this is "nightline." tonight, youtube conspiracy. a new documentary from youtuber logan paul mocking the theory that the earth isn't round. >> myk cinut oth closet. >> how conspiracies are spreading unchecked online. >> these things have spread so massively that putting that back in the box is all but impossible. respect for decades. now the never-before-seen footage. of the queen of soul, taking us to church. that's where it all began. the gospel, according to aretha.

but first, the "nightline" five.

shshow me homecoming. baby sloth videos on youtube. amy, do you uh mind giving someone else a turn? oh... yeah i made myself a little comfortable here. i got a pizza for amy! yes, that's me! xfinity lets you search netflix, prime video, and youtube with the sound of your voice. and i don't have my wallet, so... that's simple. easy. awesome. get xfinity internet and tv for $40 each a month for 12 months when you bundle both, and get 20 hours of cloud dvr service included. switch today. good evening. thank you for joining us. in the aim of conspiracies can live a long time on social media.

take for instance. the idea that the earth is flat. and suddenly, the truth gets lost. >> my name is logan paul, and i, i think i'm coming out of the flat earth closet. >> reporter: yes, you heard that right. controversial youtube star, logan paul laying itowin a aile for h about the o you think the earth is flat? >> the earth is flat. >> i believe the earth is flat. >> reporter: internet headlines declaring youtube's baddest bad boy had finally lost it, but it was all a prank. >> now that it's all over, do you think the earth is flat? >> no, i don't think the earth is flat. i think that's dumbest m[ bleep] i've heard in my life. >> reporter: is flip satire following his friends to a flat earth conference where he tries to convince the world that the

earth is not round. several hundred attended the conference some thinking he was sympathetic. some saying it was not funny. >> i honestly did believe he was genuine. >> reporter: let's get one thing straight. the earth is round. you know it, i know it. logan paul knows it. but his latest stunt highlights the great area between free speech and the power of online platforms to spread misinformation and outright lies. >> explain to me what kind of space youtube is for mistruths. >> we he to rely on people to say this is ridiculous and seek out information froma joke. but it's a significant truth for a number of believers. in 2017. eva pilgrim went to the same flat earth conference paul went

to. >> and the earth is? >> flat. >> when it comes to science, there are things you can test, right? fire's hot, water's wet, those are the things you can test, right? >> reporter: but the sloping sea level, the spin of the earth, flat earthers say unless you can see these phenomenon with your own eyes, they may not be true. >> a lot of people are going this is crazy. >> think about this. for the last 20, 25 generations, this is what we've told people. >> reporter: the flat earth5 wi. >> the one rule of power is you never admit there's someone bigger than yourself. >> reporter: mark sergeant posted his alleged flat earth truth in a series that has had more than 2 million views. >> part a series of clues that get your head around the flat earth system we live in. >> you're kind of the father of this movement. >> don't do that. >> you're the one who started it all. >> i did not invent flat earth.

all i w wal to a door, point at it and say you know what? i think this is a really interesting thing from the other side of this and check it out for yourself. if flat earth is a university, you know, fea, then i would be the freshman recruiter. >> reporter: b university. >> the earth is a sphere. >> reporter: jim davis is a professor at columbia university's earth observatory. >> if you were to ask me why the earth is round, the simple answer would be gravity. gravity pulls the same in every direction. it pulls all the matter of the earth into a sphere. that gravity is the same thing that holds us to the earth. and so this one sort of expin j number of things. if you take away one of those pieces, then suddenly, a whole bunch of things don't work. >> reporter: professor mike massamino spent time in space and worked on the hubble

looked at the planet, what did it look like? >> it looks round, folks, and i looked at it as much as i could. it is round. >> reporter: the mockumentry now has over 5 million views. >> logan paul had a startling rise and has become an internationally-known celebrity. he does l pranks, raucous behavior, your teenage earn like likely knows who he is. his most infamous work was blogging a dead body he found in a suicide forest in japan. >> reporter: he said he did it to raise awareness for suicide and suicide prevention. love him or hate him, his influence is massive. nearly 19 million subscribers to his youtube channel. he's raked in $15 million last

year from videos, brand deals and merchandise. so when robbie davidson, founder of the flat earth international conference saw paul's name on the registration list for the 2018 event, he did a double take. >> i noticed the name and said logan paul, i knowt na >> reporter: paul's assistant told him that paul was curious after a friend told him he was a believer. davidson says paul seemed genuine. >> there were red flags that went up with other people, but i was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. >> reporter: paul asked to say a few words to the crowd. >> he still wasn't coming out as a bona fide >> my name's logan paul, and i think i'm coming out of the flat earth closet. >> when people are really enthusiastic that they have a pretty big-name person in the scene with them. but some other people thought he

was there for a hoax. >> reporter: fast forward a few months. the film drops and the parody is laid bare. >> i felt sick to my stomach. i had the view that it might be neutral. i never, ever thought it would be a positive piece. i thought he humor in it, but i thought he would get people questioning things. it was a mockery from start to finish. >> reporter: did he go too far? or is it him being him? >> it is nuanced humor but cruel. >> it would have been better to examine youtube's role in pushing the flat earth theory. because it's so kplis ncomplici that. and i thought to have a youtuber address his own medium, but that's not the documentary we got. >> reporter: logan paul did not respond to "nightline's" request for comment. >> do you think it's important to make clear the difference between fact and fiction? >> absolutely. we're putting muscle behind in 2019.

but unfortunately, it's a little too late. these things have spread so massively that putting that back in the box is all but impossible. >> reporter: youtube says over the past year they have worked to better surface credible news sources across our site tor people searching for news-related topics. and introduce information panels to help give users more sources where they can fact check information. >> there are a growing number of people who believe the earth is flat? >> it's nothing new. it's in your pocket. while before, the guy knocking on your door clearly had to come to your front door, now it's much easier to access you. >> reporter: yes, we do live in a brave new wor, busome truths are as old as time. next, the new, very real and very moving documentary about the queen of soul. ♪ holy, holy, holy

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te hr ne to know ndful how they make you feel. aretha is one name. aretha franklin was a gift. we have an inside look at a documentary about aretha's roots and her first love, gospel. ♪ holy, holy >> reporter: intimate, transcendent. aretha franklin as she's never

been seen before. a new documentary, nearly 50 years in the making. ♪ never-aired footage of the queen of soul, recording her legendary gospel album, "amazing grace", the best-selling gospel album of all time. she barely speaks five words, but when she opens her mouth, as some in that church might say, "glory came out." ♪ >> it's just a testament to good spiritual music. >> reporter: we sat down with those closest to franklin. you know, america lost a legend. you lost a mother. you lost an aunt. what was it like watching this performance? >> i was very touched. i welled up in a couple parts. >> reporter: you weren't the only one. it was the early '70s. the then 29-year-old still a diva in the making. >> 11 number one records in a

row. >> reporter: she'd already earned our respect as the queen of soul. ♪ >> reporter: she made us sing. her songs astound track for the several rights era. but to her son, the larger than life diva was just mom. what kind of mom was she? >> very loving. caring. always looking out for my best interests. >> she was just aunt aretha. she loved to cook. she loved her soap operas. she loved madea. >> reporter: she was most at home here notice church. >> she t chch ncerts, you were going to church before you went there. >> reporter: her father, a renowned reverend, cl franklin. >> aretha is just a stone singer. >> reporter: in 1972, she partnered with the gospel great,

reverend james cleveland. ything can sing any >> reporter: his choir singing backup in the l.a. neighborhood of watts. i bass blown away to see mick jagger in the rear swaying to the music. >> they're both atlantic record label mates. and mick knew where the action was. >> reporter: sidney pollack and his crew were there, too. >> she saw this as that chance to become a movie star. >> reporter: but the production team forgot one important tool. a clapper that allows you to synch audio to the reels and reels of film. years later, he called in his old apprentice. >> oh, man, how disappointed that he must have been. he spent three months looking at footage, daily, and he could only synch up 12% of the stuff. >> reporter: so it's like putting together a million-piece jigsaw puzzle? >> right. >> reporter: with the advent of

digital technology decades later, it became possible. is the legend true that you mortgaged your house to get the rights? >> yes, it is. >> reporter: that's how much you believed in it. but once the film was made he received an unexpected splice. first sued in 2015 by the queen herself. >> when aretha sued me, i had no idea why she's suing me. and she said she loved the movie, which was a harder thing to figure out. >> reporter: when she passed away last year, franklin's niece asked him to screen the film for the family. and they were sold. >> you think you're feeling it and when you see it, it's just very transformative. ♪ >> reporter: in her first song, which is, i think "holy holy". i don't think she opens her eyes through the entire performance. >> to us, that's like the moment, her zone moment. >> very much. >> when she would go into

concerts, she'd go into a zone. when she closes her eyes, she's not hearing anything else around d whahe's doing.formance ese aheihuand tw smang holy to her. >> reporter: with the body of work that spans six decades, hit after hit inspired by her gospel roots, all unmistakably aretha. ♪ like a natural woman >> reporter: the natural woman, just as comfortable singing on stage alongside fellow pop divas as she was performing for presidents. ♪ you make me feel are your even bringing president obama to tears at the kennedy center honors. ♪ you make me feel like a natural woman ♪ [ applause ] >> reporter: franklin, a die-hard democrat, crossed the

aisle to perform a due et cetera with former secretary of state condoleezza rice. ♪ forever, and ever >> i heard someone say that she played with the symphony. and i said, condoleezza rice plays with the symphony? plays what? the piano. this, this, i had to hear. >> reporter: aretha excelled across genres, even making her unique mark in ♪ >> reporter: but it wasn't just her singing that impressed her adoring fans. it was also her musicality. >> i think some of the best parts of her concerts is when she got on the piano. she played by ear. and she was gift netherlands th she was gifted in that sense. we joked. she could play anything.

>> reporter: what do you want audiences to rediscover? >> her love for the gospel and for the church. and that, i think it's very, very relevant to the days and times that we're living in right now. ♪ >> let the church saynext, the worked to give his sons a new opportunity by the book. . ...that's why i've got the power of 1-2-3 medicines with trelegy. the only fda-approved 3-in-1 copd treatment. ♪ trelegy. the power of 1-2-3 ♪ trelegy 1-2-3 trelegy with trelegy and the power of 1-2-3, i'm breathing better. trelegy works 3 ways to... ...open airways,... ...keep them open... ...and reduce inflammation... ...for 24 hours of better breathing. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. trelegy is not for asthma. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition

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shshow me homecoming.