Why Twitter isn't fact-checking its CEO's tweet of incorrect info
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey retweeted incorrect information about unrest in Minneapolis
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s retweet of incorrect facts regarding the unrest in Minneapolis doesn’t fall under the social-media company’s new label system for disputed or misleading tweets.
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Dorsey, who founded Twitter in 2006, retweeted comments from St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter which incorrectly stated every person arrested in connection with unrest in the Minneapolis area on Friday evening was “from out of state.”
An online search of the Hennepin County jail log conducted by Fox 9 in Minneapolis showed an “overwhelming majority” of people arrested in connection with the unrest had Minnesota addresses. The search found 38 of 45 people that were arrested live in Minnesota. The company did not directly comment on Dorsey's retweet of the NBC News report.
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Twitter ignited controversy on Tuesday by putting a fact-check label on President Trump’s tweet stating his opinion that mail-in voting would lead to election fraud. The label had a link directing users to “Get the facts on mail-in ballots.”
The new policy focuses on civic integrity, including the election and COVID-19, according to Twitter. The company in most cases has not fact-checked tweets from Iranian government officials and other foreign adversaries, said political commentator Buck Sexton, of the Buck Sexton Radio Show, during an interview on Fox News Channel.
In a series of tweets following the decision, Dorsey said Twitter’s intent is to “connect the dots of conflicting statements and show the information in dispute so people can judge for themselves.”
Trump on Thursday issued an executive order that targets a Congressional liability shield given to tech companies if they “engage in censoring or any political conduct.”
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On Friday, Twitter flagged one of the president’s tweets for “glorifying violence,” but noted that its “may be in the public’s best interest for the Tweet to remain accessible.”
The company in the past has blocked tweets and deleted accounts for breaking its rules.
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“Twitter came up with a rule that applies to one person,” Michael Pachter, research analyst at Wedbush Securities, told FOX Business on Wednesday. “They're not treating him the way they treat everybody else.”