To the editor:

Dr. Joseph Mercola, a board-certified physician in Cape Coral earned a spot in the “Disinformation Dozen,” a list of people allegedly responsible for sharing 65 percent of all anti-vaccine and Covid messaging on social media, according to the nonprofit Center For Countering Digital Hate. First of all groups with the word “hate” in their title are normally everything they claim to be against.

The call to end discussion and to silence and cancel groups or individuals who ask questions or present information that counters or challenges the media, corporate, or government narratives is wrong especially if they do not provide documentation to prove what they claim.

I believe everyone should have a platform to speak, that it is only in the free exchange of ideas and information (even misinformation) among free peoples that we can possibly hope to discover the truth.

This is why free expression has to be upheld even when it’s uncomfortable for us. We can’t start controlling what people say because we disagree or don’t like it. (in the long run some misinformation becomes the truth) Lots of people try to come up with a case for how you could put more limits on speech, and none of them stand up to scrutiny. Free speech is not always pretty. But it;s necessary due to the lack of alternatives.

Say No, to censorship. Censorship is the hallmark of tyrants. So when you see these “Disinformation” lists come out of nowhere from groups and get bandied about as a basis for platforming people, you should take time to do a little research and know exactly what kind of group and what they stand for and why are they are putting out the information.

Lou Walker

Cape Coral