Inconclusive intel report on COVID-19 conclusively proved one thing: Censorship is harmful

The U.S. intelligence community's latest report on the origins of COVID-19 could not determine whether the virus was leaked from a Chinese lab or evolved in nature. But its inconclusive determination conclusively illustrated one thing: News media and Big Tech censorship harmed Americans' ability to have an informed debate.

For months, news media giants panned as "debunked" or "conspiracy theories" the claims that the coronavirus emanated from a Wuhan virology lab, while social media giants censored posts, even though the information often came from American government officials or Chinese scientists with access to credible information.

But when the U.S. intelligence community issued its verdict last week — at the request of President Joe Biden — the lab leak theory first offered by former President Donald Trump and his team got a higher rating of "moderate confidence" from one agency while the natural origins theory got a "low confidence" rating from multiple agencies.