New York: Elon Musk rung in the changes after taking charge at Twitter in late October, but he hasn’t been able to stick to all his decisions.
In his latest flip flop, the billionaire maverick was forced to reinstate Twitter accounts of several journalists which had been suspended after he accused them of endangering his family.
Musk’s decision to stall the accounts of some prominent journalists from leading media companies like the New York Times, CNN and Washington Post had triggered widespread protests and condemnation.
Media organisations, the European Union and United Nations criticised Twitter’s move.
“News about arbitrary suspension of journalists on Twitter is worrying,” EU commissioner Vera Jourova posted on Twitter, warning that the social media platform may be subjected to hefty fines.
“Elon Musk should be aware of that. There are red lines. And sanctions, soon,” Vera added.
UN chief Antonio Guterres’s spokesperson described Musk’s decision as a “dangerous precedent at a time when journalists all over the world are facing censorship, physical threats and even worse.”
Musk obviously took note of all the reactions and carried out a Twitter poll asking whether he should restore suspended accounts now or in a week’s time. About 59% of the 3.69 million responders said the accounts should be restored now.
“The people have spoken. Accounts who doxxed my location will have their suspension lifted now,” the Twitter owner tweeted.
The latest controversy originated when Musk suspended @elonjet, an account that tracked flights of his private plane.
Musk defended his move saying a car in Los Angeles carrying one of his children was followed by a “crazy stalker”.
Some journalists reported on the issue, including tweets linking to the suspended @elonjet account, which Musk said amounted to offering “assassination coordinates” against him and his family.
