Musk, after shouting 'Freedom of Expression'... blocks journalist's Twitter account

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Twitter, the social networking service (SNS) led by CEO Elon Musk, who has emphasized 'freedom of expression,' blocked the accounts of prominent media journalists such as those from The New York Times (NYT) and CNN, Bloomberg reported on the 15th (local time).

According to reports, the accounts of journalists including Ryan Mac of NYT, Donie O'Sullivan of CNN, and Drew Howell of The Washington Post (WP) were suspended. Their Twitter accounts displayed messages stating, "Account suspended for violating Twitter rules." These journalists said they had not received any contact or warning from Twitter and were not given any reason for the account suspensions.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

This move by Twitter came just one day after it blocked about 20 Twitter accounts that tracked the private jet routes of celebrities such as CEO Musk and former U.S. President Donald Trump. NYT reported, "Some of the suspended journalists posted or tweeted about the private jet tracking Twitter accounts," and "some also wrote articles criticizing CEO Musk and the Twitter acquisition."

Charlie Stadtlander, NYT spokesperson, issued an official statement saying, "It is suspicious and regrettable that many journalists' Twitter accounts, including Ryan Mac's, were suspended tonight," and "Neither Ryan nor NYT has received any explanation regarding this."

Christine Coratti Kelly, CNN spokesperson, said, "It is concerning but not surprising," emphasizing, "The recent increased instability and volatility of Twitter is something all users should worry about." She added, "We have requested an explanation from Twitter and will reassess our relationship based on their response."

In response to ongoing media coverage, CEO Musk posted on his Twitter account, "It's okay to criticize me all day," but added, "However, publicly sharing my real-time location in a doxxing manner and putting my family at risk is not acceptable." He sarcastically tweeted, "If someone posts the real-time location and address from the NYT article, the FBI will investigate, Congress will hold hearings, and President Joe Biden will give a speech about the end of democracy."

Earlier, since announcing his intention to acquire Twitter in April, CEO Musk has repeatedly emphasized freedom of expression. Immediately after acquiring Twitter, he restored the accounts of former President Trump and U.S. hip-hop artist Ye (formerly Kanye West), whose accounts had been blocked on Twitter. Former President Trump did not return to Twitter, and Ye was suspended again on the 1st after posting Nazi symbols on Twitter.

Meanwhile, Twitter also suspended the Twitter account of Mastodon, considered a rival platform, on the same day.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.