YouTube is taking a stand.
It’s kind of late to the game, and we’ll see how effective it will be.
But it’s taking a stand.
On Wednesday, YouTube announced that it’s banning the accounts of several high-profile anti-vaxxers, including Joseph Mercola and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in an effort to crack down on misinformation about vaccines that has run rampant on its site.
In a blog post, YouTube, which is owned by Google, said, “… content that falsely alleges that approved vaccines are dangerous and cause chronic health effects, claims that vaccines do not reduce transmission or contraction of disease, or contains misinformation on the substances contained in vaccines will be removed. This would include content that falsely says that approved vaccines cause autism, cancer or infertility, or that substances in vaccines can track those who receive them.”
The Washington Post’s Gerrit De Vynck wrote, “Misinformation researchers have for years said the popularity of anti-vaccine content on YouTube was contributing to growing skepticism of lifesaving vaccines in the United States and around the world.”
So what took YouTube so long to crack down?
Matt Halprin, YouTube’s vice president of global trust and safety, told the Post that it was focusing on misinformation about coronavirus vaccines. It then expanded the ban when they saw misinformation about other vaccines. Halprin told the Post, “Developing robust policies takes time. We wanted to launch a policy that is comprehensive, enforceable with consistency and adequately addresses the challenge.”
Google already had some measures in place to attempt to stop misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines. But this new ban addresses long-approved vaccines against such things as measles and hepatitis B, as well as applying to “general statements about vaccines.”
The New York Times’ Davey Alba wrote, “The new policy puts YouTube more in line with Facebook and Twitter. In February, Facebook said it would remove posts with erroneous claims about vaccines, including assertions that vaccines cause autism or that it is safer for people to contract the coronavirus than to receive vaccinations against it. But the platform remains a popular destination for people discussing misinformation, such as the unfounded claim that the pharmaceutical drug ivermectin is an effective treatment for Covid-19. In March, Twitter introduced its own policy that explained the penalties for sharing lies about the virus and vaccines. But the company has a five ‘strikes’ rule before it permanently bars people for violating its coronavirus misinformation policy.”
CNBC’s Jessica Bursztynsky reports that, aside from Mercola and Kennedy, YouTube also has removed pages associated with Erin Elizabeth and Sherri Tenpenny. De Vynck wrote in the Post, “When the pandemic hit, and vaccines became a topic that was suddenly relevant to everyone, not just parents of young children, many went looking for answers online. Influencers like Mercola, Kennedy and alternative health advocate Erin Elizabeth Finn were able to supercharge their followings. Some anti-vaccine influencers, including Mercola, also sell natural health products, giving them a financial incentive to promote skepticism of mainstream medicine.”
In its post, YouTube said, “Today’s policy update is an important step to address vaccine and health misinformation on our platform, and we’ll continue to invest across the board in the policies and products that bring high quality information to our viewers and the entire YouTube community.”
Going into overtime
My Poynter colleague, Angela Fu, has a stunning story up this morning on Poynter.org. She reports that multiple journalists from Gannett have told her about working overtime without pay.
This controversy went viral earlier this month when Rebekah Sanders, a reporter at The Arizona Republic, tweeted that it had been “drilled” into her that working overtime without pay was part of paying dues in the business. She added, “It robbed me of sleep, dinners with loved ones & money that I rightfully earned. Life is short. Don’t work for nothing.”
Yet, some — such as another reporter at the Republic — did chalk up unpaid overtime as all a part of “gaining experience” that would pay off down the road. That reporter backed off those comments, but that got the ball rolling on this conversation.
Fu writes, “… several journalists at The Arizona Republic and other Gannett papers shared instances with Poynter of working uncompensated overtime, as recently as last month.”
She also wrote, “Several reporters said negative responses to their request for overtime discouraged them from asking for it in the future. It was easier to work those extra hours and not risk creating conflict by trying to log them.”
Gannett gave Fu a statement, saying in part, “Gannett values all our employees. We strive to provide meaningful opportunities and fair compensation in a very challenging time for our industry and we strongly disagree that there is a culture of exploitation.”
Be sure to check out Fu’s excellent story for more.
A grim prediction
I’ve written several times over the past year that no one has covered COVID-19 with more authority, analysis and insight than The Atlantic’s Ed Yong. He won a Pulitzer Prize last year for his work. So whenever he writes about COVID-19, I’m all in.
But, yeesh, the headline alone on his latest piece gives me the shakes: “We’re Already Barreling Toward The Next Pandemic.”
Yong tweeted, “The opening chapter of the next pandemic is being written right now. I know, I know. Next one?! Can’t we get through this one first? No, sadly, we can't. History tells us we don't have time. Learn from the past immediately, or repeat it imminently.”
He adds, “In some ways, Delta was an audition for the next pandemic — and one that we flubbed. Many of the actions we took this spring were headlong dives into the neglect phase of the cycle. This is a warning about how swiftly complacency can set in.”
Yong also previews more, tweeting, “We need to think about preparedness differently, in terms of not just vaccines & tech solutions, but also social measures like paid sick leave, universal healthcare, and more. Social equity is not a side-quest of preparedness but its foundation.”
As usual, it’s another must-read piece from Yong.
Strong piece
