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Laetitia Birbes, a French videoblogger, has accused YouTube of attempting to “influence” her to ask only “very plain questions” of the top Brussels bureaucrat. Mr Juncker, the president of the European Commission, faced a grilling from a trio of YouTube presenters in a live interview last Thursday. But in a video on her YouTube channel, Ms Birbes - one of the interviewers - last night published secretly-filmed footage of an apparent YouTube employee warning her not to “get on the wrong side of YouTube and the European Commission” before the event. The employee, shown wearing a YouTube-branded T-shirt, was quoted as referring to a potential “red flag” as they discussed her questions.

In the footage, the staffer is claimed to have added: “You don't want to get on the wrong side of YouTube and the European Commission or of the people who trust you. “Well, except if you don't care about having a long career on YouTube.” Ms Birbes said she had then realised the Google-owned website were “expecting me to ask very plain questions and that their aim was to create an advertising opportunity for Juncker”. She added: “I realised that YouTube was trying to influence me, nicely at first, then it went further than that and I felt threatened at some point.” In the hour-long YouTube event with Mr Juncker, the EU official was asked about lobbyists and tax avoidance by Ms Birbes. The videoblogger revealed she decided to take the “risk” of asking Mr Juncker tough questions because she “wanted to be true to myself”.

YOUTUBE EU boss Jean-Claude Juncker was quizzed by Laetitia Birbes last week

I realised that YouTube was trying to influence me French vlogger Laetitia Birbes

In the YouTube video published on her channel last night, Ms Birbes said “something crazy” then happened the day after her interview with Mr Juncker. She claims she was offered a one-year contract worth 25,000 euros (£21,500) to become a YouTube ambassador. Ms Birbes asked whether she was offered the deal to “not talk about” the event with Mr Juncker or if the company had planned to offer her the contract anyway. She said: “I can't sign it.”

Google insisted the YouTube employee had encouraged Ms Birbes to be “respectful” before the interview after she asked for advice. A spokesperson said: “Laetitia had some tough questions for President Juncker and before the interview, asked for our advice on how to phrase them. “Our colleague encouraged her to be respectful, rather than confrontational - that is all that happened here and as everyone can see in the actual interview, she had the opportunity to ask all the questions she prepared.” At a regular press briefing today, the Commission's chief spokesman Margaritis Schinas revealed they were “a bit annoyed” they had become involved in a row they had “absolutely nothing to do with”. The spokesman said: “Our President has spent over 25 years in public life taking questions from the most seasoned journalists of our time on any issue. “He neither needs nor would allow anyone in his name to attempt to soften up questions for him. “We did not seek or receive any questions in advance of this interview, as has always been the case for any interviews the President does. “The President was very pleased with this interview and he thanked… both Debating Europe for having proposed and organised it but also the YouTube creators, the three young persons who came over and asked all the difficult questions they wanted to ask.”

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