About one-third of all American adults regularly turn to YouTube for their news. Since the 2020 presidential race, the platform has done just that guidelines have been relaxedallowing greater dissemination of political disinformation. A new report highlights YouTube’s election lie problem, as well as who benefits most from it.
The report was released by Watchdog on October 31 Media Affairs for America shows the extent to which election-related lies spread via YouTube in the months leading up to the November 5 election. The organization counted at least 286 videos containing false information about the 2020, 2022 and 2024 US elections from May to August, from 30 prominent right-wing channels. This live-streamed and pre-recorded content was collectively viewed at least 44 million times.
The videos cover a wide range false accusationsincluding democrats who are the upcoming elections against Trump, Kamala Harris stealing the Democratic nomination from Joe Biden via a ‘coup’, and rampant illegal voting of undocumented Americans. About 30 percent of Media Matters flagged videos were also monetized through a combination of pre-roll ads and paid promotional content.
Video monetization can bring income to individuals who are largely shunned from mainstream media. For example, Rudy Giuliani is considered the “most prolific election misinformer” responsible for 77 of the 286 videos reviewed. Trump’s disbarred former lawyer appears to have relied mainly on YouTube’s lax guidelines to make further claims voter fraud And Democratic “cheating” this past summer after the cancellation of his radio shows.
YouTube first announced a crackdown about election conspiracy theories in December 2020, but reverse course in June 2023. At the time, the company justified its decision by arguing that “while removing this content will curb some misinformation,” the company was more concerned about the “unintended effect of restricting political speech without risking violence or other real damage.”
[Related: YouTube restricts kids’ ability to see some gun content.]
According to YouTube Policy page on election disinformationthe platform still prohibits misleading viewers about voting times, locations and eligibility, as well as about candidate claims and incitement to disrupt election integrity. But while false US election-related accusations continue to get free access, YouTube for some reason still maintains a ban on disinformation related to the 2021 German federal elections, as well as the 2014, 2018 and 2022 Brazilian presidential elections.
“Certain types of misleading or deceptive content that poses a serious risk of serious harm are not allowed on YouTube,” the company claims on its guidelines page, before later warning viewers: “Please note that this is not a complete list .”
“YouTube and other social media platforms have repeatedly capitulated to right-wing pressure in the US – including rolling back policies and reinstating bad actors on the platforms – while right-wing media and politicians falsely accuse the platforms of being biased against them” , says Kayla. Gogarty, a research director at MMFA who oversaw the new study, said in a statement Popular science.
“Users should remember that bipartisan experts say U.S. elections are secure, and they should rely on information from local and state officials and double-verify all online news using reputable sources,” Gogarty said.