Journalists fire back at Twitter CEO about role of press in countering conspiracy theories
Journalists had a lot to say about Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey on Wednesday morning — and most didn't like Dorsey's assertion that the role of the press was to offer a check on the conspiracy theories of Alex Jones' InfoWars.
Dorsey explained on Tuesday night why Jones, who has claimed that the Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax, remains on Twitter after other social media outlets banned him.
"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,” Dorsey tweeted.
Here's what a few journalists and outlets had to say about that:
Portland Press Herald in Maine, tweeted: "You know, @jack our days are pretty full as it is without cleaning up your website for you pro bono. Just sayin."
Freelance journalist Lauren Duca wrote: "Yeah, that’s the job of journalism. What’s your job exactly?"
Rob Tannenbaum, who describes himself as a writer for New York magazine, tweeted: "See @Jack? Literal, mortal consequences of allowing sensationalism and unsubstantiated rumors to flourish in what you dishonestly call the public conversation."
Bill Grueskin, a former WSJ executive and professor at Columbia Journalism School, according to his Twitter bio said: "If only journalists had publicized the fact that the Sandy Hook murders did, indeed, take place. Thanks @Jack."
Garrett Graff, a Wired contributor, posted: "Honestly, if we can't agree that Sandy Hook hoaxers don't belong in the public sphere, are there any lines that Twitter and @jack are willing to draw?"
Meanwhile, The Guardian's Carole Cadwalladr, who broke news on Cambridge Analytica’s use of Facebook data, is the latest reporter to say she's taking a break from Twitter. She posted this adieu along with an image on an attack on her.
“This enemy of the people is taking a break. for the amazing support for this story, Twitter. It is very much appreciated. #Journalism2018,” she tweeted.
Just a few weeks ago, New York Times White House correspondent Maggie Haberman explained why she was taking a break from engaging on Twitter.
"Twitter has stopped being a place where I could learn things I didn’t know, glean information that was free from errors about a breaking news story or engage in a discussion and be reasonably confident that people’s criticisms were in good faith,” Haberman wrote in the Times.
The Twitter CEO responded last month in a long thread. Dorsey quoted Haberman's thought: “There is an important discussion about journalism that must take place, including about how all of us performed during the 2016 campaign, but Twitter is not where a nuanced or thoughtful discussion can happen.”
Then he added: "This is what we’d like to fix the most."