America was founded on the principle of free speech and that right remains vital today. However, when individuals use their position of power to spew hate speech or false information that will jeopardize the welfare of the public, the principle of free speech should not apply.
As we have seen during the pandemic, certain celebrities and politicians have made claims that the COVID vaccines are ineffective or dangerous. As a result, many Americans have needlessly suffered severe illness or have died. In my personal opinion, those who spread such misinformation should be held legally responsible for the tragic consequences.
To date, the Justice Department seems reluctant to intervene and many social media networks actually thrive on this form of "free speech." Perhaps Neil Young's willingness to withdraw his music from Spotify will encourage other artists and corporations to stop supporting media outlets that enable false and dangerous rhetoric. Of course, one might make the same case against those who promote "The Big Lie," endangering all Americans by threatening our Democracy.
