By David Ingram and Ben Goggin

YouTube said Monday that it had removed a video of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
speaking with podcast host Jordan Peterson for spreading what the company
said was vaccine misinformation.

The decision is the latest challenge for Kennedy as he seeks to find
support for a Democratic presidential run after years as an anti-vaccine
crusader. The video was removed amid a broader tug-of-war online between
vaccine conspiracy theorists and prominent doctors.

YouTube�s policies against hosting false medical information are long-
standing.

"We removed a video from the Jordan Peterson channel for violating
YouTube�s general vaccine misinformation policy, which prohibits content
that alleges that vaccines cause chronic side effects, outside of rare
side effects that are recognized by health authorities," YouTube said
Monday in a statement.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announces Democratic 2024 presidential bid
April 19, 202301:20

Peterson, a right-wing Canadian pundit and psychologist known for his
attacks on feminism and racial diversity, recorded the video as a podcast
for The Daily Wire, a conservative media outlet.

Kennedy and Peterson criticized YouTube on Sunday for removing the 95-
minute video. They accused the company of interfering with a presidential
election campaign.

"Should social media platforms censor presidential candidates?" Kennedy
asked on Twitter, where the video remains online.

It was not the first time Kennedy has lost access to social media
accounts for spreading health misinformation. Last year, Facebook and
Instagram cited the same reason when they suspended Children�s Health
Defense, an anti-vaccine group that Kennedy founded.

At least one clip of the interview still appears on TikTok. A
representative for TikTok did not immediately have a comment.

Several members of the Kennedy family have distanced themselves from his
anti-vaccine positions, writing in an op-ed in 2019 that he had "helped
to spread dangerous misinformation."

Kennedy has sought out uncritical media outlets; last week, he gave a
three-hour interview to podcaster Joe Rogan and offered false information
or unsubstantiated allegations on a variety of subjects, including Wi-Fi
technology.

Dr. Peter Hotez, a vaccine specialist, took to Twitter on Saturday to
criticize that interview, after which Rogan fired back by inviting Hotez
to debate Kennedy on the show. Rogan said he would give $100,000 to
charity if Hotez agreed.

Hotez, a dean at Baylor College of Medicine, declined, saying in an
appearance on MSNBC that appearing alongside Kennedy would turn the
discussion into �The Jerry Springer Show.�

The back-and-forth became a leading topic for weekend political
discussion on Twitter, as tech billionaires Elon Musk and Mark Cuban
chose sides. Hotez said anti-vaccine activists confronted him at home
Sunday asking him to debate Kennedy.

YouTube and other social media platforms have taken a hard line against
false medical information since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic,
highlighting advice from official sources and removing posts that they
said threatened public health.