During my trip to Twitter’s headquarters, I stumbled across several Twitter Files—internal company documents made public by CEO Musk—that shed light on this matter. For years, Twitter executives provided favored access to a pack of select technology and “disinformation” reporters, giving them insider entrée to new products, responding quickly to their reporting needs to identify and suspend “disinformation” accounts—even helping one Washington Post reporter shut down an account that delved into her background as a wealthy child of privilege who attacked conservatives. In another example, CNN reporters requested that Twitter alter their algorithm to create a “read only mode” to guard them from criticism.
By changing Twitter’s culture and firing the majority of employees, Musk severed these ties between Twitter executives and privileged journalists—relationships that were so close one executive referred to some journalists as “our reporters.” Reporters who were close to Twitter, returned the favor to company executives by giving them positive press—even helping the company deal with lawmakers by relaying drafts of pending bills and providing advice on product development.
[It wasn’t just CNN and Vox either, but also Fox News that had those privileged ties under previous management. It seems very clear why mainstream media journalists are so relentlessly negative about Twitter now. Some of this is locked behind a paywall at Substack, although a generous amount exists before the lock, but more can be found on Thacker’s Twitter account this morning. — Ed]
2. During my trip to Twitter's HQ in San Francisco, I uncovered several documents that explain why reporters now hate Twitter 2.0
Musk fired their friends and cut off their privileged access. pic.twitter.com/IWijDT71Fs
— Paul D. Thacker (@thackerpd) May 17, 2023
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