Elon Musk Clashes With Twitter Files Journo Bari Weiss After She Criticizes Journalist Suspensions

After Bari Weiss claimed that Elon Musk was using Twitter’s power to abuse it, the billionaire quit the company.
After journalists from CNN, The New York Times, and other outlets were temporarily blocked from their Twitter accounts, Musk caused outrage within the liberal media. Musk later claimed that journalists were “doxxing him” and his family. They shared what he called “assassination coordonnées” and gave the location of the possibly most famous person on Earth.

Musk claimed that his son was also followed by a “crazy follower” who “later stopped [the] car moving & climbed onto the hood.”

Weiss avoided the doxxing allegations and instead took aim at Twitter’s “whims” governance. Musk was referred to in her comments: “The old Twitter regime was governed by its own biases and whims, and it sure seems like the new one has the same problem.”

Musk shocked the media when he selected Weiss to be one of his leading journalists for the release of the explosive “Twitter Files”, sparking criticism from The Washington Post among other outlets.

Weiss said, “I oppose them in both cases,” referring to journalist suspensions on old and new Twitter. “And I believe those journalists who were reporting about a story that is of public importance should also be reinstated.”

The journalists who were suspended from Twitter include Donie O’Sullivan (New York Times technology reporter), Drew Harwell (Washington Post reporter), Micah Lee (Intercept journalist), Steve Herman (VOA correspondent), Matt Binder (Mashable writer), Keith Olbermann (ex-MSNBC host) and Aaron Rupar (ex-Vox journalist).

This was an outraged move that drew outrage on Twitter from the left, with some accusing Musk of being a “hysterical dictator”. Others asked: “What happened free speech?”

Musk retorted at Weiss by saying that the decision not to suspend journalists was made for the safety of his son. “What should be the consequence of doxxing someone’s exact, real-time location?” Assume that your child is in the same location as mine.

He followed up with another tweet: Bari, this is not rhetorical, but a real question. Your opinion? Weiss has not yet replied.

Twitter recently removed an account that was dedicated to tracking Musk’s location. Twitter’s billionaire stated that “Criticizing” me is fine. However, “Doxxing my real time location and endangering the family is not” and added that accounts “engaged in doxxing” will be suspended for seven days.

Weiss, who released the “Twitter Files” this year and was a major tech story, further explained her concerns about the suspensions of journalists in a thread. She said, “I have never been swayed [by the ‘Twitter’ argument]” in response to claims that Twitter, a private enterprise, is not subject to the same First Amendment restrictions like the government. Openly, she also questioned whether “any unelected clique or individual should have such power over public conversation.”

Christopher Rufo, a Manhattan Institute colleague, agreed with Weiss. He argued that “Twitter requires a clear and consistent set of rules, which are transparently applied, with the possibility for appeal.”

He said, “Most bans should not be permanent and wide-ranging discourse should be allowed. A broad range of opinions is better than a narrowly defined set of moderators.

Musk later in the afternoon got personal. “Rather than rigorously seeking truth, you’re virtue-signaling in order to show that your are ‘good,’ in the eyes media elite to keep one hand in both worlds.”