‘Twitter Files’ journo Matt Taibbi: Musk proved to be ‘very disappointing’ on free speech

Journalist Matt Taibbi, known for his work on the "Twitter Files," has expressed disappointment in billionaire Elon Musk's stance on free speech issues. Taibbi, along with others who worked on the "Twitter Files," initially held optimistic views about Musk's commitment to free speech absolutism when he bought the platform. However, Taibbi believes Musk has fallen short of this promise, particularly in his treatment of Substack writers, including himself.

During an appearance on NewsNation's "Cuomo," Taibbi highlighted Musk's actions in disenfranchising Substack writers and criticized the lack of attention to this issue in the press. Taibbi himself is an independent journalist writing on Substack, and he was involved in publishing the "Twitter Files," which included internal communications from Twitter executives discussing handling the New York Post's story on Hunter Biden.

Taibbi's comments came in response to an excerpt from former CNN host Don Lemon's interview with Musk, where Lemon questioned Musk about his platform's responsibility to moderate hate speech. Taibbi found it ironic that Lemon, who initially agreed to have his show on Musk's platform and claimed to believe in free speech, was now questioning Musk about moderating legal speech.

Ultimately, Taibbi's remarks underscore the complexities and challenges surrounding free speech issues on social media platforms like Twitter and the expectations placed on platform owners like Musk.

18.03.24

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