The video portal Youtube has blocked the channel Sky News Australia for a week because of its corona reporting. A YouTube spokeswoman confirmed on Sunday the allegation made to the broadcaster of having incorrectly informed about the pandemic. It said in a statement that there are clear and secure principles to prevent the spread of Covid-19 misinformation. The one-week ban has been in force since Thursday (July 29th).
Youtube did not provide any detailed information on the content complained of. According to a report in the British newspaper “The Guardian”, Sky News Australia had posted numerous videos that denied the existence of Covid-19 or encouraged people to take the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine or the anti-wormer drug ivermectin against Corona.
Sky News Autralia rated the lockdown as an “attack on freedom of thought”. “Sky Australia was temporarily suspended from posting on the Google-operated platform YouTube because it published opinions with which the tech giant disagreed,” the station said. Among the videos judged to be inappropriate are debates about whether respirators are useful or whether lockdowns are justified. The station accused YouTube of being “arbitrarily” focused against conservative voices in the Covid-19 debate. (SDA)