Musk restores some journalists' Twitter accounts, the United Nations says it "sets a dangerous precedent"
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| Musk's Twitter |
WASHINGTON — Elon Musk, the CEO of Twitter, stated in the early hours of Saturday (December 17) that the reporter's temporarily suspended Twitter account will be reactivated.
Following Musk's tweet, a number of journalists' accounts, including VOA's top domestic reporter Steve Herman, have been reactivated; however, not all blocked accounts have been done so.
Because the media revealed his private jet's real-time position, Musk said he had to freeze the accounts. He said that it permitted a stalker to abuse one of his kids.
None of the journalists whose accounts were frozen tweeted about Musk's plane's whereabouts while they covered Musk and his decision to shut down the @ElonJet account. Other websites that are open to the public also have this information.
The blocking of journalists' accounts has caused international organizations, human rights groups, and journalists to express grave concern.
According to UN spokeswoman Stephane Dujarric, "at a time when journalists throughout the world confront censorship, physical threats, and more," the practice of unilaterally "freezing accounts" is "extremely alarming."
The freezing of journalistic accounts has also drawn the attention of the European Union. The suspension of the account is concerning, according to Vera Jourova, vice president for values and openness at the European Commission, who also noted that "EU law on digital services mandates respect for press freedom and the basic rights of individuals." Our press freedom laws further safeguard such rights.
She suggested that Musk should be aware of. She declared, "The sanctions are there, and the red line is there, too." The
The Committee to Protect Journalists also voiced its worries, underlining that it would be "a significant breach of the principle that journalists do not have to fear reprisal" if journalists were punished for their reporting and had their accounts blocked.
The freedom to report news in the given situation.
According to a statement released by Human Rights Watch's head of technology and human rights, Frederike Kaltheunet, "closing an account on the grounds of privacy or security alone cannot be justified." The location is open to the public, and Musk is a well-known individual with links to both industry and government. His locations, if they are revealed by a flight tracker, will likewise be made public, and any danger to his safety will be disclosed. People tweeting do not present a risk.
On her official Twitter account, National Association of Professional Journalists President Claire Regan raised worry over the suspending of accounts since they were "contrary to Musk's attitude on the site." maintaining our dedication to free expression. We'll keep an eye on developments and fight for free speech and the press across the board.
The suspension of its reporter Herman's account prompted a response from Voice of America, which emphasized that "Mr. An accomplished journalist who adheres to the highest journalistic standards and uses the social media platform as a news gathering and networking tool, Mr. Herman has not received any explanation from Twitter for the suspension of his account. Mr. Herman covered both home and foreign events as the lead domestic correspondent, and
His ability to carry out his responsibilities as a reporter was hampered by Twitter's suspension of his account. Nearly 59% of respondents, according to the study, want these accounts reactivated right away. Musk tweeted the results and stated that "the people have spoken."
Musk said that Twitter was operational again in a post sent early on Saturday morning. He has engaged in conversations with several journalists concerning his habit of freezing select journalists' accounts in voice group chats on the Twitter platform. Twitter's group conversation feature was disabled when Musk went offline.
