New Documentary ‘God Complex’ Explores Rise of Censorship in America

WASHINGTON—Governments are weaponizing censorship to influence people’s opinions and manipulate elections, and it’s taking place in the Land of the Free, according to a documentary released on Oct. 16 titled “God Complex: The Rise of America’s Censorship Machine.”

Former State Department diplomat Mike Benz, founder and executive director of the Foundation for Freedom Online, is featured extensively in the footage as he outlines how governments work with technology firms and social media companies to regulate speech and limit the flow of information.

“The problem is, if the government bans you from talking about something, then you can’t formulate policy to change what the government does, and it actually destroys the very idea of a democracy,” Benz told The Epoch Times before a screening of the film in Washington on Oct. 10.

“Democracy’s legitimacy is that it is government by the people and for the people, and [if] the people can’t change what the government does because the government has banned them from talking about it, then you can form no movement to change policy.”

“God Complex” was produced by Brasil Paralelo, a streaming platform in Brazil, and was fully subscriber-funded, giving the filmmakers editorial control free from political influence, according to the company.

“Our mission is to rescue culture through stories that educate, inspire, and restore timeless values to people’s hearts,” the company said in a statement.

Critics of governments’ efforts to curb free speech describe the strategy of influence and intimidation to quell discussions as the “censorship-industrial complex.”

The phrase refers to President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s farewell address of 1961, when he warned the American people of the dangerous rise of what he called the “military-industrial complex.”

The film includes footage of Jan Jekielek, senior editor for The Epoch Times and host of EpochTV’s “American Thought Leaders,” describing how coordinated censorship campaigns have targeted the nonprofit news organization, including an instance that resulted in losses exceeding $25 million when its YouTube channels were demonetized.

“The level of censorship we experienced … was beyond what I could have imagined,” Jekielek said in the documentary. “And we really didn’t even understand why.”

The filmmakers highlighted the legacy media’s coverage of allegations that President Donald Trump colluded with Russia—a story The Epoch Times covered in depth at the time with investigations that unraveled the prevailing narrative.

Widespread censorship relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hunter Biden’s laptop, and other issues seemingly deemed too sensitive for public consumption are key topics of discussion in the documentary.

Tom Fitton, president of the government watchdog group Judicial Watch; Xi Van Fleet, author of “Mao’s America: A Survivor’s Warning”; Sasha Gong, former political prisoner in China, journalist, and historian; and other voices are included in the feature-length film.

Many who appear in the documentary brought attention to the use of technology to stifle speech online, calling the practice a violation of First Amendment rights.

“Just think about this, the sitting president of the United States had his Twitter and Facebook accounts frozen,” John Solomon, CEO and editor in chief of Just The News, said in the film. “Our founding fathers could not possibly have imagined it.”

Some of the interviewees focused on the U.S. government’s role in influencing foreign elections and various methods that intelligence agencies utilize to monitor sentiment, manipulate protests, and control media narratives.

The film is available to stream online for free at the company’s website and will soon premiere on social media platforms around the world.