InfoWars could get booted off YouTube for peddling Parkland conspiracy theories
InfoWars is just two strikes away from being kicked off YouTube for good after posting a video claiming the survivors of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting are "crisis actors," CNN reports. YouTube removed the offending video, titled "David Hogg Can't Remember His Lines In TV Interview," on Wednesday, citing the violation of its policies on harassment and bullying.
YouTube's guidelines state that if an account receives two strikes in a three-month period, it will be banned for two weeks, and if it receives two more strikes in three months, the account will be permanently banned. InfoWars founder Alex Jones has spread conspiracy theories about school shootings before, including claiming the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 was fake. Jones has said there is "officially … about a 90 percent chance" the attack in Florida was a "deep state false flag operation."
CNN reached out to YouTube after identifying three more instances of InfoWars pushing hoaxes on its account, and YouTube confirmed it would investigate. Of the Parkland video, a YouYube spokesperson said: "Last summer we updated the application of our harassment policy to include hoax videos that target the victims of these tragedies. Any video flagged to us that violates this policy is reviewed and then removed."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Read more about why the Parkland conspiracy theories are different from ones that have come before at The Week.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
5 hilariously spirited cartoons about the spirit of Christmas
Cartoons Artists take on excuses, pardons, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Inside the house of Assad
The Explainer Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez, ruled Syria for more than half a century but how did one family achieve and maintain power?
By The Week UK Published
-
Sudoku medium: December 22, 2024
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published