I was at George Washington University this afternoon for the Future of Political Communications conference. For the most part, it was no different from any political technology conference — lots of talk about using new tools and repeated pleas for politicians to do more online.

The last panel of the day, however, featured some unusual fireworks when a student from Brandeis University asked panelist Steve Grove of YouTube how his company handled hate-filled videos from jihadist and terrorist groups. The student cited reports by Michelle Malkin and Little Green Footballs about the extreme nature of the videos.

Grove, who was seated beside representatives from MySpace and Facebook, gave the boilerplate answer you’d expect. He called YouTube a “platform” that features all sorts of videos, noting that it’s a “meritocracy,” meaning the best videos bubble up to the top. Finally, he cited free-speech concerns and said YouTube’s policy for removing such videos adequately serves its purpose.

What followed Grove’s answer was utterly amazing. The audience began applauding. The befuddled Brandeis student seemed shocked, looking around the auditorium in disbelief. I, too, was taken aback. Aside from the courtesy applause at the beginning and end of panels, this was the only other time the audience clapped. Could they really be in favor of jihadists and terrorists posting their videos to YouTube?

You won’t find a bigger proponent of free speech than me, but the response I heard today was more than just a free-speech demonstration. When the Brandeis student returned to his seat, two rows in front of me, one of the people applauding stopped him and began to lecture him about why he was wrong to ask the question. She said, “Why didn’t you ask about all the anti-Muslim videos on YouTube?” Their conversation lasted for at least five minutes.

It’s my belief that those who were applauding fail to distinguish between “anti-Muslim” and “anti-jihad.” As Michelle and others have demonstrated, YouTube seems more intent on pulling down their anti-jihad content than what’s being posted by extremists. Unfortunately, Grove didn’t have an opportunity to address that question today.