Elon Musk has reinstated several journalists’ Twitter accounts, which had been suspended following a debate over the publication of public data regarding the billionaire’s jet.
Officials, advocacy groups, and journalistic organizations all voiced concerns that the extraordinary suspensions threatened press freedom.
Read also: Elon Musk shuts down Twitter Spaces following spat with journalists
On Thursday, Musk explained why he had shut down the accounts: he had accused journalists of putting his family at risk by “doxxing,” or making public, private details about his whereabouts.
He then took to Twitter to conduct a poll asking users their thoughts on how long the accounts should be deactivated. It was eventually shown that the majority of responders desired the accounts to be restored immediately.
The suspended journalists included reporters from The New York Times, CNN, and The Washington Post and they have been reinstated.
French, German, British, and European Union authorities had already criticized Musk, who calls himself a “free speech absolutist,” for the suspensions.
On Friday, French Minister of Industry Roland Lescure tweeted that he, too, would be taking a Twitter break in response to Musk’s ban on journalists.
The UN’s chief spokesperson, Melissa Fleming, expressed her dismay at the suspensions and her belief that “media freedom is not a toy” in a series of tweets.
The German Foreign Ministry issued a warning to Twitter about actions that might threaten press freedom.
As a result, shares of Tesla, Musk’s electric vehicle firm, fell by 4.7% on Friday, marking the largest weekly loss for the company since March 2020.
Since taking over the platform in a $44bn deal in October, Musk has slashed Twitter’s workforce, overhauled its moderation policies, and restored previously banned accounts, including that of former US President Donald Trump.
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