A recent study described lockdown “revisionism” as spreading false information about lockdowns and other public health measures. This study examines the claim that simply questioning lockdowns or public health mandates is automatically labelled as “revisionism” or “misinformation.” We argue that terms like ‘revisionism’ and ‘misinformation’ are often used to dismiss well-supported, opposing views without seriously examining the best available evidence.
We point out that brushing over important topics without properly considering all the facts weakens these claims. We need open and honest debate to learn valuable lessons for the future. Labelling reasonable criticism as ‘misinformation’ or ‘revisionism’ blocks this process.
Finally, one of the main lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic is that the focus should not be on fighting so-called “misinformation” or “revisionism.” Instead, we should improve how decisions are made. This involves including experts from various fields, being transparent, carefully considering the pros and cons of different actions, and avoiding censorship and groupthink. These lessons are essential for the future of public health as it continues to learn from the pandemic. (20 pages)
Ari R. Joffe MD, Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; John Dossetor Health Ethics Center, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Dr. Joffe is a pediatrician and Clinical Professor at the University of Alberta. He earned his MD degree at the University of Alberta in 1987. Dr. Joffe is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada in Pediatric Infectious Diseases (completed at the University of Calgary in 1993) and Pediatric Critical Care Medicine (completed at the University of Toronto in 1995). He has practiced medicine at the Stollery Children’s Hospital in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit since 1995. Dr. Joffe has many publications on critical care medicine.
Roy Eappen MDCM, Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Dr. Eappen is an adult endocrinologist at St Mary’s Hospital in Montreal. He is an assistant professor of Medicine at McGill University. He earned his MDCM degree at McGill in 2025. Dr. Eappen is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in Internal Medicine with a special certificate in Endocrinology. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and a Fellow of the American College of Endocrinology.
Chris Milburn MD, MSc, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Dr. Milburn is a family and ED physician who practices in Nova Scotia. He has had a long history of involvement with public health issues. Chris and his wife Julie Curwin (psychiatrist) run freespeechinmedicine.com and write at pairodocs.substack.com.
Pooya Kazemi MD, MSc, Department of Anesthesia, University of British Columbia, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada; Dr. Kazemi is an anesthesiologist in British Columbia. He earned his MD degree at the University of British Columbia in 2009 where he continued onto the anesthesiology residency program, earning his Fellowship in Anesthesiology with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in 2014. He has been working in Victoria, BC as an anesthesiologist since 2014. Dr. Kazemi also earned an MSc in Health Informatics at the University of Victoria in 2020 and he has played important roles in implementation of various EMR projects at Island Health. During the COVID pandemic, Dr. Kazemi co-wrote several opinion pieces to urge governments to take a more evidence-based approach and employ nuance, balance, and context.
Covid Disinformation Final (with Footnotes)
