Twitter’s attempt to staunch the flow of misinformation surrounding the coronavirus is very nearly laughable. The attempts appear partisan at best, and nefarious at worst.
Twitter's attempt to staunch the flow of misinformation surrounding the COVID-19 coronavirus is very nearly laughable. While pundits on the right find their informative tweets banned, those who hold status on the left are free to deliver nonsense to their hundreds of thousands of followers.
Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk tweeted out a tweet verbatim by former major Rudy Giuliani to his to his 1.7 million followers:
“Fact: Hydroxychloroquine has been shown to have a 100% effective rate treating COVID-19. Yet Democrat Gretchen Whitmer is threatening doctors who prescribe it. If Trump is for something—Democrats are against it. They’re okay with people dying if it means opposing Trump. SICK!”
Twitter took it down, leaving a grey box that reads: “This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules.”
New rules are in place since March 27, when Kirk's tweet was taken down, when Twitter updated their policy on stopping misinformation surrounding COVID-19. “Broadening our definition of harm to address content that goes directly against guidance from authoritative sources of global and local public health information. Rather than reports, we will enforce this in close coordination with trusted partners, including public health authorities and governments, and continue to use and consult with information from those sources when reviewing content.”
However, that does not seem to be what's actually going on. A few days prior, on March 23rd, The Hill responded to backlash over Chinese officials spreading misinformation about COVID-19. They reported that based on the Twitter spokesperson’s response to their inquiry: “Misinformation about the coronavirus spread by Chinese government officials does not violate Twitter's policies.”
Lijian Zhao, Spokesperson & Deputy Director General, Information Department, Foreign Ministry for China, stated to his 522,000 followers a day prior “Rt: I really think COVID-19 has been here in America for awhile. Do you guys remember how sick everyone was during the holidays/early January? And how everyone was saying they had the “flu” and the flu shot “didn’t work”?”
Rt: I really think COVID-19 has been here in America for awhile. Do you guys remember how sick everyone was during the holidays/early January? And how everyone was saying they had the “flu” and the flu shot “didn’t work”? https://t.co/VNkKh6wwKN
— Lijian Zhao ??? (@zlj517)
That tweet remains active.
As does this one that reads: “US CDC admitted some #COVID19 patients were misdiagnosed as flu during 2019 flu season. 34 million infected & 20000 died. If #COVID19 began last September, & US has been lack of testing ability, how many would have been infected? US should find out when patient zero appeared.”
US CDC admitted some #COVID19 patients were misdiagnosed as flu during 2019 flu season. 34 million infected & 20000 died. If #COVID19 began last September, & US has been lack of testing ability, how many would have been infected? US should find out when patient zero appeared.
— Lijian Zhao ??? (@zlj517)
A tweet thread by Heidi Przybyla quoting the NBC News piece that incorrectly attributed the ingestion of fish tank cleaner to Trump’s message on the prescription medication, Chloroquine, partially quoted below, is still up, “Her husband is dead & she's in the ICU after ingesting chloroquine: "We saw Trump on TV—every channel—& all of his buddies and that this was safe," she said. "Trump kept saying it was basically pretty much a cure." She implored @VaughnHillyard: "Educate the people"
The tweet by NBC News reporter, Vaughn Hillyard, which states, “Woman in ICU: "Trump kept saying it was basically pretty much a cure." NBC: "What would be your message to the American public?" Woman: "Oh my God. Don't take anything. Don't believe anything. Don’t believe anything that the President says & his people...call your doctor."
Woman in ICU: "Trump kept saying it was basically pretty much a cure." NBC: "What would be your message to the American public?" Woman: "Oh my God. Don't take anything. Don't believe anything. Don’t believe anything that the President says & his people...call your doctor." https://t.co/C8EiTQQ3r1 pic.twitter.com/UAOXBNsS4t
— Vaughn Hillyard (@VaughnHillyard)
This is still up active with 17,400 retweets. In fact, no instance of anyone, regardless of verified status or follower account, who continues repeating the false assertion that Trump caused the couple to ingest fish tank cleaner or that Chloroquine, the prescription medication itself, is unsafe, appears to have been taken down by Twitter.
Andy Slavitt, former head of Medicare and Medicaid for President Obama, wrote of Trump “He's just tweeting out intentional misinformation at this point. If Twitter is going to suspend accounts for misinformation about COVID-19, how could this possibly not qualify?”
He's just tweeting out intentional misinformation at this point. If Twitter is going to suspend accounts for misinformation about COVID-19, how could this possibly not qualify? https://t.co/Yi0P6pAxBC
— (((AG))) (@AGHamilton29)
AG was referring to Slavitt tweeting, in part, now preserved in a screenshot, “NOW: A major hospital in the Midwest has reached its limit on ventilators minutes ago. They are handing out forms saying that only those “with the best chance of survival” will get care. Others will be getting pain medication."
You lied about a hospital being out of Ventilators.
And you know you lied, and I have receipts.
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Now you are lying again.
You are human garbage. pic.twitter.com/tJygn0aiIP
— Carpe Donktum? (@CarpeDonktum)
Slavitt himself chose to delete his tweets after a backlash saying, “I removed a tweet because it enflamed a left-right contraversy about how bad the crisis is becoming in major hospitals running low or out of capacity. While I want to inform with the best knowledge I have, I won’t do that at the expense of that kind of discord right now.” Twitter does not appear to have been involved at all.
I removed a tweet because it enflamed a left-right contraversy about how bad the crisis is becoming in major hospitals running low or out of capacity.
While I want to inform with the best knowledge I have, I won’t do that at the expense of that kind of discord right now.
— Andy Slavitt @ ? (@ASlavitt)
As misinformation spreads, and there are more examples than just these alone, Twitter has a responsibility to enforce their policies consistently and without bias. It appears, as has been the case for a long time, they are choosing to selectively determine which tweets should remain and which should be removed, justified by vague and internal standards they refuse to be transparent about.
If Twitter's goal is to protect the public from dangerous lies rapidly spreading, they are failing. It appears to be, once again, due to their own stubborn refusal to hold anyone they view as valid journalism or ideologically friendly accountable for their actions.