By Kristy Puchko | Social Media | August 8, 2018 |
By Kristy Puchko | Social Media | August 8, 2018 |
Alex Jones promotes a vicious conspiracy theory that the Sandy Hook tragedy never happened. He insists liberals made up the horrific shooting deaths of 20 children to promote an anti-gun agenda. Jones calls grieving parents “crisis actors,” and his attacks on the grieving parents of these murdered children has forced some to move into high-security communities to avoid the harassment and threats Jones’ website Info Wars has incited. And now, some of those parents are suing Jones for defamation.
After years of this repugnant behavior, some tech companies have finally had enough of Jones’ misinformation and propaganda. Apple removed five of six InfoWars podcasts from iTunes; Spotify pulled them too. Jones and InfoWars have also been banned by Youtube, Facebook, Linked In, and Pinterest. And all of this has put pressure on Twitter to follow suit.
Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and Apple have removed Alex Jones and InfoWars from their platforms. Should Twitter follow suit?
— NYT Opinion (@nytopinion) August 6, 2018
Surprise. The social media platform that claims helplessness in the face of online harassment performed by bigots and Nazis has stood by Jones. Twitter founder Jack Dorsey put out a statement on the matter as a thread.
We didn’t suspend Alex Jones or Infowars yesterday. We know that’s hard for many but the reason is simple: he hasn’t violated our rules. We’ll enforce if he does. And we’ll continue to promote a healthy conversational environment by ensuring tweets aren’t artificially amplified.
— jack (@jack) August 8, 2018
Truth is we’ve been terrible at explaining our decisions in the past. We’re fixing that. We’re going to hold Jones to the same standard we hold to every account, not taking one-off actions to make us feel good in the short term, and adding fuel to new conspiracy theories.
— jack (@jack) August 8, 2018
If we succumb and simply react to outside pressure, rather than straightforward principles we enforce (and evolve) impartially regardless of political viewpoints, we become a service that’s constructed by our personal views that can swing in any direction. That’s not us.
— jack (@jack) August 8, 2018
Accounts like Jones' can often sensationalize issues and spread unsubstantiated rumors, so it’s critical journalists document, validate, and refute such information directly so people can form their own opinions. This is what serves the public conversation best.
— jack (@jack) August 8, 2018
Many more details here: https://t.co/58dc4fwjQz
— jack (@jack) August 8, 2018
Twitter was quick to have a healthy conversation with Jack about how this decision is absolute horse shit.
He said the Parkland kids were crisis actors and verbally tortured the Sandy Hook families to the point where *they* got death threats and had to move and can't visit their own children's graves. But thanks for the lecture on "what serves the public conversation best." https://t.co/niUQAju0m1
— Ken Tremendous (@KenTremendous) August 8, 2018
important for people to form their own opinions about whether the sandy hook parents are lying about their murdered children https://t.co/zZLFsrJVw3
— Ashley Feinberg (@ashleyfeinberg) August 8, 2018
The description of a cesspool: https://t.co/stSa3uwqTL
— Soledad O'Brien (@soledadobrien) August 8, 2018
"Sorry, we don't make the rules."
— Mark Tseng-Putterman (@tsengputterman) August 8, 2018
—the guy who Makes the Rules https://t.co/IOxzBF8phB
This guy says “He didn’t violate our rules” like the ding-dong Twitter Terms of Service appeared on the side of a mountain in ten-foot letters of flame. You made the rules, dude! You could add an amendment that says, “If ye be an habitual liar who incites harassment, BUH BYE" https://t.co/6tekRdrbxw
— Paul F. Tompkins (@PFTompkins) August 8, 2018
I am not getting paid to clean up your website for you. https://t.co/cVyNYsqtAJ
— Matt Pearce 🦅 (@mattdpearce) August 8, 2018
Hey @jack did I do this right pic.twitter.com/OafLJsO12F
— Caroline Moss (@socarolinesays) August 8, 2018
It’s critical that you all stop the misinformation campaigns I enable. https://t.co/ilzefkfDNZ
— Jon Lovett (@jonlovett) August 8, 2018
Alex Jones
— James Felton (@JimMFelton) August 8, 2018
WATER IS TURNING FROGS GAY
Jack
Journalists please refute that
Journalists
But we have better things to do-
Jones
RONALD MCDONALD STATUES ARE FREAKIN PAEDOPHILES SENT BY HILARY CLINTON
Jack
Its critical you debunk that, journalists, 7 million people have seen it https://t.co/fzxQqvmnWm
Hi, journalist here. We can do that without him on Twitter too. Stop making thin excuses and remove a person from your service causing harm to others on a daily basis. https://t.co/uFMVL9Ewfn
— Jill Pantozzi ♿ (@JillPantozzi) August 8, 2018
A reminder: Twitter is billed as a "news" app in the app store. Not a platform, not social media. News. On my last day there, I asked @jack at the all-company meeting when they would hire fact checkers and act like a news org. He said a bunch of words. Just like today. https://t.co/OiSsNCNKjC
— margo (@wordstern) August 8, 2018
Hey @jack- Spare us all this “grieving parents being harassed on my app is great for public discourse!” high road bullshit. Just be honest with us- harassment & hate on twitter generate clicks & make you rich. Just admit you only care about the money https://t.co/qReHFCGkj4
— Alex Hirsch (@_AlexHirsch) August 8, 2018
how do you land one of these gigs where you get an enormous amount of money and power while deflecting responsibility onto other peoplehttps://t.co/WTY0sg1vmY
— Alex Burns (@alexburnsNYT) August 8, 2018
To ensure a better visual experience on the site, Donald Trump is now being replaced with photos of Kate Beckinsale, Sarah Sanders is being replaced by images of Taiki Waititi, and Alex Jones is being replaced with photos of Sporty Spice, Mel C.