Mark Zuckerberg just defended Facebook's COVID-19 censorship by citing the old "you can't yell fire in a crowded theater" line on Joe Rogan. Problem is—that's not the law. It’s a debunked argument from a 1919 case overturned for enabling speech suppression.

Zuck admitted early trust in government health advice but used this flawed logic to justify silencing voices during a chaotic, shifting pandemic narrative. First, masks didn’t matter—then they did. And yet dissent was blocked.

Equating speech to harm is the laziest excuse for censorship. In a crisis, open debate isn’t dangerous—it’s necessary.