Google owned YouTube removed an episode of the Republican National Committee (RNC) “Real America” podcast that featured an interview with the Former President Donald Trump discussing 2020 election fraud. Obviously, YouTube claimed it was “elections misinformation.”
Tim Pearce, writing for The Daily Wire, included email correspondence with YouTube in his reporting:
I wanted to let y’all know that your video, Real America Season 2, Episode 5: President Donald J. Trump, has been removed from the GOP YouTube channel, because it violated our policies pertaining to elections misinformation and does not contain sufficient EDSA context. Namely, the video contains claims that the 2020 election was “rigged,” with “tremendous voter fraud,” and countervailing views, which we refer to as EDSA context, on those remarks are not provided in the video, audio, title or description.
Interesting that YouTube is now demanding “countervailing views” as a requirement for publishing. Exactly a year ago, presenting “countervailing views” was a disqualification. Case in point: YouTube banned Governor DeSantis’ round table video on Covid for presenting countervailing views:
“We removed AIER’s video because it included content that contradicts the consensus of local and global health authorities regarding the efficacy of masks to prevent the spread of Covid-19.”
While YouTube’s policies on “misinformation” are changing faster than Kamala Harris’ cabinet, one question remains. Is there a source credible enough for social media tyrants to be considered immune from being labeled “misinformation?” Or does “the consensus” of CCP – affiliated “fact checkers” and “scientists” residing on Twitter supersede any opinion, no matter how respected or qualified?
Republican National Committee is not a “fringe group.” It is a national organization with millions of followers and donors. Its members go on to become members of the Senate, state governors and even Presidents. No matter what YouTube thinks of RNC, doesn’t their standing in America and their credibility allow their opinion to be heard in this country?
Similarly, Ron DeSantis’ discussion included distinguished members of scientific community. It featured scientists from Harvard, Stanford, and Oxford universities. Just based on their qualifications, is their opinion ever “misinformation?”
A person’s or a group’s reputation grants their opinions or statements immunity from being deemed “misinformation” – especially by organizations notorious for bogus “fact checks.” Even if an opinion turns out to be wrong – it is not “misinformation.” It is “part of the discussion.”
An honest discussion is necessary in a healthy society. In search of the truth, multiple opinions must be heard – and some would inevitably turn to be incorrect. Nonetheless, hearing all credible opinions is vital and necessary. The only reason you silence any credible opinion is if you are not interested in finding the truth; you are only interested in protecting your own world view, and you don’t want any challenge to it – especially if the challenge is credible.
There was, once, “a consensus” that the Sun was the center of the Universe. There was, once, “a consensus” that the Earth was flat. And there was, once, “a consensus” that Joe Biden was a very moderate Democrat. Truth is not determined by “consensus.” Truth is determined by the evidence, but the evidence must be presented in the first place. An argument challenging “the consensus” is not “misinformation” – it is a way to test the validity of “the consensus.”
Banning arguments, or evidence, that challenge “the consensus” is the only way to ensure “the consensus” never changes.
This article was originally published by this contributing writer on SpeechMovement.org.
