YouTube shuts down Palestinian Media Watch

YouTube decided to shut down the Palestinian Media Watch (“PMW”) account, because it shows heinous and disgusting videos.  The problem with YouTube’s decision is that PMW doesn’t create these heinous and disgusting videos.  Instead, they are products of the Palestinian media, and PMW makes them available so that Americans can see their tax dollars at work, and so that the world can understand the belief systems driving an enemy implacable to Israel, Jews, Christians, Americans, gays, women, etc.

In other words, PMW isn’t promoting the views in the videos, it is exposing them.  YouTube either fails to understand this significant difference or, worse, it does understand it, but doesn’t want the ugliness underlying Palestinian culture to be so openly displayed.

Right now, PMW’s emergency email shows that it doesn’t have a game plan for counteracting YouTube’s attack on its work.  It seeks input from supporters, who might suggest tactics for reestablishing the account.  As far as I’m concerned, though, writing to YouTube and explaining the difference between creating hate speech and exposing hate speech is a useful start.