YouTube Removes Conspiracy Theory Video About Parkland Shooting
Fake news isn't just something funny to say on Twitter; the spread of conspiracy theories can have major consequences. YouTube has now removed a video that falsely insinuated David Hogg, a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and vocal advocate for gun control following the recent mass shooting, is an actor. According to Variety, the video, entitled “DAVID HOGG THE ACTOR….," was reportedly removed at approximately 11 a.m. EST on Wednesday morning.
The video shows David being interviewed by the CBS Los Angeles affiliate about a video he took of a fight in Redondo Beach, California, in 2017. It quickly became the number one trending video on YouTube before users called for it to be removed. In a statement to Variety, a YouTube representative explained that the clip was not initially flagged because it contained footage from a reputable source. The statement said, “This video should never have appeared in Trending. Because the video contained footage from an authoritative news source, our system misclassified it. As soon as we became aware of the video, we removed it from Trending and from YouTube for violating our policies. We are working to improve our systems moving forward.” The same YouTube user who posted the video in question has also posted other videos, including one titled “David Hogg Can’t Remember His Lines When Interviewed for Florida school shooting," which have also reportedly been removed, according to Variety.
David has become a target of conspiracy theorists (among their claims: that David was coached for interviews by his father, who worked for the FBI, and that he has been paid by anti-gun groups) after appearing in TV interviews following the Parkland attack, in which he calls for political action to end gun violence. The 17-year-old recently appeared on television and defended himself against conspiracy theorists. "I'm not a crisis actor," he told Anderson Cooper on CNN Tuesday. "I'm someone who had to witness this and live through this and I continue to be having to do that." He added, "I'm not acting on anybody's behalf."
At least 17 people died in the shooting that took place at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Wednesday, February 14. For information on how to help those affected, click here.
Teen Vogue has reached out to YouTube for comment.
Related: Parkland Students Are Saying What Adult Politicians Won't
