Week 3- Post 2: The Balance of False Information Censorship

Week 3- Post 2

The Balance of False Information Censorship

As the country faces on of the only pandemics in modern history, doctors and medical professionals nationwide have been debating over how to properly handle these events. Judy Mikovits stared in a documentary directed by Mikki Willis, called 'Plandemic', in which she sought to spread her beliefs on the pandemic facing the world. The video quickly went viral as seen below, but was then censored by many platforms. 

However, many of the claims made, were false according to the WHO, CDC, and doctors worldwide. This documentary brought up a major question: does the First Amendment protect false information and should it? The New York Times wrote an interesting article in which they examine the far reaching effects of the documentary in such a short time. While the First Amendment protects the press, I believe that when this is used to spread false information, a tough conversation must be had. 

Should people be allowed to spread false information under this guise? I feel that this is a touchy subject, especially when statements may seem false, but are actually calling out a false claim by an institution. If the people truly believe this, are their thoughts protected as we all have freedom of thought? Overall, the general statements made in the First Amendment leave room for arguments to be made over the constitutionality of censorship.

Source: New York Times