Netflix "Irresponsible", claims MH370 relative

Netflix has been branded "irresponsible" by the spokesman for the relatives of those lost on MH370 in a gut-wrenching criticism of the streaming service MH370 documentary: MH370 The Plane That Disappeared.

K S (Naren) Narendran lost his wife on MH370 and has set up a blog dedicated to her memory and he has headlined his post, Netflix On MH370: The Truth That Disappeared.

Naren states: "Netflix’s latest documentary on MH370, MH370: The Plane That Disappeared, was a difficult watch—it wasn’t just pointless, it was plain irresponsible. If honest, they should have admitted at the outset that it is a fictional drama inspired by real-life events, featuring real people playing themselves. Viewers should be advised to not treat it as a serious documentary seeking to inform or educate the viewer. It is a slick production—and we know Netflix doesn’t stinge—about which we can say no more than that it is a lavish exercise in gaslighting."

"Conspiracy sells, feeding on the widespread suspicion of an incomplete official narrative. It is easier to raise doubt than to establish the truth, and while it feels heroic to be the challenger, credibility suffers when alternate explanations don’t have a solid leg to stand on."

Naren says "the choice of narrator, Jeff Wise, (who has written an MH370 conspiracy book) is intriguing to start with, but it soon becomes apparent that the series is about drama and entertainment, disguised as a documentary.

"Wise put forward his bizarre scenario of the plane being spirited away to Kazakhstan some years ago only to be ridiculed and discredited. Yet, he has a free run for nearly a whole episode to outline his plot, only to be demolished by the representative from Inmarsat, the satellite communications company.

"Florence de Changy, a journalist and author, has a fan following that adores her ‘investigation’ and research. She lays out an equally fantastic (as in fantasy) version of what she believed happened to MH370, without feeling burdened with having to name sources, reflects on the science, or to suggest how debris was disposed of after allegedly being shot down by the USA or its allies/client states. It is a sad commentary when assumptions and suppositions are elevated and treated as fact. The small print and disclaimers, if any, are mentioned in passing or are rendered inconsequential by the enormity of what is alleged," Naren says.

He adds that "there are any number of worthies (scientists, technologists, oceanographers, etc.) who could have enriched the production but may not have served the purposes of gripping entertainment with their boring assertion of facts, data and hypotheses."

In a closing statement, Naren says "for those who believe that the human drama of affected families shown brought home the scale of the tragedy, let me say that the conspiracies peddled in this series are an insult to the continuing trauma of the families."

Read Naren's full blog post here