Twitter has suspended journalists who reported on Elon Musk and company

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A picture of new Twitter owner Elon Musk is surrounded by Twitter logos in this Nov. 08, 2022 photo caption in Warsaw, Poland.

STR | NoorPhoto | Good pictures

Twitter on Thursday evening suspended several high-profile journalists who had covered the company and Elon Musk. Some messages indicate that the accounts are “permanently suspended”.

Suspensions come a day later Twitter changed its policies around accounts tracking private jetsIncluding one owned by Elon Musk.

Accounts by Ryan Mack of The New York Times, Tony O’Sullivan of CNN, Drew Harwell of The Washington Post, Matt Binder of Mashable, Micah Lee of The Intercept, Voice of America’s Steve Herman and independent journalists Aaron Ruber, Keith Olbermann and Tony Webster All were suspended till Thursday evening.

The Twitter account for Mastodon, which was charged as an alternative, was suspended Thursday evening.

Musk hinted that the suspensions stemmed from the platform’s new rules banning private jet trackers, responding to a tweet by Mike Solana, vice president of venture capital firm Founders Fund.

 

“Criticizing me all day is perfectly fine, but not spoofing my real-time location and endangering my family,” he added. Another tweet.

In early November, shortly after taking control of Twitter, Musk tweeted That he won’t ban his jet tracking account.

A Twitter account tracking Musk’s jet, @ElonJet, has been suspended and while some people have tweeted about its availability on Mastodon, it was not immediately clear why the accounts were suspended.

As of Thursday evening, Twitter accounts operated by NBC News journalists were unable to tweet any links to the Mastodon pages.

A spokeswoman for The New York Times called the suspensions “questionable and unfortunate,” adding that neither the magazine nor the news organization had been given an explanation for the ban.

“All of the journalists’ accounts have been restored and we hope that Twitter will provide a satisfactory explanation for this action,” said Charlie Stadtlander, the Times’ director of communications.

Before being suspended, Lee said in a text message that he tried to tweet a link to the Mastodon account tracking Musk’s jet, and tweeted a screenshot instead.

Rupar wrote in Substock His account was permanently suspended but he had no other information.

“I haven’t heard anything from Twitter,” he wrote.

He noted that on Wednesday he tweeted a link to Musk’s jet-tracking Facebook page.

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A spokesperson for CNN said the suspensions were “impulsive and unjustified” — but not surprising.

“Twitter’s increasing instability and volatility should be incredibly worrying for everyone who uses Twitter,” the network said in a statement. “We’ve asked Twitter for an explanation and will review our relationship based on that response.”

Binder, a technology reporter for Mashable, said he was suspended after CNN’s O’Sullivan, another suspended reporter, tweeted a screenshot of the LAPD report.

“I’ve been at it since 2008. I’ve never gotten a slap on the wrist because I’ve always followed the rules,” Binder said. It’s not hard to do if you know what the rules are.

Binder said his account notified him he was permanently suspended.

“That’s what he criticized Twitter for doing before,” Binder said of Musk.

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Musk He tweeted on Wednesday evening: “Any account doxxing someone’s real-time location information will be suspended as it is a physical security violation. This includes posting links to sites with real-time location information.”

Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass., Tweeted He met with Twitter representatives on Thursday and said the company would not take action against journalists who criticize the platform.

“Within 12 hours, several tech reporters have been suspended. What’s the deal, @elonmusk?” Trahan added.

The suspensions come as Musk backed away from his promise to run Twitter as a free-speech platform. Accounts associated with the QAnon movement and other far-right groups while banning others.

domestically, He dismissed critics His policies from the company.

The suspensions add to a tumultuous two days for Twitter after the company first suspended an account that tracked Musk’s jet.

Musk threatened legal action against 20-year-old Florida college student Jack Sweeney after he said a “stalker” confronted him in the car carrying his child in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

Musk did not provide any evidence implicating Sweeney or his account. He did not provide the time or place in the metropolitan area where the claimed incident occurred.

Rep. Ro Khanna says Twitter is a modern public square and journalists should not be censored

Sweeney told NBC News on Wednesday that he had not received any notice of the legal action, and that his bot last tweeted anything on Dec. 12, saying, “It wasn’t last night, so I don’t understand how it’s connected.”

The Los Angeles Police Department said Thursday that no police reports were filed.

“LAPD’s Threat Management Unit is aware of Elon Musk’s situation and tweet and has been in contact with his representatives and security team. No criminal charges have yet been filed,” Police Public Information Officer Lizeth Loney said in a statement Thursday. Evening.

There are other law enforcement departments that cover parts of the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

This is a growing story. Check back for updates.

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