Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) Suspended By YouTube Over COVID-19 Mask Claims
Summary from the AllSides News Team
YouTube suspended Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) for seven days on Tuesday night over a video where he claimed that cloth masks are ineffective against COVID-19. Paul said in the video that "most of the masks you get over the counter don’t work," but added that he has "always said" that N-95 masks work. The senator then pointed to how Dr. Fauci "knew that too," but originally "lied to the public" about N-95 masks being ineffective against COVID-19 so that enough health workers could buy them. "He justified his lies by explaining that he was trying to shape human behavior," Paul continued. The three-minute clip ended with Paul labeling YouTube's censorship as "very dangerous," adding that it can "stifle debate and promotes group think where the truth is defined by people with a political agenda." A YouTube spokesperson told The Hill that they removed the senator's video because it violated their COVID-19 medical misinformation policy. The platform previously removed an eight-minute Newsmax interview from his channel where he said “there’s no value” in wearing masks. In other censorship news, Twitter suspended Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) for a week after claiming that COVID-19 vaccines are “failing.”
Right-leaning outlets were more likely to emphasize Paul's apprehension about the effectiveness of cloth masks specifically. On the other hand, left-leaning outlets were more likely to reiterate that the CDC and "countless" public health experts said that face masks can prevent the spread of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. UNSW Sydney, one of the two publications that Paul cited, released a study in 2020 that said cloth masks can be protective against infection but must be washed daily at high temperatures to be effective.
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From the Center
Rand Paul suspended one week by YouTube over COVID-19 mask claimsSen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has been suspended from YouTube for a week over a video claiming that masks are ineffective against COVID-19.
In a statement to The Hill, a YouTube spokesperson said the platform "removed content from Senator Paul’s channel for including claims that masks are ineffective in preventing the contraction or transmission of COVID-19, in accordance with our COVID-19 medical misinformation policies."
"This resulted in a first strike on the channel, which means it can’t upload content for a week, per our longstanding three strikes policy. We apply our policies consistently across...
From the Left
YouTube suspends Rand Paul for a week over a video disputing the effectiveness of masks.YouTube on Tuesday removed a video by Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky for the second time and suspended him from publishing for a week after he posted a video that disputed the effectiveness of wearing masks to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
A YouTube representative said the Republican senator’s claims in the three-minute video had violated the company’s policy on Covid-19 medical misinformation. The company policy bans videos that spread a wide variety of misinformation, including “claims that masks do not play a role in preventing the contraction or transmission of...
From the Right
Senator Rand Paul blasts 'left-wing cretins' at YouTube who blocked him for a WEEK for video saying most over-the-counter masks don't stop COVID spreadYouTube suspended Republican Senator Rand Paul for seven days on Tuesday night for posting a video disputing whether masks stop the spread of COVID.
'Most of the masks you get over the counter don’t work. They don’t prevent infection,' Paul of Kentucky said in the video which has been taken down.
'Trying to shape human behavior isn't the same as following the actual science, which tells us that cloth masks don’t work,' he added.
A YouTube spokesperson said Paul's claims in the three-minute clip violated their policy on COVID medical misinformation.
The company, owned...
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