Twitter is in chaos as new owner Elon Musk fires workers including top executives, tests new plans and determines his stance on content moderation. (The Associated Press, November 6, 2022, by Barbara Ortutay)
Twitter’s revenues are down as advertisers drop out, prompting Musk to blame civil rights leaders and other activists for pressuring advertisers. In the campaign #StopToxicTwitter, activists claim that Musk is providing haven for hate speech and racism. (CBS News, November 4, 2022, by Megan Cerullo)
The editorial board of Maine’s Bangor Daily News, November 3, 2022, reported that since Musk took over, racial and anti-semitic slurs, has “skyrocketed.” They board writes, “Hate crimes, politically motivated or not, are already on the rise. Turning Twitter into a forum where it is easier to amplify and share hate and conspiracy theories is not a triumph of free speech. It is a further descent into the sewers of society, which can have very damaging consequences, especially for those groups targeted by that speech.”