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YouTube has admitted it made the wrong call by deleting Novara Media for several hours today.

The independent publisher – one of the 50 most watched UK news and politics channels on the video-sharing platform – was deleted for several hours without warning or an explanation. The Novara Media channel has an average of 64,000 views each day.

It had been taken down after one of its videos was flagged by a user. Although it is common that videos are removed for violating YouTube policies, it is unusual for a media channel to be pulled. However, in August, Sky News Australia was videos about Covid.

“Novara Media’s channel was briefly removed after it was flagged, but upon review, it was then immediately reinstated,” A YouTube spokesperson said.

“We work quickly to review all flagged content, but with millions of hours of video uploaded on YouTube every day, on occasion we make the wrong call.”

YouTube uses a combination of automated tools and human monitors to police content on its platform, removing content that violates its policies. 

Here is what YouTube told Novara Media why their channel had been removed:

However, as Novara Media contributing editor Ash Sarkar pointed out, this doesn’t explain why the whole channel – rather than the flagged video – was removed.

“Unaccountable tech giants should not be able to censor regulated journalism. It’s that simple,” she tweeted.

YouTube’s move to suddenly delete Novara Media will concern media outlets that heavily rely on social media platforms to reach wider audiences and commercialise content.

The decision has alarmed politicians, journalists and media commentators across the political spectrum, who joined a Twitter campaign to #ReinstateNovara.

This included Labour MPs Zarah Sultana (Coventry South), Richard Burgon (East Leeds) and Nadia Whitthome (Nottingham East) and Greens MP Caroline Lucas (Brighton Pavilion) joined a campaign to #ReinstateNovara.

The decision to delete Novara received support from high-profile commentators across the left and right, including Owen Jones, Paul Mason, Peter Stefanovic, Dan Wootton and Julia-Hartley-Brewer, among others.

Wootton said: “This is a disgraceful decision by YouTube. The Novara mob have been desperate to down GB News from the off, but I very much respect their right to a platform and free speech. Big tech censorship is officially out of control.”