YouTube pulls Heritage interview with Virginia mom who challenged school board over COVID policies

Conservative think tank Heritage Foundation said Friday that YouTube has removed from its media outlet an interview with a Virginia mother talking about the spread of COVID-19 in classrooms, which the video-sharing platform deemed "misinformation." 

The interview is with northern Virginia resident Merianne Jensen and conducted by Heritage's media outlet, the Daily Signal, after Jensen gave an impassioned speech about the impact of continuing COVID mandates on her children's education.

In the interview, as in the initial speech, Jensen discusses what she considers the minimal risk the virus poses to school children.

"COVID is not being spread in the classrooms," she said. "It is not being spread by children."

The interview was posted to the Daily Signal's YouTube page and amassed close to 60,000 views before being removed on Friday for what You Tube said was a violation its COVID-19 "medical misinformation policy." 

Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts suggested YouTube's decision shows the power of Big Tech and its ability to essentially censure what it considers mis- or dis-information, 

"This is why Big Tech needs to be held accountable," he said. "Merianne Jensen is a loving and caring parent who wants what’s best for her family. Who is YouTube – or any corporate actor – to think they have a right to silence her point of view?"

Jensen says she is "just a parent standing up on behalf of my children, and hopefully giving other parents a voice."

Heritage also points out that one of its tech policy research fellows, Kara Frederick, a former executive at Facebook, recently published a report in which she discusses the overwhelming threat posed by Big Tech and its grip on modern society. 

The full Jensen video can be seen on the Daily Signal's Rumble page.