YouTube Purges Estimated 15,000 Videos from Christian Media Channel ‘theDove’
By Movieguide® Staff
According to CEO and President of theDove Perry Atkinson, YouTube removed thousands of videos posted to the Christian media network’s channel.
Atkinson noted that the video-sharing platform took down an estimated 15,600 videos. YouTube had notified theDove that their content violated its Community Guidelines and their channel exceeded the “three strike” limit.
Moreover, Atkinson said that the frequency of flagged videos increased after the election in November, and in January after the Capitol Hill riot.
On Facebook, theDove’s mission statement reads:
Our Mission is simple; theDove exists to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ though all media platforms. To provide hope and encouragement for the seeker, and to affirm faith and encourage growth in the life of the believer.
Our Vision is large; to reach as many people as possible with the life changing and eternal message of Jesus Christ; and to train up the next generation Christian media professional.
Unfortunately, YouTube sees the channel’s overlap into politics as a violation.
According to NewsWatch 12, theDove received its first strike in January, resulting in a one-week suspension from the platform. Their strike second came in February, which earned the account a three-week suspension. On March 22, the final strike resulted in a total purge of theDove’s content.
“In accordance with our long standing three-strikes system, we terminated the channel theDove for repeatedly violating our COVID-19 misinformation and presidential election integrity policies,” YouTube spokesperson Ivy Choi said in a statement. “Any channel that violates these policies will receive a strike, which temporarily restricts uploading or live-streaming. Channels that receive three strikes in the same 90-day period will be permanently removed from YouTube. If a channel owner feels the strike was made in error, they can appeal the decision.”
According to Atkinson, theDove appealed each of the stikes, but YouTube denied reinstatement and access to their banned videos.
“We are dealing with two fairly significant law firms, one in Washington D.C. and one in California, to see if there’s any recourse we may have to retrieve our 15,000 videos,” Atkinson said. “We are looking into three other platforms as to whether or not we can re-establish a way to distribute our videos.”
Despite YouTube’s censorship, theDove continues to persevere.
“TheDove and our message will not be silenced. Please help us get our content on a new streaming service,” the page reads. “Thank you for helping us turn cancellation by YouTube, into a victory for Free Speech.”