Of 'Rich Men North of Richmond' and Social Media Censors

In a new op-ed, Pierre Kory writes about how pernicious censorship practices have subverted the independent exchange of ideas that has defined medical practice for 1,000 years.

With COVID-19 cases rising again, President Biden is recommending new vaccines. Plus, masking is making a comeback despite an NIH study that found prolonged use of N95 masks exposes users to harmful chemicals.

FLCCC is steadfast in its advocacy against these measures. COVID is a highly preventable and treatable condition, while the potential risk of adverse vaccine events is significant. Will we be censored on social media for raising these concerns?

Writing in RealClearPolicy, Dr. Pierre Kory discusses our experience with relentless censorship in the last few years across mainstream media, communications, and marketing channels.

The Missouri v. Biden lawsuit, which is headed to the Supreme Court, is revealing the extent to which the Biden administration “strongarms” social media companies to limit the reach of opposing voices. As the head of a physician-led non-profit organization promoting independent medical practice, this is a battle we have been fighting for nearly three years.

In December 2020, when the world was desperate to understand COVID-19 treatment options, I testified before a Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs about my experience treating patients with corticosteroids and ivermectin. The video quickly garnered over 8 million views on YouTube — then the company deleted it.

There is no accountability for this behavior and no sign that it will change. YouTube’s newly released medical misinformation policy promises to prevent the spread of harmful health advice. In practice, it will be another tool to censor its political enemies.

YouTube releases new medical misinformation policies

We should all be concerned about politically motivated restrictions on the marketplace of free ideas. It is impossible to advocate for the best medical policy and practice without using these platforms. Tech giants have honed and protected their algorithms and advertising methods to serve targeted content in unexplainable ways. They’ve created slick back-end user interfaces to make it easy for anyone to advertise content on their platforms. In doing so, these organizations have effectively created a monopoly on communication and fundraising for small, non-profits. Like many grassroots organizations, most of our income is from individual donations.

If you run afoul of these groups, you must find other ways to advertise, communicate, and deliver messages. This entails recreating the administrative functions that Google and Facebook have perfected —  well beyond the ability or means of most non-profits. If your message is very popular, the censorship spreads.

Banned Camp

Mainstream newswire services have refused to distribute my organization’s press releases — even when we are trying to share peer-reviewed medical journal articles and firsthand clinical data that can help patients and inform medical policy. Our social media posts have been removed, and our accounts repeatedly suspended. PayPal has refused to process donations. Shopify wouldn’t let us sell branded clothing. Medium, LinkedIn, and Vimeo all shut down our channels. To survive, we – as a group of doctors – have been forced to build alternate platforms and parallel communication channels, chewing up precious resources that could be used treating patients.

Many organizations do not have the ability to navigate institutional censorship. Who knows what untold and life-changing ideas or knowledge has been bottled up and never given the chance. For those selling widgets, it’s a financial loss. For those promoting medical advice that could ease suffering and prevent future health emergencies, it’s a tragedy.

Elon Musk buying X (formerly Twitter) made it easier to share information on the platform, but other platforms are only likely to intensify efforts to restrict dissenting ideas as the election heats up. Let’s hope Congress can keep the heat on social media companies and make it harder for them to limit the reach of life-saving information.

You can read Dr. Kory’s piece in full here.