After the closure of the YouTube channel of ByoBlu, a newspaper registered at the Court of Milan founded by Claudio Messora, and after the accusation by Messore himself of “limitation of freedom of expression”, the response of the Google video platform arrives. “The channel received three strikes over 90 days for the publication of content that violates our rules on disinformation in the medical field relating to Covid-19 introduced, in the spring of 2020, in accordance with the commitments made with the institutions of the ‘EU to fight coronavirus-related disinformation, ”a YouTube spokesperson said. “According to our Community Guidelines, having received three strikes, the channel has been permanently removed from YouTube.” THE WORDS OF MESSORA, BYOBLU
According to Messora, interviewed by Fatto Quotidiano, there would be a persecution by YouTube against those who make information online. “Online censorship, beyond what happened to ByoBlu, is a huge issue. It distorts the transparency of public debate, which is governed by laws and institutions. I am talking about Article 21, as well as the laws on defamation and the Order of Journalists. They are responsible for complying with the regulations in force in our State, not YouTube or social networks, which therefore disregard the regulations of our legal system and act through an algorithm in an unconstitutional way, deciding what we can or cannot talk about and censoring the rest “. THE CODE OF CONDUCT OF THE ORDER OF JOURNALISTS
With an update of its code of ethics, the Order of Journalists had established the integration (effective from 1 January 2021) according to which “the journalist avoids sensationalism in the publication of news on scientific topics that could give rise to fears or unfounded hopes having care to indicate the time needed for further research and experimentation; it also takes into account, if there is no certainty regarding a topic, the different positions in the field and the various analyzes in compliance with the principle of completeness of the news “. Furthermore, it states, “it disseminates health and scientific news only if verified with qualified sources of both national and international character as well as with Italian and international research bodies, highlighting any information that turns out to be untrue”.YOUTUBE RULES
As you can read on the dedicated page on Google, (“Rules on disinformation in the medical field relating to Covid-19”) “YouTube does not tolerate contents that spread disinformation in the medical field, in contradiction with the information provided on Covid- 19 by local health authorities or the World Health Organization (WHO). These measures are limited to contents in contradiction with the guidelines provided by the WHO and by the local health authorities ”. BYOBLU ON THE LAND DIGITAL
Meanwhile, following the closure of the YouTube channel, Messora has activated a fundraiser for the purchase of a frequency on digital terrestrial, so “Byoblu and DavveroTV will enter the homes of all Italians, from Sicily to Valle d’Aosta”, yes reads on the site. The goal of 150 thousand euros was reached in about 24 hours and at the moment (19:00) the fundraising for ByoBlu TV has exceeded 225 thousand euros.
