Joseph Mercola
Disinformation Dozen: Top Anti-Vax Spreader
Joseph Mercola is an osteopathic physician and operator of Mercola.com, a health information website that has been active since the late 1990s. The site covers alternative medicine, supplement use, nutrition, and vaccine skepticism. In 2021, the Center for Countering Digital Hate's "Disinformation Dozen" report identified Mercola as the individual responsible for the largest share of anti-vaccine content circulating on social media platforms. Mercola disputed that characterization and challenged the methodology of the report.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mercola published articles claiming that COVID-19 vaccines were dangerous, characterizing them as experimental gene therapy and arguing that natural immunity was superior to vaccination. Public health authorities and mainstream medical organizations characterized these claims as false and contrary to the scientific evidence. The FDA issued warning letters to Mercola in 2021 for marketing products as COVID-19 treatments, including vitamin supplements and tanning bed equipment, which is not permitted without FDA authorization. Mercola maintained that his claims about the products were within his rights as an osteopathic practitioner.
In 2016, Mercola paid more than $5.3 million to settle FTC charges alleging he had made false and deceptive health claims about tanning bed equipment, including statements that the devices could reduce cancer risk. The settlement did not require an admission of wrongdoing. Mercola operated a commercial supplement and health products business through his website, which critics argued created financial incentives to promote distrust of conventional medicine. Mercola has argued that his supplement recommendations are based on his own clinical experience and research review.
In 2021, Mercola announced a policy of deleting content from his website after 48 hours, which he stated was a response to pressure from regulators and platforms. Critics argued the policy was designed to make it harder for fact-checkers to document specific claims. Mercola has maintained that his work represents legitimate alternative health journalism and that mainstream medicine and regulatory bodies are often influenced by pharmaceutical industry interests. His website continues to attract a large readership among people seeking perspectives outside mainstream medical guidance.