Rooster Teeth Announces Ongoing Deletion of Old Content “We No Longer Feel Comfortable Hosting On Our Platforms”
Rooster Teeth, one of the companies behind the recent Transformers: War for Cybertron, has announced that the company will be reviewing and removing content from their video libraries that they “no longer feel comfortable hosting on our platforms.”
This decision was announced through Rooster Teeth’s official Twitter account.
They wrote, “Today as part of a larger content review process, we are removing some videos that we no longer feel comfortable hosting on our platforms.”
Rooster Teeth added, “We took an honest look at 17+ years of videos, many of them made live and uploaded on a daily basis, and concluded some do not fit the ethos of our company today and are counterproductive to the work we are striving to do be more inclusive of all people.”
They continued, “We aspire to entertain our existing community while fostering connections with broader diverse audiences. Any content that doesn’t do that doesn’t belong on our platform.”
According to the company, “this review is ongoing,” with Rooster Teeth noting that they will “continue to remove content if we so choose.”
This shift towards self-censorship was done entirely voluntarily by the Rooster Teeth staff. Also worth noting, that does not appear to have resulted from any particular incident or accusation.
In the community post linked at the end of their Twitter thread, Rooster Teeth explained that this decision was made “to ensure a more diverse, inclusive and equitable Rooster Teeth” following the company’s endorsement of the #BlackLivesMatter movement in June.
Their statement read in part, “Today, as part of the broader representation and inclusion goals of our company, we are reviewing our content library and removing some videos we no longer feel comfortable hosting on our platforms.”
RoosterTeeth would go on to say, “We took an honest look at 17+ years of videos, many of them made live and uploaded on a daily basis, and concluded some do not fit the values of Rooster Teeth today and are counterproductive to the work we are striving to do to be more inclusive of all people.”
The company would go on to note how their endorsement of #BlackLivesMatter affected this shift toward self-censorship, “In June we stated #BlackLivesMatter and said we were working on a plan to ensure a more diverse, inclusive and equitable Rooster Teeth.”
The statement continued, “We want to be transparent about what we’ve accomplished and what we’re still working on”. They’d go on to cited examples showcasing how their Head of Legal & Business Affairs, “has expanded her responsibilities to include Diversity, Equality & Inclusion(DEI). She is partnering with Senior HR leader Stephanie O’Connor, who comes to us from Fullscreen.”
They also stated, “We have also hired an outside DEI consultant, Ingrid Hadley. Together, Laney, Stephanie and Ingrid are laying the groundwork for our DEI strategy and initiatives going forward.”
The company concluded their statement by assuring audiences that “this is by no means our last update on the topic of diversity, equity and inclusion” and asking fans “to hold us accountable and offer your feedback.”
As of writing, it is unknown which videos, if any, have been removed or are slated for future removal.
It also remains to be seen if this new direction for Rooster Teeth will lead to a change in the company name, as ‘Rooster Teeth’ is a double entendre referencing the vulgar insult “cock bite.”
What do you think of Rooster Teeth’s shift toward self-censorship?
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