The New York Times faced significant criticism this week following a tweet expressing concern over a federal judge's injunction that restricts the Biden administration from communicating with social media companies regarding content moderation. The injunction, issued by Judge Terry A. Doughty of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, prohibits certain government entities, including the Department of Health and Human Services and the FBI, from influencing social media platforms to remove or suppress content protected by free speech.
The Times' tweet, which linked to their report on the ruling, suggested that the injunction could hinder efforts to combat online misinformation. This prompted a backlash from conservative Twitter users, who accused the outlet of advocating for increased government control over media and lamenting the administration's reduced ability to regulate speech.
Critics like Tom Elliott, founder of Grabien.com, and Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, rephrased the Times' framing of the issue, emphasizing the injunction as a protection of free speech rather than a hindrance to combating disinformation. Journalist Glenn Greenwald went further, accusing the Times of supporting government censorship. Author Michael Shellenberger simply stated, "You guys have lost the plot."
The incident coincides with recent remarks by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who criticized the involvement of government and establishment groups in influencing content moderation decisions on social media platforms. Zuckerberg recounted instances where these groups pushed for censorship of information related to COVID-19 that later proved to be debatable or even true. He highlighted the potential harm of such interventions, emphasizing the erosion of public trust.
