YouTube has provided an update on its latest measures to combat coronavirus misinformation and keep its users informed amid the growing crisis.

Its main initiative on this front is added information panels which direct users to authoritative information, while its also providing ad credits to relevant bodies. 

As explained by YouTube:

“We’re using our homepage to direct users to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other local authoritative organizations around the world to ensure users can easily find updates. We’re also donating advertising inventory to governments and NGOs in impacted regions, who are using it to spotlight timely, helpful information.”

YouTube is also working to remove videos that include misinformation and/or disinformation, while it’s also upping its capacity to host live-streaming.

In addition to this, YouTube is making a special exclusion to its sensitive event policy, in order to enable selected YouTubers to monetize videos which discuss the outbreak.

“We know many of you have had questions about our sensitive events policy, which currently does not allow monetization if a video includes more than a passing mention of the coronavirus. Our sensitive events policy was designed to apply to short-term events of significant magnitude, like a natural disaster. It’s becoming clear this issue is now an ongoing and important part of everyday conversation, and we want to make sure news organizations and creators can continue producing quality videos in a sustainable way. In the days ahead, we will enable ads for content discussing the coronavirus on a limited number of channels, including creators who accurately self-certify and a range of news partners.”

Given the scope of the coronavirus situation, a heap of content is now focused on the issue. As such, YouTube’s policy easing in this case makes sense.

YouTube says that the new exemptions will be in place “within the coming weeks”.