Top Twitter Execs Targeted Donald Trump With Ban, Say Twitter Files
Twitter CEO Elon Musk on Saturday backed the release of "Twitter Files 4.0," the fourth installment of a series of confidential internal communications between the platform's senior executives before the Tesla owner took over the social media giant.
Facts
- Twitter CEO Elon Musk on Saturday backed the release of "Twitter Files 4.0," the fourth installment of a series of confidential internal communications between the platform's senior executives before the Tesla owner took over the social media giant.
- Part four of Twitter Files — a Musk initiative to show how Twitter's previous leadership allegedly stifled free speech — was released through independent journalist Michael Shellenberger.
- The previously unseen communications appear to show how Twitter's former Global Head of Trust & Safety, Yoel Roth, tweaked the rules of the platform in order to permanently ban former US Pres. Donald Trump in the aftermath of Jan. 6.
- Shellenberger reported that a few influential Twitter executives decided to create justifications to ban Trump, pursue a policy change directed at him alone, and expressed, "no concern for the free speech or democracy implications of a ban."
- Shellenberger also highlighted that Trump was demonized among Democrats, claiming that, "96%, 98%, & 99% of Twitter staff's political donations went to Democrats in 2018, 2020, and 2022," respectively.
- The revelation comes after Twitter Files 3.0 was released by American author and podcaster Matt Taibbi on Friday — it described how the "Supreme Court of moderation" within the social media platform reportedly issued "content rulings on the fly" to de-platform Trump.
Sources: TRT World, Epoch Times, FOX News, New York Post, Yahoo News, and MSN.
Narratives
- Democratic narrative, as provided by New York Magazine. There's no doubt that Musk's ostensibly apolitical gesture of transparency is aiding a partisan messaging campaign. The earlier versions of Twitter Files could neither disclose how the GOP candidates were placed on blacklists nor indicate how the suppression of Hunter Biden's story created a constitutional crisis. The documents have so far failed to provide evidence showing the political bias of previous management. Yet, they offer substantial insights into how the current CEO uses the platform to promote tendentious, partisan narratives.
- Republican narrative, as provided by The Washington Times. Elon Musk is doing the country a favor by releasing Democratic secrets for every US citizen to examine. The Twitter Files have exposed political corruption, proven that shadow banning was real, and described how the conservatives were often caught in the crossfire. Instead of dismissing the documents as boneheaded statements, the government and US intelligence officials must analyze them to protect national security, avert election theft, and safeguard freedom of speech.
