Links that led to TalkRadio’s YouTube page on Tuesday were
redirected to a message that the account had been “terminated for violating
YouTube’s community guidelines.” It was reactivated after 7 p.m. in London.
“TalkRadio’s YouTube channel was briefly suspended, but upon
further review, has now been reinstated,” YouTube said in a statement. “We
quickly remove flagged content that violate our community guidelines, including
Covid-19 content that explicitly contradicts expert consensus from local health
authorities or the World Health Organization.”
“We make exceptions for material posted with an educational,
documentary, scientific or artistic purpose, as was deemed in this case,”
YouTube added, without immediately elaborating which exception applied -- or
which videos had merited the suspension.
TalkRadio demanded clarification about its ban in an earlier
statement, adding that its content is regulated by U.K. media watchdog Ofcom.
British ministers last month proposed sweeping laws to curb illegal and harmful
content online.
Blocking a news brand run by billionaire media mogul Rupert
Murdoch marked one of YouTube’s highest-profile interventions. It’s previously
taken down the account of the Trump-supporting One America News Network, citing
breaches of rules.
Murdoch’s News Corp. bought TalkRadio’s owner Wireless Group
in 2016 and has recently expanded its digital broadcast media offering. He’s
been an outspoken critic of Silicon Valley giant as he pushes for what he deems
a fairer share of their advertising revenue.
TalkRadio broadcaster Julia Hartley-Brewer complained about
the move on Twitter. Without naming YouTube specifically, she asked government
Minister Michael Gove about big tech “censorship” on her Tuesday morning show.
TalkRadio calls itself the “home of free speech,” and its
commentators have questioned the wisdom of government lockdown measures aimed
at halting the spread of Covid-19.
“We regularly interrogate government data and we have
controls in place,” TalkRadio said. “We use verifiable sources and give space
to a careful selection of voices and opinions.”