Chris Cuomo banned on TikTok for COVID and Gaza coverage

(NewsNation) – Chris Cuomo’s TikTok account was temporarily suspended and then restored within 24 hours, raising questions about the platform’s content moderation practices.

A host of NewsNation TV, Cuomo’s account was permanently suspended for violating TikTok’s “integrity and authenticity” policy. The ban came after several of his videos on topics such as COVID-19, domestic violence and the war in Gaza were flagged and removed.

According to Isabelle McCauley, Cuomo’s producer, the removed videos contained content about COVID-19 vaccines and symptoms.

McCauley suggested that TikTok may have interpreted these videos as misinformation, despite Cuomo’s approach of letting people tell their stories and letting the audience decide.

The account was restored after Cuomo appealed the decision and contacted his contacts at the company. A TikTok spokesperson confirmed the restoration, citing the appeals process.

McCauley said the production team used workarounds to avoid content flagging, such as intentionally misspelling keywords like “COVID” and “vaccine.” She attributed the ban to those tactics not being used while she was away.

Cuomo has since decided to stop using coded language in his posts, stating: “We’re going to use normal language. Let’s tag them and then let’s fight.”