X (formerly known as Twitter) has abruptly suspended the accounts of several well-known journalists and leftist figures, raising questions amongst media professionals and free speech advocates.
Vice News reports Elon Musk’s social media platform suspended the accounts of several prominent journalists, including Ken Klippenstein, Steven Monacelli, and Alan MacLeod, as well as some left-leaning figures, such as the creators of the TrueAnon podcast and @zei_squirrel, a cartoon squirrel known for media criticism.
The profile of these accounts simply stated they were suspended for violating X rules, but no specific reasons were given.
Some of the accounts were reinstated hours after the suspensions, but X offered no clarification on what led to either the suspension or the reinstatement.
Various high-profile individuals, including George Galloway, a former member of the British Parliament, questioned the suspensions, receiving a response from Musk, who stated that he’d investigate the situation.
I will in investigate (sigh)
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 9, 2024
Alan MacLeod, the suspended journalist mentioned by Galloway, expressed his surprise over the suspensions and provided further context in his personal Telegram channel:
Today, without warning or explanation, Twitter suspended my account. They told me to check my email for a reason, but no email has been forthcoming. I have never even remotely been involved in any controversy/ been reported/ been stuck in Twitter jail before, so I assume the real reason is political, especially as high-profile leftist accounts like Rob Rousseau and Ze_Squirrel were also targeted today.
Suspended journalist Steven Monacelli stated that he was unable to contact Twitter about the issue, sharing a response he received via email that appeared to be filled with errors:
“The only message I received from Twitter was this buggy response to my appeal,” he said.
Monacelli further stated that he believes the interaction between Musk and influencer Jackson Hinkle – seen below – may have resulted in his unbanning. “I think this is the reason I was unbanned. Elon Musk playing customer service rep to a far right misinfo and conspiracy theory poster.”
I will investigate. Obviously, it is ok to be critical of anything, but it is not ok to call for extreme violence, as that is illegal.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 9, 2024
(Apart from the “UN Exemption”, where officials from countries recognized by the UN can say what they say at the UN).
For the record, I do…
This is not the first time X has implemented such bans. In April, the platform permanently suspended Wired reporter Dell Cameron after he solicited the hacked emails of conservative pundit Matt Walsh.
In December 2022, X also suspended the accounts of ten journalists critical of site owner Elon Musk.
Vice stated attempts to reach X for comments were unsuccessful, with an automatic response stating that the platform was “busy” and asking to check back later.
Read more at Vice News here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
