up Amazon. Monopolies are wrong!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 4, 2020
Amazon reversed its decision on Thursday, saying they would publish and sell the book after all. “Looks official -@amazonBACKED DOWN!” Berenson tweeted. “Of course I don’t know what anyone who doesn’t have @elonmusk and so many others pushing will do, but at least this time they backed down.”
Amazon has previously caught flak for selling books about COVID-19 that some have called inaccurate or misleading. But Berenson said on Twitter that the core fatality estimate he cites in the book comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As of Friday afternoon, Berenson’s book was ranked No. 2 in paid Kindle books, and had an average reader rating of 4.7 out of five stars.
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.