YouTube has reportedly struck down yet another video of a school board meeting for violating its policies on misinformation.
The platform reportedly took down a video from the Shawnee Mission School Board in Kansas City, Kansas for “spreading medical misinformation and violating YouTube's community guidelines,” according to NPR. “School board president Heather Ousley says having the broadcast taken down was a surprise.”
One person, who NPR identified as Kansas State Senator Mike Thompson (R), said “I'm about six feet tall. Saying that this mask is going to block the virus is like saying, I can't walk through a doorway 6,000 feet tall and 2,000 feet wide.” YouTube did not respond to a request from MRC Free Speech America to confirm the video’s removal. NPR went on to say that Thomphson’s statement “just isn't true,” but provided no evidence for the claim.
The video’s removal could eventually result in the termination of the channel. NPR recounted YouTube’s strikes policy, summarizing : “The school board's account got a warning notice. If it happens again, they'd get a strike, which would mean they wouldn't be able to upload, post or livestream for one week. If they got three strikes, the channel could be terminated.”
YouTube’s censorship may even impact the school board’s future decisions to post meetings on the platform. However, taking the meetings off of YouTube could cause issues as well. “The school board is now considering taking the public comment time before the board meeting out of its broadcast entirely or moving off YouTube. Board member Jamie Borgman is against that idea. She says it's how teachers voiced concerns during contract negotiations,” NPR reported.
YouTube has constantly censored what it considers misinformation about COVID-19 throughout the pandemic. Government sources, such as school boards and even politicians, are certainly not immune from censorship and the platform’s all-seeing eye. YouTube deleted a school board meeting in the past, which featured testimony from a mother criticising the district’s mask policy. The platform also censored Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) after he posted a video discussing the drugs hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin as potential treatments for COVID-19. It also deleted a COVID-19 roundtable from Gov. Ron Desantis (R-FL), which featured testimony from several doctors.
Conservatives are under attack. Contact YouTube at 650-253-0000 and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency, clarity on “hate speech” and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us at the Media Research Center contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.
