TVE's double standard on YouTube: some creators blocked, others free to post
Spain's public broadcaster TVE blocks some creators on YouTube while letting others use its full content. A forum complaint has exposed the selectivity in its copyright enforcement.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
TVE's double standard on YouTube: some creators blocked, others free to post
For some, the fact that a private YouTube channel uploads full TVE programmes without any consequences is a legal anomaly; for others, it is proof of a double standard. The debate has peine after a user managed to get the platform to remove several complete videos from Spain's public broadcaster, uploaded by accounts sympathetic to the government. Why can some do it and others not? The answer lies not in the law, but in who applies it.
The legal framework is clear: RTVE owns the rights to its content and has the power to demand removal on YouTube through the copyright system. In practice, however, enforcement depends on the Corporation's will. And that is where the dance begins: while creators critical of the government, such as David Santos, see any fragment taken down, others — such as Javier Ruiz or Juan Cintora, both with pogre profiles — publish entire programmes without being bothered.
The accusation hanging in the air is that TVE acts as a propaganda machine: it allows its material to circulate when it serves a favourable narrative and blocks it when it does not. A recent example is the reappearance of former judge Pérez Rollo, which has reignited the debate over the instrumentalisation of justice and public media. The discussion has raised the question of who controls the Public Prosecutor's Office and TVE's senior officials, and whether that control translates into partisan management of copyright.
The most striking case is that of an anonymous user who got YouTube to remove videos from channels reproducing unedited TVE content. The news was met with scepticism: this is a patch, not a policy change. The predictable outcome is that, when the political climate requires it, the same videos will be re-uploaded with a different justification. Propaganda, like guano, is not easily abandoned.
In short, legality is secondary. What is at stake is the selective enforcement of copyright rules, a symptom of the public broadcaster's capture by partisan interests. Without an independent audit and oversight mechanisms, TVE will remain an internal-use weapon.
For some, the fact that a private YouTube channel uploads full TVE programmes without any consequences is a legal anomaly; for others, it is proof of a double standard. The debate has peine after a user managed to get the platform to remove several complete videos from Spain's public broadcaster, uploaded by accounts sympathetic to the government. Why can some do it and others not? The answer lies not in the law, but in who applies it.
The legal framework is clear: RTVE owns the rights to its content and has the power to demand removal on YouTube through the copyright system. In practice, however, enforcement depends on the Corporation's will. And that is where the dance begins: while creators critical of the government, such as David Santos, see any fragment taken down, others — such as Javier Ruiz or Juan Cintora, both with pogre profiles — publish entire programmes without being bothered.
The accusation hanging in the air is that TVE acts as a propaganda machine: it allows its material to circulate when it serves a favourable narrative and blocks it when it does not. A recent example is the reappearance of former judge Pérez Rollo, which has reignited the debate over the instrumentalisation of justice and public media. The discussion has raised the question of who controls the Public Prosecutor's Office and TVE's senior officials, and whether that control translates into partisan management of copyright.
The most striking case is that of an anonymous user who got YouTube to remove videos from channels reproducing unedited TVE content. The news was met with scepticism: this is a patch, not a policy change. The predictable outcome is that, when the political climate requires it, the same videos will be re-uploaded with a different justification. Propaganda, like guano, is not easily abandoned.
In short, legality is secondary. What is at stake is the selective enforcement of copyright rules, a symptom of the public broadcaster's capture by partisan interests. Without an independent audit and oversight mechanisms, TVE will remain an internal-use weapon.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (17 replies).
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