Staff Reports
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a member of the House of Representatives from New York, criticized Elon Musk after the CEO of Twitter suspended the accounts of several prominent journalists.
Among those who have been suspended by Musk are Ryan Mac of the New York Times, CNN's Donie O'Sullivan, and Drew Harwell of the Washington Post. Independent journalists such as Aaron Rupar and Keith Olbermann were also affected.
Musk explained that he had suspended these individuals' accounts due to what he referred to as "doxxing," which is when people reveal non-public information. The move drew criticism from political figures and news organizations.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticized Musk for his actions, calling him an extremely powerful and controversial individual. She also said that he had abused his position by banning journalists. "To be fair, I get nervous when I see people abusing their power and banning journalists.
You’re a public figure. An extremely controversial and powerful one.
I get feeling unsafe, but descending into abuse of power + erratically banning journalists only increases the intensity around you.
Take a beat and lay off the proto-fascism. Maybe try putting down your phone. https://t.co/BniyYUqWMY
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 16, 2022
Musk also banned the Mastodon account, which was advertised as a Twitter alternative. According to NBC, its journalists were unable to link to the platform.
Shortly after he had suspended the journalists, Musk joined a discussion on Twitter Space. He faced off with one of the journalists who had been suspended.
In response to the criticism, Musk said that his latest policy was not created for personal reasons. He explained that it was implemented due to what he referred to as "doxxing."
Despite previously vowing not to follow Musk's private jet, a 20-year-old student from Florida was suddenly suspended by the CEO on Wednesday. His account was reinstated later that evening. Musk vowed to take legal action against the student.
"In response to the incident, Musk posted a message on Twitter, which said that his car was followed and that he was going to take legal action against the individuals who supported the harassment."
Sally Buzbee, the executive editor of the Washington Post, criticized Musk's actions on Twitter.
"She also criticized the way Musk had suspended the account of Washington Post reporter Drew Harwell. He was removed from the platform without any explanation or warning. The journalist had reported accurately on Musk, which she said undermines the claims that the company would be dedicated to free speech."
The preceding is a summary of an article that originally appeared on Washington Examiner.
