On November 29th, 2020, Tesla CEO Elon Musk was involved in a Twitter controversy when he suspended prominent technology journalist Taylor Lorenz’s account. The incident has sparked a debate on the issue of free speech and censorship on the platform and has caused many people to question Musk’s actions.
Who is Taylor Lorenz?
Taylor Lorenz is a journalist who covers the tech industry. She has written for The Atlantic, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Lorenz is known for her coverage of the #GamerGate controversy and her reporting on the 2016 presidential election.
Lorenz was banned from Twitter after she published a series of tweets about Tesla CEO Elon Musk. In her tweets, Lorenz accused Musk of “stoking division” and “attacking the media.” The two have been in a tussle since then.
The ban from Twitter
In early February, tech journalist Taylor Lorenz was banned from Twitter after allegedly violating the platform’s rules. The ban came as a surprise to many, as Lorenz is a well-known and respected figure in the tech industry.
Lorenz has since spoken out about the ban, saying that she believes it was due to her coverage of Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Lorenz has been critical of Musk in the past, and she believes that her ban is a result of Musk’s influence over Twitter.
According to Lorenz, Twitter’s terms of service have not been violated. At the time of her suspension, Lorenz only had three tweets live on her account, one of which was a tweet to Musk. She and colleague Drew Harwell (also banned by Musk earlier this week) were “working on a story involving Musk and hoping to get a comment from him.”
According to Lorenz, after logging in to see if he had responded to our query, he was suspended. “I received no communication from the company about why I was suspended or what terms I violated.”
It was reported earlier this week that Musk banned several journalists from the Washington Post, CNN, New York Times, among others. He claimed they were “doxxing” him by sharing his real-time location, which he called “assassination coordinates.”
After launching a poll on the matter – which showed most people wanted the journalists reinstated – Musk reneged and lifted his ban, even though the affected journalists were supposed to remain suspended for seven days.
The internet was quick to react to the news of Musk’s ban on Lorenz. Many crtiticized Musk. People believe that this ban is in bad taste and against Musk’s own free-speech policy. Due to his policies, people are leaving the platform. Ithink it is the best time to explore other similar apps, like Werfie, which have great potential!
