LOS ANGELES -- Louis Cole, the YouTuber behind the travel vlogging channel FunforLouis, is not having a fun week.
The British influencer has made headlines in outlets ranging from Vanity Fairto Gawker -- but not in a good way.
Here's a look at the drama surrounding the 33-year-old.
Endless roads and epic landscapes! #worldjump
Cole is a British filmmaker and YouTube personality. His channel (FunForLouis) is followed by more than 1.8 million people.
In a press release, his reps describe him as "one of the most influential travel 'vloggers' on the internet."
In the past, Cole's done sponsored content deals with big brands such as KitKat and Doritos.
He's been associated with fellow British vloggers, including the controversial former prankster Sam Pepper (though there was an apparent falling out).
He's currently dating YouTuber Raya.
This week, Cole released a video series about his travels to North Korea. Seven videos, to be exact.
Credit: youtube“I’m trying to focus on positive things in the country and combat the purely negative image we see in the Media," he wrote in his description for the series.
However, many people are angry because he focuses on the "positive things" while failing to mention any of the negative aspects of North Korea. The country, of course, has been repeatedly used for satire purposes (perhaps the most controversial example came in 2014 with The Interview).
Bu Cole's videos -- which showcase everything from water parks to "playing with local kids" -- ignore the country's problems and the repressive regime of Kim Jong-un.
Human Rights Watch reports that North Korea’s abuses are “without parallel in the contemporary world.”
Credit: phillip defranco/youtubeCole focuses on solely the positive elements of the country, after going on a curated, controlled tour.
Some are calling him ignorant, saying these videos push a false narrative.
Others call him irresponsible for showcasing these videos to a massive following. While he's not a journalist, he has an audience. And putting out one-sided videos can be problematic.
Plus, if people count views as payment (which many in the YouTube world do), then it can be argued that Cole is getting paid to promote North Korea.
One fellow travel vlogger, Chris Prouse, has this to say:
"Hey Louis. Love your channel, and I'm a long-time fan of your adventures. I appreciate that you're showing us a different part of the world, and North Korea might have built monuments that are symbolic of unity ... but it's pretty hard to ignore North Korea's human rights violations, and I hope it's something you mention after the trip, for the sake of helping people gather a balanced, informed view of what's happening there ... because everyone should be able to feel at peace, enjoy life, and live the adventure :) ."
Even Phillip DeFranco, known for his popular YouTube news show, weighed in.
At about two minutes into the video, DeFranco breaks down the drama.
"The problem becomes that if you are just trying to keep it positive, keep it chill, you're actually doing it a service," he says. "It's like if you go into a giant mansion and there's like horrible things happening in a ton of the rooms, like people are starving to death, there's rapes, there's murders. But your guided tour only takes you to like the indoor heated pool, and the room with the Xbox."
"And then you leave and you only talk about the cool stuff and people are going to say 1) you're either ignorant to the reality of the situation or 2) you're purposefully presenting it in this positive light which is actually bad because it shows the owner of the house, Kim Jong-un, as a good person and the other people that resided there as regular people who aren't victims."
DeFranco's theory on why Cole didn't acknowledge the bad is because he "doesn't want to screw over the guy that got him there." He also is "in a weird place" because the videos are already out there.
That's right, before Cole there was Jacob Laukaitis, who posted this video two weeks ago.
When reached by email, Laukaitis told Mashablehis video is different than Cole's series because it "does not show the daily life in North Korea or the daily life of North Koreans. No one should have an opinion on those things based only on my video. It simply shows what we were allowed to see on a day to day basis. If someone's interested to learn more about North Korea, they have to watch other documentaries and read books."
The backlash toward Cole, he feels, may be a result of Cole not understanding "how sensitive this topic is to millions of people around the world for various reasons."
In general, Laukaitis doesn't view his video as propaganda.
"At the beginning of the video I explain the rules tourists face in North Korea, such as: 'You are only shown what they want you to see,' 'Everything you do has to be approved by your guides,' 'Every time you want to take a picture of something you have to ask for permission' and some others," he said. "Then I advise people to take it with a pinch of salt and judge it for themselves. At the end of the video I sort of summarize the experience as eye opening in the sense that millions of people don't have as much freedom as I do and that's why I shouldn't take mine for granted."
Some believe that the platform, known for its democratic "broadcast yourself" nature, has evolved into more of a network, and therefore should take more responsibility for what creators are posting.
YouTube did not respond to Mashable'sresponse for comment.
"Cole is reveling in a Potemkin village, ignoring what's behind the facade," Phil Robertson, Human Rights Watch deputy director of the Asia Division, told Mashablein an email. "But what's most astonishing is Cole arrogantly thinks his guided tour qualifies him to criticize what he characterizes as negative 'media' portrayals that are based on the work of journalists who have actually dug well beyond what a tour guide tried to spoon feed them."
Cole declined Mashable'sinterview request on Tuesday. Instead, he uploaded a video to YouTube Wednesday morning saying there is "no truth" in the headlines about the videos being North Korean propaganda.
Also: he does "not agree with the North Korean ideologies."
But he does"care for and love the people there."
He then goes on to explain the goals of his overall channel, and how the trip to North Korea aligns with what he normally posts.
"I want to connect with local people, learn about the culture and the country," he says. "I'm not an investigative journalist, I don't really do political commentary ... so this trip to North Korea ... I went on as a tourist. We went on an organized tour."
He acknowledged that he does know "what's going on out there, I'm not being naive to it all." He doesn't apologize for the video series itself, but he does note he should have encouraged viewers to do their own research on the country before viewing his videos.
His reps sent the following press release (yep, the underlined part was actually underlined):
"This allegation is categorically untrue. The videos were in no way paid for, commissioned or influenced by any political or government body.
Louis' videos are an extension of himself, capturing his personal views and experiences of the people, cultures and places he visits. Rather than taking a journalistic approach, Louis chooses to focus on the positive aspects of his adventures. This is fueled by his belief that there is beauty to be found wherever one might go, for those who are adventurous enough to look for it.
This trip to North Korea was inspired by a friend who has been on seventeen trips to North Korea since 2007, running humanitarian and relief work in communities which need it. The purpose of this trip was to join a team of volunteers in teaching local tour guides and children how to surf and skateboard, as part of an annual surf camp which first launched in 2014.
Louis saw this as a unique opportunity to be immersed in the culture. His goal was to help, and to connect with, local North Koreans in a meaningful way. With this in mind, it was Louis' desire and intention that his videos honor the excellent community work done by the organization and its volunteers. It was not his intention to gloss over or dismiss any negative issues that plague the country, and he apologizes if his vlogs came across that way. Again, that was not the intention.
Felix Abt, a business affairs specialist who lived in North Korea for 7 years, once said about the country 'if you have no presence in the country, you cannot influence anything for the better.' This sums up Louis' sentiments."
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