Sky News Australia barred for week by YouTube over Covid misinformation

[Mr. Sparkle]

Source: BBC



YouTube has barred Sky News Australia from uploading new content for a week, saying it had breached rules on spreading Covid-19 misinformation. It issued a "strike" under its three-strike policy, the last of which means permanent removal. YouTube did not point to specific items but said it opposed material that "could cause real-world harm". The TV channel's digital editor said the decision was a disturbing attack on the ability to think freely.

Sky News Australia is owned by a subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp and has 1.85 million YouTube subscribers. The ban could affect its revenue stream from Google. A YouTube statement said it had "clear and established Covid-19 medical misinformation policies based on local and global health authority guidance". A spokesperson told the Guardian it "did not allow content that denies the existence of Covid-19" or which encouraged people "to use hydroxychloroquine or ivermectin to treat or prevent the virus". Neither has been proven to be effective against Covid.

The videos in question "did not provide sufficient countervailing context", the spokesperson said. Sky News Australia said it had found old videos that did not comply with YouTube's policies and took its "commitment to meeting editorial and community expectations seriously". But it denied any of its hosts had ever denied the existence of Covid-19. Millions of Australians are currently in lockdown to prevent the spread of the contagious Delta variant, while fewer than 15% of the population are fully vaccinated.

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-58045787

[bucolic_frolic]

1. REPORT THEM EARLY AND OFTEN

Click on the 3 dots in the upper right of the Icon Panel > Report > Spam or Misleading

Only takes a second. Early and often!!

[tavernier]

2. All the article had to say was Murdoch.

I somehow knew that before I even clicked on the post.

[IronLionZion]

3. Ironically, many wingnuts are claiming the Murdochs aren't RW enough

since some of their personalities are encouraging vaccines while others are still promoting easily disproved disinformation.

Australia isn't messing around

[turbinetree]

4. The Murdoch disinformation propaganda machine is just like the article that

Matt Taibbi wrote in Rolling Stone a few years back ......"vampire squid" for Goldman Sachs...can be applied to the Murdoch empire....this pandemic has shown the world who is who when it comes to people and organization just lacking any decency....and empathy....people are dying and the only thing they are worried about is fucking cash....nothing else...they should be barred for life............

[JudyM]

9. This. Major devastating impact on global warming, as well.

[Alien Life Form]

5. I dont understand this

I can still get Sky News and their hateful bullshit on YouTube as of today??? How can this be?

[PSPS]

6. It bars only adding new content.

[certainot]

7. that should apply to many rw radio hosts who repeat on youtube

[TomCADem]

8. Sky News Is Australian Newsmax/OANN

The odd thing is that it is supposed to be Australian, but a lot of its
content is anti-Democratic, pro-Trump material. It would be like the BBC running Republican attack ads.

Perhaps the Murdoch family is just using a less well known platform to push right wing propaganda, since Fox is so well known as racist, propaganda outlet.

[Bengus81]

10. Pffttt...so all the lying BS Covid info on there now can stay??

Way to slap their wrist...........

[Turbineguy]

12. Misinformation is their specialty.

It's worse there than fox news.