Lecture abstract:

In the “Panel Discussion on Media Censorship: Problems and Solutions,” Jeffrey Tucker, Mary Beth Pfeiffer, Jan Jekielek, and Frances Scott tackle the complex issue of media censorship, tracing its evolution from historical legislation to today’s digital gatekeeping. They highlight the ongoing struggle between free speech defenders and censorship enforcers, emphasizing technology’s role in shaping narratives. This conversation challenges us to question the information we consume, seek out diverse perspectives, and engage critically with the world around us, ensuring that the vibrant marketplace of ideas remains robust and unfettered.

Tucker is the founder of the nonprofit Brownstone Institute for Social and Economic Research, a think tank that researches and presents critiques of COVID measures such as lockdowns, masking, and vaccine mandates. In 2020, he helped organize The Great Barrington Declaration, an open letter in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns.

Tucker is a Senior Economics Columnist for The Epoch Times, author of 10 books, including ‘Liberty or Lockdown,’ and thousands of articles in the scholarly and popular press. He speaks widely on topics of economics, technology, social philosophy, and culture.

Just before COVID hit, Pfeiffer, a journalist for more than 30 years, wrote an investigative series and book on the diagnostic and treatment failures of Lyme disease. Her expose, ‘Lyme: The First Epidemic of Climate Change,’ gave a voice to patients whose illnesses were dismissed and stood up for physicians whose treatments put their licenses and livelihoods in jeopardy. In her crosshairs were the CDC, major medical journals, and medical societies that used their power to uphold one view of tick-borne illness.

Pfeiffer saw history repeat itself in COVID, but on a far more spectacular scale. A fire-in-the-belly journalist, Pfeiffer says she is “in this to change this,” the reason she writes. She is author of ‘Crazy In America,’ a searing portrayal of America’s criminalized mentally ill, and has won more than 100 awards.

The host of the Epoch Times interview program ‘American Thought Leaders,’ Jekielek’s career has spanned academia, media, and international human rights work. In 2009, he joined The Epoch Times full time and has served in a variety of roles there, including as website chief editor. He was an executive producer of the award-winning Holocaust documentary film, ‘Finding Manny.’

Frances Scott is an Emmy Award-winning journalist, podcast host, and patient safety advocate. She spent two decades reporting, creating social media content, and anchoring the news before a life-altering health crisis sparked her decade-long investigation into the practices of the pharmaceutical industry.

After failing to recover from bilateral hip replacement surgery, which left her with severe physical and mental health issues, Scott found evidence of covertly-funded, fraudulently conducted scientific research that had been used to market her replacement hips as “99.9%” safe and effective. She learned cobalt ions coming from the hips were getting into people’s bloodstreams and destroying their soft tissue, hearts, and brains.

She now advocates for harmed patients and health freedom, investigates COVID-related harm, writes and co-hosts a podcast for The Kennedy Beacon’s Substack, and is writing a book about her journey.