YouTube blocks a video...on left wing censorship: Site's algorithm blacklists educational footage

Last month, YouTube was accused of censorship after it emerged it has been removing the ability for users to make money from their videos if they express politically incorrect or offensive views.

And the latest video to fall victim to the site's new censorship rules is, ironically, one on left wing censorship.

The video, titled 'The Dark Art of Political Intimidation', was placed in 'restricted mode', making it inaccessible to schools, libraries and those with a YouTube filter.

The PragerU series is the brain child of radio host, Dennis Prager, who wanted to give students an alternative take on history.

According to its website, PragerU's mission is 'to explain and spread what we call "Americanism" through the power of the Internet.'

On YouTube, PragerU has five-minute videos that 'clarify profoundly significant and uniquely American concepts for more than 100 million people each year.

'These values are Judeo-Christian at their core and include the concepts of freedom of speech, a free press, free markets and a strong military to protect and project those values.'

The video was posted last week by Kimberly Strassel, a columnist for the Wall Street Journal, as part of the PragerU series, and explained why 'intimidation, harassment, and blackmail have become the norm in American politics'. 

The Wall Street Journal wrote in a post: 'Within several hours of PragerU posting the video, YouTube placed it in "restricted mode", making it inaccessible to schools, libraries and young Americans whose parents have enabled YouTube technology filters.'

A spokesperson for YouTube told the Wall Street Journal that 'video restrictions are decided by an "algorithm" that factors in "community flagging" and "sensitive content'".

This suggests that the algorithm was activated by people flagging the video, and in the process doing exactly what the video accuses people of doing.

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