Former Rep. Ron Paul took aim at YouTube “censorship” after one of his episodes of the Ron Paul Liberty Report was removed from the platform and his channel was issued a warning for “misinformation.”
“Very disturbing news: YouTube has pulled an episode of the Ron Paul Liberty Report and issued a ‘warning’ that any more violations will result in our not being able to put up more programs,” Paul said on Twitter. “The episode was a news report on a Trump rally — they said it is ‘medical misinformation.’”
Very disturbing news: YouTube has pulled an episode of the Ron Paul Liberty Report and issued a “warning” that any more violations will result in our not being able to put up more programs. The episode was a news report on a Trump rally – they said it is “medical misinformation.” pic.twitter.com/bzZuPVPY2d
— Ron Paul (@RonPaul) December 22, 2020
Paul, who is the father of Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, posted screenshots of the warning that was apparently triggered by his analysis of a Trump rally. The former congressman also posted a screenshot of his appeal of the platform’s decision, saying his show “does not provide any medical information, though its host is a medical doctor,” noting that it is simply a “news and analysis program.”
“If you care about independent media voices now is the time to fight against blatant censorship,” Paul said in a subsequent tweet. “Let YouTube know how you feel about their attack on the Ron Paul Liberty Report.”
“The decision by @YouTube to take the program down and issue a warning makes no sense,” he continued. “We are a news and analysis program. Why take down a program that is several weeks old out of the blue?”
YouTube has been under fire in recent years for its content moderation policies, which many conservatives have said discriminates against their views.
Those criticisms of the video hosting service have mostly fallen on deaf ears, with the company getting even more aggressive in moderating what content is allowed on its platform. Earlier this month, the Google-owned service announced that it would remove any videos that claimed voter fraud helped change the outcome of the 2020 election in favor of President-elect Joe Biden.
Sen. Josh Hawley blasted the company’s decision and renewed calls to revoke Section 230 protections for big tech companies.
“@Google owned @YouTube officially announcing free speech no longer allowed,” the Missouri Republican said. “If you have concerns about election integrity, you must sit down and shut up. Repeal Section 230 and break these companies up.”
