RNC Youtube Chat Pulled Over AntiSemitic Comments
Antisemitic Comments Lead to Closure of Live Chat Feed
If you want watch the final round of the Republican National Convention, but you're one of those cookie millenials who doesn't own a television or you've made the decision to cut the cord, fear not. You can live stream tonights events, right through Trump's final digression, via the YouTube live stream.
The live stream has been up since Monday and YouTube will partner with the Democratic National Convention next week in Philadelphia to offer the same service. YouTube beta tested the live stream and chat during the 2012 political conventions.
What you won't find on this year's RNC stream is the real-time chat feed that supposed to accompany audio/video for the ultimate second screen experience.
That's because the RNC was forced to close the live chat portion of its YouTube live stream Monday evening after several participants posted anti semitic comments on the feed. The comments included ethnic slurs and offensive emoticons directed at Jewish people.
The comments began after Linda Lingle, former governor of Hawaii, mentioned Trump's Jewish outreach during her convention speech Monday evening.
Many convention speakers, including Trump's running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, have explicitly endorsed both the Trump campaign's and the Republican Party's support for Israel.
The live chat was not reestablished by order of the RNC.
It's all fun and games until someone loses a chat feed.
Jim Wertz can be reached at jWertz@ErieReader.com, and you can follow him on Twitter @jim_wertz.