Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Jul 24, 2025

‘Big Tech can & WILL censor everyone’: YouTube temporarily deletes prominent leftist news channel Novara Media, triggering outcry

YouTube wiped Novara Media – a left-wing news and commentary channel – from its platform, before reversing the move shortly after right and left media call YouTube to restore the channel. Conservatives, already used to Big Tech’s censorship, were not surprised. “Where they burn books, they will also ultimately burn people.” So wrote Heinrich Heine before Germany lost it’s democracy 85 years ego

“This morning the Novara Media YouTube channel was deleted without warning or explanation,” Novara tweeted on Tuesday.


“Novara Media is among the top 50 most watched news and politics channels in the UK,” the statement continued. “We play an important public service role and regularly feature interviews with politicians, human rights campaigners, scientists and activists from around the world. We are regulated by IMPRESS in the UK.”

The channel was reinstated around two hours later, but a massive outcry had already erupted. Leftists, including sitting Labour MPs, were dismayed at what they thought amounted to blatant censorship. “Unaccountable tech giants should not be able to censor regulated journalism,” Novara editor Ash Sarkar tweeted. “It’s that simple.”




Yet for those on the right, the news came with a side of irony. Sarkar has mixed views on the existence of so-called “cancel culture,” alternately describing the phenomenon as fictional, an example of social justice in action, “a way to demonise the process of culture changing,” as well as actual censorship of dissenting voices. With her own outlet apparently canceled, right-wingers reminded her that those advocating for censorship will inevitably fall victim to it.


“Big Tech can & WILL censor everyone, irrespective of your socio-political perceptions of moral superiority,” commentator Dominique Samuels wrote.




YouTube has long been accused of censoring right-wing channels and creators, and the wider tech and social media industry is perceived by many to be biased against conservatives. Yet leftist outlets – some of which proudly supported the censorship of right-wing voices – have found themselves canceled too, suggesting that anti-establishment thought in general is frowned upon by the tech giants.

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, all major platforms have stepped up their censorship efforts, focusing mostly on so-called “misinformation” surrounding the virus and vaccines. YouTube has banned all “harmful vaccine content” and introduced a “Covid-19 medical misinformation policy,” which sets out a wide range of forbidden topics regarding the coronavirus. The video sharing platform, a subsidiary of Google, has banned two of RT’s German-language channels for supposedly violating this policy, deleted a chart-topping video by anti-Joe Biden rapper Bryson Gray for allegedly peddling “medical misinformation,” and temporarily suspended the account of a sitting US senator for questioning the effectiveness of cloth face masks.

The censorship crackdown is not limited to YouTube. Twitter this week censored two US congressmen for calling transgender Admiral Rachel Levine “a man,” and Facebook – which already heavily restricts so-called “hate speech” and “health-related misinformation” – is facing calls to step up its censorship game from ‘whistleblower’ Frances Haugen and lawmakers supporting her demands to further regulate speech on the platform.






Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
×