YouTube Finally Issues Response to Logan Paul Controversy
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It only took nine days, but YouTube finally released a statement regarding Logan Paul and the disturbing video he uploaded on Dec. 31, featuring the deceased body of a man who committed suicide in Japan’s “Suicide Forest.”
Published on Twitter Tuesday, YouTube’s statement ridiculed Paul while addressing their own silence on the matter that rang so loud over the past week and a half:
Many of you have been frustrated with our lack of communication recently. You’re right to be. You deserve to know what’s going on. Like many others, we were upset by the video that was shared last week. Suicide is not a joke, nor should it ever be a driving force for views. As Anna Akana put it perfectly: “That body was a person someone loved. You do not walk into a suicide forest with a camera and claim mental health awareness.”
We expect more of the creators who build their community on @YouTube, as we’re sure you do too. The channel violated our community guidelines, we acted accordingly, and we are looking at further consequences. It’s taken us a long time to respond, but we’ve been listening to everything you’ve been saying. We know that the actions of one creator can affect the entire community, so we’ll have more to share soon on steps we’re taking to ensure a video like this is never circulated again.
Speaking to Polygon, a YouTube representative further confirmed that the video in question did violate the site’s community guidelines and should incur a strike against the channel. As of this writing, it is unclear if a strike has been placed on Paul’s account.
While it is nice to hear that the video sharing mega-giant has been listening to its community while remaining silent during all the fallout, the lack of speed in their response can only be described as frustrating. When PewDiePie is quicker to condemn something as divisive as Paul’s video, which has since been removed, some recalculation in messaging might be needed.
Logan Paul goes to ‘’suicide forest’’:
WoAH wE f0UNd ded GuY here!!!!!
s0 cRaZy!
lEMme jUsT zOom in oN tHis F0r tHe Vl0gOK guYs seRiousLy , lEAve a like if yur sad to0..
— pewdiepie ???? (@pewdiepie) January 2, 2018
YouTube’s response comes after Paul’s own apology (which was initially monetized) and announcement to his 15 million subscribers that he’d be “taking time to reflect” on Jan. 3. He’s been silent on the internet ever since.
taking time to reflect
no vlog for now
see you soon— Logan Paul (@LoganPaul) January 4, 2018