YouTube Pledges $5 Million to Fund 'Positive' Videos Following the Logan Paul 'suicide forest' video controversy, YouTube this week promised to spend $5 million this year funding videos that promote positive social messages.

By Angela Moscaritolo

This story originally appeared on PCMag

via PC Mag

Expect more positivity and less suicide mockery on YouTube in 2018. Following the Logan Paul "suicide forest" video controversy, YouTube this week promised to spend $5 million this year funding videos that promote positive social messages.

In a blog post, YouTube's Head of Public Policy Juniper Downs said the Google-owned company will use the money to expand Creators for Change, a program it launched in 2016 to support YouTubers who are "tackling social issues and promoting awareness, tolerance and empathy" on their channels.

"We will engage more creators in the program, arm the wider YouTube community with new tools and education on how to create change, and empower more young people to use their voices to encourage positive social messages," Downs wrote. As part of the effort, the company plans to provide production and marketing support "to diverse voices harnessing the power and scale of YouTube in groundbreaking, positive ways." Production grant recipients will be announced "in the coming months."

Downs said that Creators for Change videos garnered "tens of millions" of views last year.

"Video is a powerful medium to open minds to new perspectives and shared experiences," he wrote. "And we think Creators for Change in 2018 will reach and inspire even bigger audiences."

The pledge follows the controversy over YouTube star Logan Paul's "suicide forest" video, which sparked major backlash online. The video, which appeared to show a dead body in Japan's infamous Aokigahara forest, also known as "suicide forest," has since been removed.

Following the backlash, YouTube removed Paul from its Google Preferred program, which lets brands run ads on videos from the most popular YouTube channels, according to Hollywood Reporter. The company also cut Paul from the upcoming season of Foursome, a comedy show on its premium YouTube Red service.

"Suicide is not a joke, nor should it ever be a driving force for views," YouTube wrote on Twitter. The company said it's taking steps to "ensure a video like this is never circulated again."

Wavy Line
Angela Moscaritolo has been a PCMag reporter since January 2012. 

Editor's Pick

A Father Decided to Change When He Was in Prison on His Son's Birthday. Now His Nonprofit Helps Formerly Incarcerated Applicants Land 6-Figure Jobs.
Lock
A Teen Turned His Roblox Side Hustle Into a Multimillion-Dollar Company — Now He's Working With Karlie Kloss and Elton John
Lock
3 Mundane Tasks You Should Automate to Save Your Brain for the Big Stuff
Lock
The Next Time Someone Intimidates You, Here's What You Should Do
5 Ways to Manage Your Mental Health and Regulate Your Nervous System for Sustainable Success

Related Topics

Business News

'Do You Hate Me?': High School Teacher Shares Wild Emails He Receives From Students

Jordan Baechler teaches high school students in Ontario, Canada.

Fundraising

Working Remote? These Are the Biggest Dos and Don'ts of Video Conferencing

As more and more businesses go remote, these are ways to be more effective and efficient on conference calls.

Growing a Business

The Best Way to Run a Business Meeting

All too often, meetings run longer than they should and fail to keep attendees engaged. Here's how to run a meeting the right way.

Life Hacks

The Top 5 All-Time Best Productivity Hacks You've Never Heard Of

Want to combat chronic procrastination? Use these top five productivity hacks to put an end to this debilitating nuisance.