House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan has raised concerns about YouTube’s handling of a recent interview between former President Donald Trump and podcast host Joe Rogan. Jordan’s alarm centers on allegations that the platform may have deliberately downranked the visibility of the three-hour conversation, which did not appear at the top of search results when users searched for “Joe Rogan Trump” or “Joe Rogan Donald Trump.”
In a letter addressed to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Jordan expressed his apprehensions, stating, “We write to seek an immediate briefing on (1) YouTube’s decision to censor Joe Rogan’s interview with President Trump, and (2) Google Search’s elevation of material critical of the interview.”
We obtained a copy of the letter for you here.
Further compounding the issue, YouTube issued a statement on X, acknowledging issues with the interview’s visibility. The statement clarified, “For some searches on Monday the original 3-hour interview didn’t appear prominently. Short excerpts uploaded by the Joe Rogan channel appeared, but we know it was frustrating for users looking to find the full video.” The platform assured that measures were being taken to amend the search results to better feature the full podcast soon.
Jordan’s correspondence also reflected a broader critique of the tech giant’s recent actions, suggesting a pattern of censorship. He argued, “Given the company’s recent history of censorship, including at the behest of the Biden-Harris Administration, YouTube’s censorship of former President Trump is particularly troubling.”
Emphasizing the critical need for open political discourse, especially as elections approach, Jordan demanded that a briefing be arranged promptly, setting a deadline of no later than 10:00 am on November 14, 2024.
