(LifeSiteNews) — The U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) planned and then canceled two free screenings of Sound of Freedom, sparking media speculation that alleged QAnon links to the movie and its star were to blame, but those rumors have been determined to be unfounded.
When Military Times journalists first reported their story, they immediately jumped to state that its star, Jim Caviezel, had “linked the film’s anti-sex-trafficking plot to baseless QAnon conspiracy theories.” The July 19 National Public Radio (NPR) story they cited and repeated a popular corporate media criticism that circulated shortly after the movie became a summer box office hit.
Shifting into panic mode after the film’s success, secular media did everything in its power to keep the public from seeing Sound of Freedom. NPR, The Guardian and The Washington Post attempted to taint the movie by suggesting a link to the QAnon movement.
CNN likewise aired a QAnon-based review of the movie in a desperate attempt to lead people away from the film’s depiction of the horrific child sex-trafficking industry.
The Military Times then suggested that the movie’s message was both too political and too Christian to be suitable for screening on a military base. The authors refer to unnamed “critics” who “have questioned whether SOUTHCOM’s leadership is following a policy that requires troops to remain apolitical at work – as QAnon followers have spread false rumors about and bashed President Joe Biden’s administration – and to maintain a separation of church and state, considering the film’s heavy Christian narrative.”
Throughout the piece, the authors repeatedly found ways to suggest that QAnon and overly heavy-handed Christianity were to blame for the movie’s August 28 and October 19 showings being nixed at U.S. Army Garrison-Miami, home of SOUTHCOM.
However, according to The Daily Caller, there was “no indication that such criticisms contributed to the postponement of the free screenings.”
After U.S. Army Garrison-Miami and SOUTHCOM sent out an email in August inviting local members of the military to attend the showings, a subsequent email explained simply that the screenings were being postponed until further notice because of “copyright concerns.”
“Specific Department of Defense regulatory procedures for screening intellectual property are in place to prevent the appearance of copyright infringement,” the email read, and so “further vetting is required for USAG Miami/MWR to offer a free screening to service members and their families.”
The same email encouraged military personnel and their families to see the film in nearby theaters.
“The movie’s central theme and its connection to SOUTHCOM’s AOR and our Human Rights Office (HRO) Combating Trafficking in Persons (CTIP) program are inescapable,” the message continued, “and will serve to raise awareness of the prevalence of trafficking in human persons and sexual abuse and exploitation within our area of responsibility.”
An X post (formerly known as a “tweet”) from the Military Times promoting their story said, “The movie has been accused of warping the truth about child exploitation and catering to QAnon conspiracy theorists.”
The Military Times’ opinionated, speculative reporting triggered stories by other outlets that also incorrectly tied the postponing of the shows to concern about QAnon and heavy-handed Christian influence.