Editors Guild Seeks Reinstatement of Journalist Ruben Banerjee’s YouTube Channel

The Editors Guild of India has expressed deep concern over YouTube’s abrupt removal of a channel run by its General Secretary, senior journalist Ruben Banerjee, without prior warning or notice. The Odia-language channel Mu Ruben Kahuchhi, launched in September 2024, had gained over 33,000 subscribers by covering social issues and politics in Odisha.
In a statement, the Guild said it was “deeply disturbed that the YouTube channel run by senior journalist and General Secretary of the Guild, Mr. Ruben Banerjee, has been abruptly removed without any prior warning or notice.”

The channel, the Guild noted, is “an Odia-language public-interest journalism platform that covered social welfare, teachers’ issues, women’s self-help groups, and state politics in Odisha. Since its inception, it has garnered more than 33,000 organic subscribers.”

The Guild pointed out that on 4 August 2025 at 11:15 p.m., Banerjee received an electronic communication from YouTube alleging a violation of its “Circumvention Policy” and informing him of the channel’s removal.

“This action was taken without any prior strike, warning, show-cause notice, or disclosure of the specific content or conduct said to constitute the alleged violation—thereby denying him the opportunity to be heard and amounting to a denial of natural justice,” the Guild stated. It further said that Banerjee’s subsequent appeals, including a formal communication to YouTube’s Grievance Officer via his counsel, Advocate Apar Gupta, “have been rejected without explanation, with YouTube citing only its terms of use and offering no transparency or detail.”

Highlighting Banerjee’s professional background, the Guild said, “Mr. Banerjee is a respected journalist, having previously served as Group Editor-in-Chief of Outlook, with earlier stints at The Indian Express, Al Jazeera, and Hindustan Times. The removal of his channel raises serious questions about freedom of expression, platform power, and the lack of clarity in digital governance.”

The Guild also noted that this is not an isolated case. “Recently, award-winning investigative journalist Ms. Poonam Agarwal, who has extensively reported on election-related discrepancies and human rights, had one of her videos removed from YouTube—again, without prior notice or adequate justification. In April, the 4PM News Network—run by journalist Mr. Sanjay Sharma—was blocked in India following a government directive citing ‘national security’ and ‘public order.’


YouTube took the channel down without warning or explanation. Although the channel was eventually restored when the central government withdrew its blocking order in mid-May, this happened only after the network had approached the Supreme Court,” the Guild said. The Guild warned that “such arbitrary actions highlight the dangers of opaque enforcement mechanisms that undermine press freedom in the digital space, and the sweeping control exercised by platforms that now function as near monopolies.”

Calling for immediate action, the Guild urged, “YouTube to immediately reinstate Mu Ruben Kahuchhi and provide a clear and specific explanation for its removal. Any action against journalistic content must be preceded by prior notice, disclosure of reasons, and an opportunity for the creator to respond.”

“YouTube and other digital content platforms must also establish transparent and fair appeal mechanisms so that journalists are not left at the mercy of vague and unilateral decisions. Their responses must be specific and reasoned, not hidden behind opacity. Above all, platforms must recognise the public-interest value of journalism and act with far greater responsibility before taking punitive action against voices that hold power to account,” the Guild added.


Concluding its statement, the Guild reminded that “freedom of expression online is as vital as it is offline. For democracy to thrive, platforms like YouTube must operate with transparency, fairness, and accountability, ensuring that responsible journalism is protected, not punished.” - TWL Bureau