Tobacco Industry Cover-Up

Tobacco companies knew cigarettes caused cancer by the early 1950s — their own scientists confirmed it. For the next 40 years, they spent billions denying it, funding fake research, targeting children with marketing (Joe Camel reached 91% recognition among 6-year-olds), and lying under oath to Congress. The 1998 Master Settlement Agreement forced the industry to pay $206 billion over 25 years and released millions of internal documents proving the cover-up. The playbook Big Tobacco created — fund doubt, attack science, lobby politicians — has since been copied by fossil fuel companies, pharma, and food manufacturers.