January 10, 2024
The platform formerly known as Twitter, now referred to as “X,” recently suspended several prominent journalists and leftist figures without explanation.
Among those affected were Ken Klippenstein of The Intercept, Steven Monacelli of Texas Observer, podcaster Rob Rousseau, and Alan MacLeod of MintPress News. These suspensions also extended to left-leaning accounts like the TrueAnon podcast and @zei_squirrel, a media-criticizing cartoon squirrel.
The affected users received no communication from X regarding the reason for their suspension, leading to speculation about political motivations behind these actions. Notably, the suspensions were briefly lifted hours after initial reporting, following public outcry from figures like former British MP George Galloway.
X owner Elon Musk later attributed the bans to a routine spam filter sweep, but this explanation has not been universally accepted. This incident follows previous instances where X has banned reporters critical of Musk.
