The spokesman for the United Nations Secretary General, Stéphane Dujarric, expressed his displeasure on Friday with Twitter owner Elon Musk’s recent decision to suspend the accounts of several journalists for allegedly revealing personal information about the tycoon on the social network.
«We are very upset about the arbitrary suspension of journalists’ Twitter accounts. Journalistic voices cannot be silenced on a platform that claims to be a space with freedom of expression,» he said at a press conference.
In this sense, Dujarric has argued that this action by Musk is a «dangerous precedent» at a time when journalists worldwide are dealing with situations such as censorship or physical threats.
When asked by a journalist if the United Nations will take more concrete measures against Twitter, Guterres’ spokesman assured at a press conference that, for the moment, they are «monitoring the situation on a daily basis».
Dujarric also pointed out that they are in contact «with those responsible» for Twitter. He also pointed out that the platform, which is «extremely important» for journalists, political dissidents and activists, has registered a «worrying increase» in hate speech and disinformation.
For its part, the NGO Reporters Without Borders was also alarmed by the suspension of the accounts of several journalists belonging to media outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post and CNN.
«We demand the immediate reinstatement of the accounts of these journalists. This arbitrary behavior of the platforms has gone on for too long. We must regain democratic control over the platforms before they submit to their whims and it is too late,» said RSF Director General Christophe Deloire.
The NGO said in a statement that «in a few weeks» Musk has shown that «his management of Twitter is a disaster for the right to information» while stressing that this latest decision taken by the tycoon is «a major threat to democracy».
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
