Suspensions on YouTube are not uncommon, especially in the past 18 months when it comes to content creators and smaller media outlets sharing COVID-19 misinformation. A recent suspension, however, could prove to be the largest to date, with Sky News Australia suspended from uploading videos on the platform for a week as a result of posting COVID-19 misinformation on its platform.
More specifically, multiple videos were uploaded to the channel where reporters, journalists, pundits and panellists refuted the existence of new variants of the virus, along with punting the use of hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin as effective treatments for COVID-19, both of which have been widely discredited.
“We have clear and established Covid-19 medical misinformation policies based on local and global health authority guidance, to prevent the spread of Covid-19 misinformation that could cause real-world harm,” a YouTube spokesperson told Guardian Australia.
“We apply our policies equally for everyone regardless of uploader, and in accordance with these policies and our long-standing strikes system, removed videos from and issued a strike to Sky News Australia’s channel. Specifically, we don’t allow content that denies the existence of Covid-19 or that encourages people to use hydroxychloroquine or ivermectin to treat or prevent the virus. We do allow for videos that have sufficient countervailing context, which the violative videos did not provide,” they added.
For those wondering why an organisation like Sky News Australia would do such a thing, you need to keep in mind the the Down Under version of the network is far different than the one you may associate of the UK. This as the former is more conservative in its content and can be likened to Fox News in the US in terms of how it relays the news.
In terms of its response to the suspension, the news outlet has acknowledged YouTube’s right to enforce policies as it sees fit, but denied any wrong doing.
“Sky News Australia expressly rejects that any host has ever denied the existence of COVID-19 as was implied, and no such videos were ever published or removed,” the outlet published on its website.
“We support broad discussion and debate on a wide range of topics and perspectives which is vital to any democracy. We take our commitment to meeting editorial and community expectations seriously,” a spokesperson added.
With a week a relatively short time to be suspended, it will be interesting to see what further actions YouTube takes if similarly violating content is posted to the Sky News Australia channel.
