Omission as a Tool of Manipulation: Three Case Studies – Pandemic, Climate, Middle East
Omitting information is a subtle yet powerful form of manipulation. It doesn’t create overt “fake news” but skews perception through selectivity and loss of context. This article documents three critical topics – COVID-19, the climate crisis, and the Middle East conflict – where factual distortion through omission has been demonstrably present.
🦠 COVID-19 Pandemic: Fear through Imagery, Distortion through Scandalization
Alternative Perspective: CORONA.film Series
The six-part documentary series “CORONA.film” by Gunther Merz and Robert Cibis (OVALmedia), featuring Wolfgang Wodarg, offers a critical counter-narrative to mainstream COVID reporting. Topics include data manipulation, pathology, vaccine side effects, and legal investigations. Parts 1–4 were temporarily unavailable and later republished by MWGFD.
- Part 1 – Origins and Background
- Part 2 – Data as a Tool of Power
- Part 3 – Pathology and Side Effects
- Part 4 – Legal Struggles
- Part 5 – at OVALmedia
- Part 6 – at OVALmedia
Federal Court: Bavarian Lockdown Was Disproportionate
On November 22, 2022, Germany’s Federal Administrative Court ruled that the full-day lockdown in Bavaria (March 2020) was disproportionate. Being outdoors – alone or with household members – should not have been prohibited.
Source: LTO – Bavarian Curfew Ruling
Osnabrück Court: Careworker Vaccine Mandate Unconstitutional
In September 2024, the Osnabrück Administrative Court ruled that the COVID vaccine mandate for healthcare workers violated constitutional rights. Internal RKI documents showed that reduced transmission efficacy was already known when the mandate was introduced.
Source: Welt.de – Mandate Ruling
The “Bergamo Images” – Without Context
One widely circulated photo of stacked coffins actually dated from a 2013 shipwreck near Lampedusa, not from COVID-19 in Bergamo. Used without proper context, it amplified fear. Scholars like Vinzenz Wyss criticized the emotional manipulation through such imagery.
The Drosten Case and BILD
In May 2020, the BILD newspaper attacked Christian Drosten’s study on child transmission, citing other scientists without proper context. Some later distanced themselves. A scientific debate became a public scandal.
Source: Reporters Without Borders – Press Freedom in the Pandemic
🌍 Climate Crisis: Between Scandal, Pseudo-Debate, and Geological Time
Geological Time vs. Political Narrative
Geologist Prof. Stefan Kröpelin highlights historic climate events like the Medieval Warm Period (1000–1300 AD) and Roman Climate Optimum (250 BC–400 AD), unrelated to human activity. Media rarely mention natural climate cycles such as solar or oceanic fluctuations.
Example of Omission: The 2023 IPCC report includes paleoclimate data but doesn’t contextualize them against modern changes. Geologist Dr. Sebastian Lüning argues that 2–3°C century-scale temperature shifts are historically normal.
“Climategate” – A Scandal of Omission
In 2009, hacked emails from top climate scientists were selectively quoted to suggest data manipulation. Eight independent reviews dismissed the allegations, but public trust dropped, especially among conservatives.
Media Silence on Critical Scientists
In 2019, 500 scientists released the European Climate Declaration, warning against panic and highlighting weak evidence for catastrophic scenarios. Major German media ignored it.
Fundamental Critique: Prof. Jan Veizer claims CO₂ has often been an effect of warming, not its cause – a perspective rarely heard in “Net Zero” debates.
Talkshow Framing: “Do You Believe in Climate Change?”
In 2017, Sandra Maischberger posed this question to guests as if it were a matter of belief, reducing science to opinion. Media backlash followed.
Journalism and Timescales
“Climate tipping points” are portrayed as imminent. But geologists like Prof. Gerald Haug emphasize:
“What’s considered emergency in politics is a blink in geological time. That doesn’t absolve responsibility – but it tempers alarmism.”
Documented Omissions:
- Sahara was green 6,000 years ago – without human CO₂
- Arctic glacier studies (e.g. Dr. Jason Box) showing minimal retreat since 1900 often unreported
🕊️ Middle East Conflict: Symbolism and Blame
Muhammad al-Durrah Case (2000)
Footage showed a Palestinian boy allegedly shot by Israeli troops. Later investigations questioned this version, but the initial images shaped global opinion. Corrections were largely ignored.
Gaza Hospital Explosion (2023)
Media initially blamed an Israeli airstrike for a hospital blast based on Hamas claims. Later reports (CNN, AP, WSJ) suggested a misfired Palestinian rocket. The New York Times admitted creating “a misleading impression.” But public outrage had already escalated.
🧠 Conclusion
These examples show: Control over what is not said is often more powerful than what is reported. Through missing context, selective imagery, or unverified claims, omission deeply shapes public understanding. A well-informed society requires not just access to facts, but awareness of what is being withheld.