YouTube has apologized after inflicting outrage by eradicating a music video from singer-songwriter John Ondrasik, higher generally known as 5 for Combating, straight criticizing President Joe Biden and his chaotic exit from Afghanistan.
Ondrasik introduced his video had been pulled in an announcement on Friday, blasting the corporate for flagging the clip over footage of “Taliban atrocities” whereas different movies containing comparable footage remained up and even monetized.
“To not present mentioned Taliban atrocities in any creative assertion on Afghanistan can be a gross injustice to the victims and allow the Taliban’s ongoing persecution of 40 million Afghan residents,” the musician wrote.
The ‘Blood on My Arms’ video not solely options real-world footage of the Taliban, but in addition begins with Biden claiming the Afghanistan authorities won’t fall. Biden had mentioned that shortly earlier than the Taliban regained management, and US troops went by means of a chaotic withdrawal after 20 years in Afghanistan, which included 13 service members dying in a Kabul bombing. The clip additionally options Ondrasik, finest identified for hit songs like ‘100 Years’ and ‘Superman,’ singing outdoors the White Home.
YouTube apologized this week for censoring the video and claimed this was a “mistake.” ‘Blood on My Arms’ had acquired greater than 250,000 views in a couple of days earlier than being taken down.
Whereas Ondrasik mentioned he accepted the apology, he went on to criticize political bias in “Huge Tech” and questioned a YouTube spokesperson saying a graphic content material warning wanted to be added, when one was already there from Ondrasik, in addition to one other from YouTube itself.
“With out the outcry” from followers and conservatives, the singer later tweeted, it’s possible there would have been no motion on YouTube’s half to rectify the scenario.
“Solely actual resolution is various platforms to get rid of the monopoly,” he wrote, referencing Rumble, a YouTube various platform, mentioned to be primarily utilized by conservatives. The music video has been posted there, as properly.
I simply did an interview making this level. Sure, with out the outcry, possible no response to takedown. It’s an enormous downside and Huge Tech should handle their inner biases and flawed algorithms. Solely actual resolution is various platforms to get rid of the monopoly. @rumblevideohttps://t.co/ztwFdBCbZW
— John Ondrasik (@johnondrasik) January 8, 2022
Ondrasik has mentioned the music isn’t meant as a political assertion, however fairly an ethical one. He mentioned he was impressed to write down it after a good friend knowledgeable him they have been trying to privately get Americans, who had not made the official evacuation, out of Afghanistan. He completed writing the music the evening Biden gave a speech referring to the withdrawal as an “extraordinary success.”
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