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Sky News boss Paul Whittaker has taken his concerns about a seven-day YouTube ban to the top of the video-sharing company, telling global chief executive Susan Wojcicki that the platform’s editorial policies are “inconsistent”.
Mr Whittaker expressed disappointment about the way the review of the ban was handled, as Sky News’ suspension was lifted and the 24-hour news channel posted its first video - “Uncancelled: Sky News Australia set free” - on the platform.
The News Corp-controlled channel was banned from YouTube more than a week ago after it received a “strike” for a clip from May 3 of controversial broadcaster Alan Jones speaking about the worsening COVID-19 situation in India.
Sky News boss Paul Whittaker has asked for clarification about last week’s YouTube ban from chief executive Susan Wojcicki (pictured).
“The manner in which YouTube conducted its review, suspension and media statements concerning the Sky News Australia channel is profoundly disappointing,” Mr Whittaker said in the letter, seen by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
YouTube’s Australian director of partnerships, Ed Miles, informed the 24-hour news channel that its account on the Google-owned video sharing site had been suspended for one week on July 29. A further 14 videos were removed in addition to the clip of Jones from May, but Sky News was not provided with specific reasons for the breach.
A spokesperson for YouTube issued a statement last Sunday, initially saying it did not allow content that “denies the existence of COVID-19”. A statement from YouTube was altered to say it did not allow medical misinformation about COVID-19 that posed a serious risk of harm, or that was in contradiction with local and global health authorities’ guidance.
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Sky News hosts such as Rowan Dean and Jones have previously made controversial and misleading remarks regarding COVID-19, mask use, lockdowns and vaccinations. Jones has issued two corrections to comments he has made - one related to his stance on vaccinations and the other regarding misinformation he presented with renegade federal MP Craig Kelly about COVID-19, vaccination safety and the Delta strain.
In one video, Dean called an incident about the removal of a family from a flight after their two-year-old child could not be fitted with a mask “evil” and “authoritarianism”.