Medical experts, lawmakers weigh in on YouTube's removal of DeSantis video
DeSantis assails YouTube over removal of COVID-19 video
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday railed against YouTube and Google for removing a video of a COVID-19 discussion he had with scientists who oppose government lockdowns, school closures and mask wearing, calling it censorship. YouTube officials told media outlets the video was removed because of misinformation.
ORLANDO, Fla. - YouTube's removal of a roundtable held by the governor has sparked a bigger conversation: Censorship by big tech versus the spread of false information, especially during a pandemic.
In the meeting back in March, a few members of the roundtable said that kids shouldn’t wear masks in schools.
"I think I heard the CDC say the former CDC director say masks were more effective than vaccines, but I think the evidence shows that’s not the case. In some cases, they’ve been harmful," said Jay Bhattacharya.
Afterward, YouTube labeled the content as "medical misinformation."
At Monday's roundtable, the governor said big tech has been a problem for years.
"They actually took it down from local TV stations too. I think [that] was really, really troubling. We have recognized the problems with how big tech handles itself and we are addressing it in the legislature this year," DeSantis said.
Seminole County Emergency Medical Specialist Dr. Todd Husty is weighing in.
"When they said kids shouldn't have to wear a mask in school, that kind of floored me," Husty said.
Husty says kids can easily spread the disease, especially at things like sporting events and school functions.
"There are parents that get it from their kids and grandparents that get it from kids and so there are deaths involved with people getting it from kids. I think we are losing the sense of the fact that this is a pandemic," Husty said.
But, he doesn’t agree with the removal of the video saying its politics is seeping into information.
"My background tells me that we should have freedom of speech, my background also tells me that a lot of people don’t know what to do with that and that there is a lot of junk on the Internet."
Florida Representative Randy Fine says the move was uncalled for.
He says he has pushed for Florida to end doing business with these companies.
"I think it is dangerous, not the advice, but the fact that we have big tech companies that will censor the governor of Florida. It is unacceptable and we are going to do something about it," Fine said.
The comments go against the CDC’s recommendation that children 2 and older should wear masks during the pandemic.
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