Headline RoundupMay 28th, 2020

Trump Signs Executive Order on Social Media Companies

Executive Order, Social Media, Twitter, Online Censorship, Donald Trump, White House, Politics

Summary from the AllSides News Team

President Trump, whose tweets opposing mail-in voting were recently fact-checked by Twitter, signed an executive order Thursday afternoon asking federal regulators to reexamine a law protecting internet companies from lawsuits aimed at their content. Trump said the order is intended to protect users form being unjustly censored; any subsequent legislation would reportedly be likely face extensive legal challenges. Left-rated outlets focused more on criticisms of the move; right-rated outlets generally concentrated more on the specifics of the order. Updated 5/28/2020 at 5:02 p.m.

Featured Coverage of this Story

From the Left

Trump launches his salvo against social media — will it land?

Politico

See rating details

Politico

News

President Donald Trump's attempt to punish companies like Twitter, Google and Facebook for alleged anti-conservative bias takes aim at the online industry's most-cherished legal protections — but the shot could ultimately be a glancing blow.

Trump announced the action Thursday, signing an executive order that he said would “defend free speech from one of the greatest dangers" — tech platforms that have amassed "unchecked power to censor, restrict, edit, shape, hide, alter virtually any form of communication between private citizens or large public audiences."

“We can't allow that to happen,”...

Open on Politico

From the Center

Trump considering legislation that may scrap law that protects social media companies

Reuters

See rating details

Reuters

News

President Donald Trump said he will introduce legislation that may scrap or weaken a law that has long protected internet companies, including Twitter and Facebook, an extraordinary attempt to intervene in the media that experts said was unlikely to survive legal scrutiny.

Trump signed an executive order on Thursday afternoon after attacking Twitter for tagging his tweets about unsubstantiated claims of fraud in mail-in voting with a warning prompting readers to fact-check the posts.

Trump said we may “remove or change” a law kown as section 230 through legislation so...

Open on Reuters

From the Right

President Trump Signs Executive Order Regulating Social Media Companies

Townhall

See rating details

Townhall

News

President Trump intends to sign an executive order on Thursday regarding social media and big technology companies. The order comes on the heels of a fact-check on the president from Twitter, related to President Trump’s sentiment regarding voting by mail.

The president is using section 230 of the Communications Decency Act to back up his grievance with social media companies, a provision which intends to allow free speech to flourish by shielding providers from liability. Under current laws, social media companies such as Twitter and Facebook are not held liable...

Open on Townhall

Possible Paywall

More headline roundups