FSU Jumps the Shark on Free Speech
Just when you thought the Free Speech Union (FSU) couldn’t get any more absurd, they dive headfirst into the abyss with a post on X defending Dr Samantha Bailey, the New Zealand doctor struck off, in part, for promoting the utterly baseless notion that germ theory is a lie. Their stance is so disastrously misguided that it’s hard to take them seriously as defenders of intellectual discourse on anything else.
Let’s dissect their ludicrous argument. The FSU claims that “respect for free speech must leave professionals free to advance unorthodox views” because “orthodoxy has often proven to be seriously wrong!” They concede professionals shouldn’t be immune from consequences but insist that “the scope for censure is out of kilter.” In Bailey’s case, they argue that instead of being deregistered, she should have simply been met with “prompt public correction (counter-speech, and from a major platform, at that!).” They even pose, “what if the orthodoxy is wrong - as it has so often been and inevitably will be again?”
This is a level of sophistry that would make a flat-earther blush. The issue isn’t that Bailey had an “unorthodox” view—it’s that she was peddling demonstrable nonsense. Germ theory isn’t some arbitrary dogma; it’s one of the most rigorously tested and foundational principles of modern medicine. Of course, someone like Galileo had unorthodox, heretical views, but he developed them in response to empirical observations—he had evidence. Bailey had conspiracy theories, a YouTube channel, and absolutely no evidence whatsoever.
And this idea that “counter-speech” on a “major platform” is an adequate response to medical disinformation? Ridiculous. How many people who stumble across a slickly produced video telling them germs don’t cause disease are then going to seek out and carefully weigh a counterargument? The FSU is pretending that we live in an idyllic marketplace of ideas where the best arguments always win out. In reality, misinformation spreads faster, sticks harder, and is designed to bypass rational scrutiny. That’s why professional accountability exists. This isn’t about stifling debate; it’s about ensuring that people in positions of trust don’t use their credentials to push dangerous falsehoods.
The FSU also wrings its hands over the idea that professionals are being “silenced” for views expressed in a “personal capacity.” But when a registered doctor spouts medical misinformation, their title gives those claims undue weight. Whether they say “I’m speaking personally” or not, they still have authority in the eyes of the public. And when that authority is abused to spread reckless disinformation, professional consequences are not just appropriate—they’re essential.
This isn’t a defence of free speech. It’s a defence of intellectual laziness. By championing a medical professional’s right to deny germ theory, the FSU isn’t protecting free expression—it’s debasing it. They’ve abandoned any pretence of being serious defenders of intellectual freedom and revealed themselves as reactionary contrarians more interested in defending the indefensible than upholding reasoned discourse or public safety.
It’s not just that they’ve jumped the shark. They’ve belly-flopped straight into the deep end of anti-intellectualism and I don’t think they can come back from this.
