On April 1, the Daily Mail posted a news article with a slightly over the top title. Be sure to keep in mind that this is a professional media site that has titles like “Google blood money: Web giant cashes in on vile seven-minute video showing ‘knife expert’ penetrating a stab vest like the one worn by murdered Westminster PC.” Also this is not an April Fools Day joke.

This article stirred up a bunch of drama over the old media that all seemed to be bashing the creator, Jörg Sprave. The article on the Daily Mail states that the video “shows viewers how to kill someone in a stab vest.” The Daily Mail also directly accused his video of having “UK jihadis use such material for training.” In response to this massive overflow of unjust hate, from readers and news sources both, YouTube has taken down the video and left his channel with a strike (which prevents many crucial functions for a content creator.)

After the takedown of his video, Sprave released a video stating that it was with a homemade knife and a cheap, low quality vest. He also stated that the importance of a high quality vest and for all body armor makers to address this flaw.

This whole situation is ironic due to the original writer Simon Murphy, wrote an article teaching people how to smuggle knives onto planes. However, the irony doesn’t end there: in 2013 the Daily Mail also made an article praising Sprave and his channel.
In my opinion, this as the first of many lashes that old media is going to do towards new media to stay relevant. This is very similar to when television was starting to get popular and resulted in being excessively targeted by radio and even demonized to an extent by them. The best and quickest way to resolve this wrong doing is to apologize and possible give a shoutout to Sprave’s YouTube channel.