Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz took a jab at the Vox video producer whose criticisms of commentator Steven Crowder and YouTube have led to the demonetization of multiple accounts.
“This is ridiculous. YouTube is not the Star Chamber — stop playing God & silencing those voices you disagree with. This will not end well,” Cruz tweeted Thursday.
Carlos Maza said Cruz was in the wrong because he is “coming to the defense of someone who spent two years calling me a ‘lispy queer.'”
In response, Cruz said, “This individual claims to be a ‘journalist.’ Then he throws a fit & demands that YouTube CENSOR views he doesn’t like. Here’s a crazy idea: if you don’t like what @scrowder says, ARGUE AGAINST HIM.”
Sigh. This individual claims to be a “journalist.” Then he throws a fit & demands that YouTube CENSOR views he doesn’t like. Here’s a crazy idea: if you don’t like what @scrowder says, ARGUE AGAINST HIM. Make your case in what John Stuart Mill called the “marketplace of ideas.” https://t.co/uzhMqz3lv5
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) June 6, 2019
“Journalists” should know this. As Benjamin Franklin observed, “Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.” #FreeSpeech https://t.co/KgIkcG9OXq
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) June 6, 2019
YouTube’s new rules have affected many accounts for promoting content that YouTube has deemed hateful, in the aftermath of Maza’s campaign. Journalists and even a history teacher have been caught up in the enforcement and demonetized.
Ford Fischer, editor-in-chief of News2Share, told the Washington Examiner, “This really hurts my baseline budget as an independent content producer. I don’t have any salary or outside funding, so YouTube revenue was a big part of my operation. My channel functions as building blocks for documentaries and news. My work has been used in Academy Award- and Emmy-winning films.”
YouTube’s new policy prohibits videos that “justify discrimination, segregation or exclusion based on qualities like age, gender, race, caste, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status.”
