The MSM is having a conniption fit over Elon Musk’s criticisms of former Twitter staff, especially Yoel Roth, Twitter’s former Head of Trust and Safety.

Roth, as you probably know, is one of the key figures in the controversies surrounding censorship on Twitter. Musk initially tried to keep him on board, hoping that he could work with the guy. This was a mistake because Roth was part of the problem, not part of the solution. Roth left and has been bashing Musk constantly.

There are many criticisms of Roth that have been made, but the most damaging one is that until Musk took over Twitter was seemingly indifferent to the posting and trading of Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) material on the site–kiddie porn. Ed wrote a bit about this controversy earlier today, and I have written about Twitter’s failures in this regard as well.

It really isn’t a secret that Twitter did a poor job removing CSE materials prior to Musk’s takeover; this was a widely known problem. Twitter was far more focused on removing conservative speech than removing CSE. I will have more to say about that in a future piece.

But what hasn’t until recently gotten much attention is Roth’s specific interest in CSE material. We have no direct evidence that he was a connoisseur of the vile stuff, but he certainly had an interest in the boundaries of acceptability regarding children and sexual material.

In Roth’s Twitter feed and in his PhD thesis the subject comes up a lot. His thesis was written about his own use of the gay hookup app Grindr, and in it he suggests that Grindr would be a useful app for gay kids to socialize. He never suggests that kids and adults should hook up, but he did see Grindr as an appropriate venue for children.

For this Musk and others have implicitly or explicitly criticized him, and the connection between Twitter’s CSE problems and Roth’s rather lackadaisical attitude toward child sexual exploitation seems easy to infer.

The MSM has gone nuts, claiming that even bringing this up is putting Roth in danger. In fact, every criticism Musk has made of any of his high profile employees puts them “in danger.”

Major media outlets attacked a HIGH SCHOOLER for less a few years ago, without any evidence, and didn't do anything of the sort.

Your double standards are showing. https://t.co/1jbG7kamEs

— Pradheep J. Shanker (@Neoavatara) December 12, 2022

This is the trope–it is “stochastic terrorism” to criticize the wrong people. The highlighting of some failing is a call to violence. This is a common accusation any time a liberal gets criticized.

I found this out in April when I had the temerity to criticize Vijaya Gadde and the Washington Post accused me of inciting racist attacks against her https://t.co/5YhkjUOfKV

— Saagar Enjeti (@esaagar) December 11, 2022

Yeah, right. Let’s put this in some perspective, MSM. Nicholas Sandmann.

You remember Sandmann. He was the kid who went to Covington Catholic school and was smeared by everybody in the MSM, up to and including promoting actual violence against him. A CNN host actually posted this on Twitter.

CNN decided not to punish him for it, although they settled an enormous lawsuit for an undisclosed sum of money. Sandmann was asking for $250 million.

Nicholas Sandmann wasn’t a high profile figure who chose to deplatform the President of the United States, give seminars and interviews around the world, appear on TV to defend questionable choices. He was a high school kid. And the media created a hatestorm that literally did threaten his physical safety.

Blue Check Acela Corridor journos suddenly very worried about turning people into public hate figures. pic.twitter.com/XtoUfIyPkk

— Rhode Islander (@rhodeislander) December 12, 2022

Sandmann barely got an apology for it. Because he wore the wrong hat.

So the next time you hear some high and mighty figure defend a prominent Lefty from criticism based upon the “putting them in danger” line, remember what they did to Nick Sandmann.

They don’t give a whit about “safety” for the powerless. They just want you to shut up. That was Roth’s whole job–shutting you up.

Guys… I don’t think they’re handling this @elonmusk thing well. pic.twitter.com/au0Nld2Kst

— Marina Medvin 🇺🇸 (@MarinaMedvin) December 12, 2022