A spokesperson for YouTube confirmed to The Hill that the video platform website suspended and then reinstated the account for a U.K. radio station backed by billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
Their initial suspension was due to the account for TalkRadio, which is owned by Murdoch’s News Corp., had initially violated YouTube’s policies over COVID-19 misinformation.
“TalkRadio’s YouTube channel was briefly suspended, but upon further review, has now been reinstated,” the spokesperson said. “We make exceptions for material posted with an educational, documentary, scientific or artistic purpose, as was deemed in this case.”
However, when asked for comments on what content triggered the suspension, the YouTube spokesperson didn’t provide any further details.
On the other hand, TalkRadio put out a statement concerning their suspended account.
“YouTube is making decisions about which opinions the public are allowed to hear, even when they are sourced to responsible and regulated news providers,” TalkRadio said in a statement. Although the network stated that their channel is down for the moment, it was still accessible, and its videos remained up for the public to consume.
Eduardo Razo is the Assistant Content Editor for BNM, which includes writing daily news stories on the news media industry. He can be found on Twitter @eddierazo_ or you can reach him by email at eddie1991razo@gmail.com.
