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‘What’s the deal?’ Trahan and others blast Musk for suspending journalists on Twitter

Washington, December 16, 2022

‘What’s the deal?’ Trahan and others blast Musk for suspending journalists on Twitter

By: Shannon Larson

US Representative Lori Trahan put the spotlight on billionaire Elon Musk following a whirlwind night on Twitter that saw the accounts of several journalists suspended without explanation.

The Massachusetts Democrat said her team met with members of the social media platform Thursday and was told that the company would not “retaliate against independent journalists or researchers who publish criticisms of the platform.”

Only hours later, the accounts of multiple reporters who have written about Musk’s leadership at Twitter — including a new policy that prohibits users from sharing the live location of another person — went dark Thursday.

“What’s the deal, @elonmusk?” Trahan tweeted Thursday night.

Ben Collins, a reporter for NBC News, chronicled some of the suspensions in real-time Thursday, noting that a number of the affected reporters covered Musk specifically.

They included CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan and the Washington Post’s Drew Harwell, who had outlined in a tweet how Twitter had suspended the account of its competitor, Mastodon, earlier in the day. Accounts of reporters from the New York Times and Voice of America were also suspended.

Harwell later took to Mastodon to share his reaction to what unfolded, saying he received no warning from Twitter before his account was shut down.

In the last few days, Harwell wrote, he posted links on Twitter about publicly available data and Mastodon.

“I report on Elon Musk and other topics for the Washington Post and will keep doing so because free speech and transparency are important for the world,” Harwell said. “Elon Musk is free to ban whoever he wants from Twitter, just like people are free to take their speech somewhere else.”

Since Musk took control of Twitter, a battle has ensued over what constitutes free speech — and who and what should be allowed on the website. The suspension of several journalists marks the latest flashpoint over what will be accepted on the social media platform under Musk’s leadership.

On Thursday night, Musk posted that while “criticizing” him was fine, “doxxing my real-time location and endangering my family is not.”

He has not provided any evidence that journalists were doxxing him.

Musk also tweeted a poll asking when the accounts should be unsuspended, but after the choice of “now” won said he was redoing the survey because it had “too many options.”

The suspension of the journalists’ accounts followed his decision Wednesday to permanently ban an account that tracked the flights of his private jet. The account used publicly available data to do so. Musk later implemented the “doxxing” policy, which said that posting “any real-time location info of anyone will be suspended, as it is a physical safety violation.”

Musk had said in April that he hoped “even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means.”

News organizations affected by the suspensions, such as the Washington Post and CNN, blasted Musk and his policies.

“The suspension of Drew Harwell’s Twitter account directly undermines Elon Musk’s claim that he intends to run Twitter as a platform dedicated to free speech,” tweeted Sally Buzbee, executive director of the Washington Post.

In a statement, CNN said it had asked “Twitter for an explanation, and we will reevaluate our relationship based on that response.”

“The impulsive and unjustified suspension of a number of reporters, including CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan, is concerning but not surprising. Twitter’s increasing instability and volatility should be of incredible concern for everyone who uses Twitter,” CNN said.

In a Twitter Spaces conference chat late Thursday, Musk justified the suspensions by reiterating that the journalists who were banned had doxxed him by “sharing real-time information” about his location. Musk added that journalists “are not special” and wouldn’t receive “special treatment.”

When he received pushback in the chat that the reporters had not posted his address and that it was “highly unusual” for reputable journalists to have their accounts suspended, Musk left the chat without warning.

“You dox, you get suspended, end of story,” he said before signing off.

Musk has also reinstated a number of Twitter accounts that previously broke rules against harmful misinformation and hateful conduct, drawing considerable criticism in the process.

Last month, Senator Ed Markey, a longtime critic of social media companies, blasted Musk’s management of Twitter, which quickly led to an online battle.

Senator Elizabeth Warren has also exchanged barbs with Musk over the the implications of his controversial deal to purchase Twitter, which she has called “dangerous for our democracy.” She has criticized the tech billionaire for reportedly not paying federal income taxes one year.

“I got a real problem with [Musk],” Warren told host Stephen Colbert on “The Late Show” last month.

The suspension of the accounts prompted shock and outrage from those on the platform.

Many said they would move to competitors, like Mastodon, or encouraged others to find other alternatives. Others pondered what the future of Twitter could mean on the national and local level.

Jason Kint, the CEO of Digital Content Next, said if Musk didn’t offer an explanation for the suspensions, he would go to Capitol Hill “demanding that he be hauled in front of Congress,” which Jake Sherman, the co-founder of Punchbowl News, pointed out is “currently empty.”