Youtube has removed the viral video of a wuhanvirus press conference held by doctors Daniel W. Erickson and Artin Massihi, owners of Accelerated Urgent Care in Bakersfield California.
The doctors at the hour-long presser claimed that the virus is less deadly than previously thought, and does not warrant the lockdown measures imposed by states across America and the world.
They backed up their assessments with data directly collected from the field. According to the doctors, as they watched the news in China in January, they knew the virus was on its way. They ordered many wuhanvirus tests because they knew they would need them. They tested many thousands of people, and discovered for themselves what epidemiologists around the world are saying: wuhanvirus came here earlier than previously believed, and is more prevalent than current official statistics show.
Erickson also warned at the press conference, “If you’re going to dance on someone’s constitutional rights you better have a good reason, you better have a really good reason, not just a theory. The data is showing us it’s time to lift (the stay-at-home orders) so if we don’t lift, what is the reason?”
Erickson and massihi are experienced medical professionals who have 40 years of hands-on experience in dealing with viruses and respiratory infections.
Video of that press conference posted by 23ABC garnered more than 5 million views on YouTube. But youtube removed the video on Monday nearly a week after the press conference.
Critics slammed Youtube for blatantly wielding their near-monopolistic power against free expression on the internet. Many noted that the World Health Organization which the Silicon Valley giant cites as authority is deemed corrupt and biased in favor of the communist regime in China. WHO is also under investigation by the Trump admonistration.
In a tweet, US Senator Ted Cruz slammed Youtube decision to remove the video. "YouTube & Google should NOT have the power to censor speech—partularly on critical issues of concern. The doctors’ views here aren’t fraud. If YouTube disagrees, argue ON THE MERITS. Don’t abuse monopoly power—and special congressional liability immunity—to become speech police," he wrote.
Fox news' Tucker Carlson also ripped into Youtube and big tech in general for following communist China's authoritarian model against free expression.
"Looking back when all of this is finally over,...it's likely we'll see this moment - what youtube just did - as a turning point in the way we live in this country, a sharp break with 250 years of law and custom." Carlson said.
He added, "The video was not pornographic.... It didn't break any law. The only justification for taking it down was that the two physicians on screen had reached different conclusions from the people currently in charge. It was a form of dissent from orthodoxy. Youtube and its parent company Google have now officially banned dissent... It's ridiculois."
Carlson in that segment also addressed an article in the Atlantic written by two far left academic fascists who called for the United States to adopt China's restrictive anti-free speech regime.
He concluded, "those in power are the ones the our professional class seeks to protect, not the country. Freedom of conscience never endangers the public. It only threatens the powerful. It endangers their control. It hinders their ability to dictate election results, to loot the economy, to make policies based on whim for their own gain. No wonder our leaders have done such a poor job protecting us from China. They’re on the same team."
Here is a statement released by Youtube: “we quickly remove flagged content that violate our Community Guidelines, including content that explicitly disputes the efficacy of local healthy authority recommended guidance on social distancing that may lead others to act against that guidance. However, content that provides sufficient educational, documentary, scientific or artistic (EDSA) context is allowed -- for example, news coverage of this interview with additional context. From the very beginning of the pandemic, we’ve had clear policies against COVID-19 misinformation and are committed to continue providing timely and helpful information at this critical time.”