Headline RoundupDecember 16th, 2022

The Twitter Files: Proof of Censorial Partisanship or Deceptively Overstated?

Summary from AllSides News Team

Evidence recently shared as part of the “Twitter Files” shows how Twitter employees restricted the visibility of some conservative commentators, and held nebulous meetings with the federal government about content moderation. Is this proof of bias at Twitter, or are the potential wrongs being exaggerated?

For Context: Since assuming ownership of Twitter, Elon Musk has recruited independent journalists to comb through and publish previously private decisions and discussions between Twitter employees regarding company protocols and limiting the reach of certain accounts. Musk says these are efforts to increase transparency at Twitter. 

Deceivingly Overstated?: Major left-leaning news outlets have spent very little time covering the content of the releases, which suggests that they don’t view them as newsworthy. An article by The Atlantic (Left bias) highlighted the lack of context surrounding the conversations released, and describes Elon Musk as “trolling” and “whipping up a crowd that’s eager to cry censorship and shadowbanning”. 

Proof of Partisanship?: Many right-rated voices say the Twitter files confirm suspicions that strong partisan bias at Twitter fueled unjust suppression. A writer for The American Conservative (Right bias) called for "real investigations and hearings about election interference and government instigated censorship."

In the Middle: In reaction to the Twitter Files, one Vox (Left bias) writer concluded that "some reflection may be called for about what constitutes misinformation and what constitutes opinions people may have about policy in a free society."

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