By John Ikani
Twitter on Thursday evening suddenly suspended several high-profile journalists who cover the platform and Elon Musk, one of the richest people in the world, who acquired the company just a few months ago.
The accounts belonging to CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan, The New York Times’ Ryan Mac, The Washington Post’s Drew Harwell and other journalists who have covered Musk aggressively in recent weeks were all abruptly permanently suspended. The account of progressive independent journalist Aaron Rupar was also banned.
The suspensions, which happened without prior warning late on Thursday, came as Musk accused journalists of endangering his family by “doxxing”, or disclosing nonpublic information, about his location.
“Criticizing me all day long is totally fine, but doxxing my real-time location and endangering my family is not,” Musk wrote on Twitter, adding that “the same doxxing rules apply to ‘journalists’ as to everyone else”.
Musk went on to tweet that the accounts banned Thursday posted “my exact real-time location, basically assassination coordinates, in (obvious) direct violation of Twitter terms of service.” NBC News was unable to verify that allegation.
He later added that the suspensions would last seven days.
The suspension drew expressions of concern from the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN and press freedom advocates.
Sally Buzbee, editor-in-chief of the Washington Post, said Harwell’s suspension “undermines Elon Musk’s claim that he intends to run Twitter as a platform dedicated to free speech”.
Also Reacting to the development, EU commissioner Vera Jourova warned that the EU’s Digital Services Act requires respect of media freedom.
“Elon Musk should be aware of that. There are red lines. And sanctions, soon,” she tweeted.
She said: “News about arbitrary suspension of journalists on Twitter is worrying.
“[The] EU’s Digital Services Act requires respect of media freedom and fundamental rights. This is reinforced under our Media Freedom Act.”
The sanctions could be applied under a new Digital Services Act, which is currently going through the EU Parliament but could be in force by next year.
Under the terms of the proposed new law, the EU Commission will be allowed to impose fines of up to 6% of the global turnover of a service provider that it finds breaks its rules.
In extreme cases the EU could ask a court to suspend a rogue service, but only if it is “refusing to comply with important obligations and thereby endangering people’s life and safety”.
Musk, a self-described free speech absolutist, has pledged to encourage a diversity of views on Twitter and tackle what he views as its liberal bias under the platform’s previous management.
Since taking over the platform in a $44bn deal in October, Musk has slashed Twitter’s workforce, overhauled its moderation policies and restored previously banned accounts, including that of former US President Donald Trump.
