The YouTube channel for LifeSiteNews, a non-profit Christian news outlet, has been purged from the platform for “violating YouTube’s community guidelines.”
“YouTube just completely removed the LifeSiteNews YouTube channel,” LifeSiteNews wrote in a post about the channel termination. “This isn’t a temporary ban; every single one of our videos is completely gone. Thankfully, we have backups of all our videos, but this means hundreds of thousands of people have lost access to our truth-telling content.”
LifeSiteNews added that backups of its content are available on the YouTube alternative Rumble.
In the months leading up to the channel’s termination, YouTube had censored LifeSiteNews for posting videos that went against the platform’s strict guidelines on COVID-19.
It was given a seven-day suspension in November 2020 for posting a video in which a prominent Canadian physician protested against the “unfounded public hysteria” over COVID-19.
Shortly after returning from this initial suspension, YouTube gave LifeSiteNews a two-week suspension for posting a video featuring Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas discussing why he will not be taking a coronavirus vaccine. YouTube branded both of these videos “medical misinformation.” However, this suspension was overturned on appeal.
The termination of LifeSiteNews’ YouTube channel follows numerous other videos and channels being deleted by the tech giant for violating its “coronavirus misinformation” rules with these rules impacting videos of doctors testifying in the Senate Homeland Committee, White House advisors, independent news outlets, and more.
According to YouTube, it has purged more than 500,000 videos since February 2020 under its COVID-19 rules.
In recent weeks, independent and alternative media outlets and journalists have been increasingly impacted by YouTube’s censorship. Ford Fischer, the co-founder and editor in chief of News2Share, alternative media outlet The Epoch Times, and others have had their videos deleted or their content demonetized.
While some channels were able to get their monetization restored upon appeal, the shoot first, ask questions later approach from YouTube left many of these creators fearing for their livelihoods.
