Journalists' Body Call Out YouTube for Removing Media Star Channel

The Delhi Union of Journalists has called out the digital platform YouTube for the sudden termination of the channel Media Star. 

Before YouTube removed the channel, it had accumulated around 820 thousand subscribers; moreover, around 4.9 thousand videos had been posted on the channel. 

The Delhi-based channel "offered world news and views on current affairs, with a particular focus on West Asia affairs." The channel's viewership has increased in the last two months due to its coverage of the crisis in Gaza. Since the start of the crisis, the channel offered an objective and balanced coverage of the war in Gaza. 

As per MA Kazmi, the head of the channel, they were not given any prior notice/message/warning by YouTube before their channel was terminated. Usually, YouTube sends warnings/notices to channels for violating its policies. These policies could be related to copyright or content. However, in Media Star's case, no such warning was issued by YouTube. 

In its statement, the DUJ deemed the termination of the channel by YouTube a 'political move,' " possibly undertaken under pressure from various quarters." 

While appealing to YouTube to restore the channel, the DUJ statement says, "The DUJ wishes to point out that it takes years of persistent coverage for a small channel to establish a viewership and reputation. Such efforts must not be destroyed at one fell stroke. YouTube must be transparent in all such matters and make public the full reasons for its actions. Arbitrarily closing down a channel is a blow to both democracy and free speech."