Twitter Founder Jack Dorsey has issued a series of Tweets explaining why he hasn’t joined Facebook, YouTube and other social media in dumping Alex Jones and his crazy, hurtful InfoWars. His explanation is lacking, I’m afraid. But here it is. Dorsey also directs his readers to the Twitter mission statement. Dorsey’s blue bird is not flying high on this one, I’m afraid.
“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.
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.
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.”
