YouTube Punishes Dr. Drew (Again)
Dr. Pinsky's push to interview canceled voices runs afoul of Big Tech censors
Dr. Drew Pinsky isn’t a Culture Warrior. He’s a board-certified physician and addiction medicine specialist.
His willingness to hear both sides of a debate, particularly controversial takes on issues like COVID-19, plunged him head first into the censorship wars.
And he’s often on the losing side of the ledger.
This time last year, Dr. Pinsky shared how YouTube punished him for sharing fact-based information about his experiences with COVID-19 vaccines.
…YouTube put another strike on my channel because I showed an unedited pic of my spontaneous raccoon eye after my J&J vaccine. I even said “the CDC states COVID-19 vaccines are safe & effective.” Are medical doctors not allowed to discuss medicine anymore?
Dr. Pinsky spoke at length about his negative reaction to the vaccine on various podcasts and how he eventually recovered.
The co-host of “The Adam and Dr. Drew Show” revealed via Instagram the latest Big Tech attack on his ability to debate hot-button issues. He shared the following message about a new strike on his YouTube platform.
Except he couldn’t reveal exactly why the social media giant struck down his latest video. He explains why below.
View this post on Instagram
I speak to you today from YouTube purgatory, that limbo between the usual functioning of an open & free democratic society — and one that suffers under totalitarian oppression, caused by government overreach and stunning collusion with corporations & media.
Without explaining the rules and without one example of @AskDrDrew broadcasting “harmful” content, #TeamYouTube seems to be taking a hostile position against my channel…OUR channel. By deciding to treat us this way, YouTube is essentially cancelling debate and claiming to be arbiters of truth and medical science.
But we’re ‘striking’ back at YouTube for now. We’ll stream on @rumblecreators, Facebook & Facebook instead, Join us where speech is free, debate is permitted, and truth is amplified. Go to rumble.com/drdrew and watch us live! Or find us where you listen to your podcasts!
Naysayers will grumble that Dr. Pinsky’s message is still reaching the public via those alternate, freedom-friendlier platforms.
Yes and no.
The former is true because Dr. Pinsky’s opinions can still be shared on alternative outlets … for now. The latter? The number of people who use YouTube daily outstrips sites like Rumble by sizable margins.
That means far fewer people will hear Dr. Pinsky’s views in the public arena (and that’s by design). Only those shrewd enough to seek his wisdom on rebellious platforms will hear them in toto.
By the way, you can still access countless videos exploring the Trump-Russia connection on YouTube even though it’s been repeatedly debunked.
Some Fake News is perfectly acceptable to Big Tech censors.
Dr. Pinsky isn’t a fired-up influencer seeking clicks. He’s a medical expert with decades of experience in the pop culture trenches. He began contributing to an early version of radio’s “Loveline” as a medical intern, realizing teens don’t always seek help from medical professionals.
They occasionally trust media voices more.
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So he became that voice, a calm, reasonable guru who shared the latest information on AIDS, sexual abuse and more via his syndicated “Loveline” program.
Now, he regularly rails against COVID-19 misinformation alongside former “Loveline” co-host Adam Carolla on their podcast platform. His comic partner has no qualms about inserting himself into the culture wars, witness his essential 2019 film “No Safe Spaces.”
Dr. Pinsky has always been more cautious, less willing to inflame the public or start arguments out of thin air. The current tenor of the times, where reasonable debates are silenced on major Big Tech platforms, changed Dr. Pinsky’s thinking.
Now, if someone is kicked off of a major tech platform for sharing the “wrong” opinion, Dr. Pinsky wants to hear them out.
That makes him dangerous in the eyes of Big Tech and the mainstream media. He’s in the same camp as Jimmy Dore, Ice Cube, Joe Rogan and Russell Brand. They’re all free thinkers willing to ask tough questions of anyone with the expertise, and curiosity, to challenge authority.
It’s why Dr. Pinsky’s YouTube battles have only begun.