Russell Brand says YouTube removing his video for misinformation ‘looks like censorship’

Comedian and commentator Russell Brand called out YouTube on Tuesday for punishing individuals for misunderstanding the facts about COVID, when he feels ‘there is misinformation in the mainstream media all the time’ .

« We have been officially censored by YouTube, » Brand said in a video he shared on Twitter. « They took down one of our videos for misinformation, but why isn’t mainstream media censored for misinformation in the same way? Is it because YouTube is now part of mainstream media? »

Brand said a previous video about COVID was taken down because « we quoted information from official government websites, which we misinterpreted. »

He said: « We made an apology video, we deleted it too, YouTube deleted our original video, we deleted the apology video because in case we repeat the request while apologizing. «

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Brand argued that while he apologized for getting the wrong information in a past video, news companies like MSNBC are allowed to put out the wrong information without apparent consequence.

« We made a mistake, in my opinion a relatively small mistake, and we got penalized! To me it looks like censorship, and the reason I think it looks like censorship is because ‘There’s misinformation in the mainstream media all the time,’ he said. said.

He then played a YouTube clip posted on March 30, 2021 of MSNBC host Rachel Maddow talking about the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccinations.

« Now we know vaccines work well enough that the virus stops with every person vaccinated, » Maddow said in the clip. “A vaccinated person is exposed to the virus? The virus does not infect him, so the virus cannot use that person to go elsewhere.

Although COVID vaccines have been effective in preventing serious consequences from the virus, they have not prevented people from contracting or transmitting the virus. The Centers for Disease Control continues to recommend vaccines as « an important tool in protecting you against serious illness, hospitalization, and death. »

Brand reversed the situation and suggested that the MSNBC video was a source of medical misinformation.

« This video is live on YouTube right now, » Brand observed. « In my view, this is misinformation. »

The appropriate response to the COVID-19 virus has been an ever-evolving controversy throughout 2020 and the years since.
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The MSNBC video in question « We Can Get There! »: Stunning Pace Of US Vaccinations Puts Pandemic’s End In Sight » was still on YouTube at the time of publication and lacked a COVID-19 fact check.

Brand added that the continued presence of such a video that remains without a clear sanction raises questions about Big Tech’s moderation standards.

« So we’re asking: is there one standard for independent newscasters like us on our channel, and a different standard for what we would call ‘mainstream media’? » he said.

YouTube and parent company Google did not respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

Brand further explained on his Twitter that he is moving to Rumble and will be streaming live from there:

« The good news is that I’m switching to @rumblevideo and live streaming exclusively from tomorrow – Join me, weekdays from 5pm (BST) – subscribe here. »

Freelance journalist Glenn Greenwald praised Brand for the move, suggesting that YouTube penalized him for overshadowing major news companies with his large audience.

In this photo from July 10, 2019, American journalist Glenn Greenwald consults his news site at his home in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

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« The first of these new Rumble live shows to launch will be Russell Brand tomorrow at noon ET. Russell has built one of YouTube’s biggest audiences: millions, far more than CNN/MSNBC. That’s why YouTube banned it. I’ll be on the first show. Watch, » Greenwald tweeted.