X suspends journalists critical of Elon Musk
Several journalists and left-leaning accounts on X were recently suspended without any explanation, sparking concerns about censorship. Among those affected were The Intercept's Ken Klippenstein, Alan MacLeod of MintPress News, Texas Observer journalist Steven Monacelli, podcaster Rob Rousseau, and the account for the left-leaning podcast TrueAnon. Interestingly, most of these accounts have criticized X's owner Elon Musk and his ventures in the past.
Users skeptical of Musk's explanation
Musk claimed that these suspensions were accidental and happened during a routine sweep for spam and scam accounts. However, some users are doubtful about this explanation. Monacelli called it "highly implausible, if not impossible," while Rousseau wondered if their criticism of Musk played a role in their suspensions. Both Monacelli and Rousseau have been outspoken critics of Musk in the past.
Previous suspensions under Musk's leadership
This isn't the first time Musk has suspended accounts of individuals he had personal disputes with. In the past, X has suspended and later reversed bans on well-known journalists and left-leaning accounts, such as CNN reporter Donie O'Sullivan and Washington Post reporter Drew Harwell. The platform also briefly suspended Mastodon, an emerging alternative to X. Some users, like the anarchist platform It's Going Down and leftist meme account "JUNlPER," have been permanently suspended under Musk's leadership.
