Twitter Explains Why It Didn't Delete President Trump's Anti-Muslim Retweets
Twitter has explaned why it did not delete the three graphic
anti-Muslim videos retweeted by President Donald Trump.
"we mistakenly pointed to the wrong reason we
didn't take action on the videos from earlier this
week," Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said in a tweet on
Friday.
On Thursday, Trump retweeted three anti-Muslim videos first
shared by Jayda Fransen, deputy leader of the far-right
party, Britain First. Trump's retweets drew condemnation from
Muslim groups, British officials and many in the U.S. The
White House defended the tweets, saying they were aimed at
starting a conversation about immigration and security. The
videos contained violent assaults and graphic imagery.
Many Twitter users criticized the company for not deleting
the tweets, saying they appeared to violate the company's
policy that prohibits hateful conduct.
In response to questions on Thursday regarding why the
tweets were still available, a Twitter (TWTR, Tech30)
spokesperson referenced the company's Help Center policy. It
says Twitter may allow controversial content that might
otherwise violate its rules if the company believes there is
a legitimate public interest. "To help ensure people have an
opportunity to see every side of an issue, there may be the
rare occasion when we allow controversial content," the
policy reads.
But one day later, Twitter changed its explanation. "These
videos are not being kept up because they are newsworthy or
for public interest. Rather, these videos are permitted on
Twitter based on our current media policy" Twitter Support
tweeted on Friday. It did not say which part of the policy
the tweets were protected under.
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