The quacks, charlatans and other assorted nut case to whom I was referring are generally unfunded and wouldn't have any audience at all without the free platforms with which the Internet has gifted them.
That is the argument used by virtually all repressive regimes. The Emporer of the Holy Roman Empire might have said the same thing about the printing press when it enabled Martin Luther's 39 Thesis to be spread across the entire European continent in less than a fortnight. King George might have made similar comments about the Federalist Papers in the American Colonies. Those same words have recently been used about the internet by governments in Egypt, China, North Korea, and Trump.
Free speech must be for all, not just those whose words we approve of. Those who are thoughtful, analytical, and informed must speak out against the quacks and charlatans, but that does not mean silencing their voices. Children must be taught the discipline of literary analysis to help them distinguish between BS and facts. Freedom of speech must be defended, not decried.
If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?
