Report: Musk fires Twitter curation team tackling misinformation
There are still unverified speculations that Elon Musk has fired Twitter’s curation team, which is responsible for countering misinformation posted on the social media network.
The claim comes (on Twitter, naturally) from Richie Assaly, a digital producer at the Toronto Star, who says he previously worked as a member of the editorial team.
Assaly says that “team leaders, management and commissioners are announcing that they have been fired.”
The move, if true, “will make Twitter noisier, more dangerous and less interesting,” he says.
Looks like Elon Musk fired the entire curation team.
These were the people who tackled misinformation, contextualized conversations through the Explore page, and helped make Twitter an unrivaled source of breaking news.
This will make Twitter noisier, more dangerous, and less interesting
— Richie Assaly (@rdassaly) November 4, 2022
Musk, in his tweet blaming “activist groups” for pressuring advertisers to pull out of Twitter, causing a “massive” drop in revenue, insisted: “nothing has changed with content moderation.”
Updated at 16.40 GMT
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Twitter security dog adds ‘context’ to Musk’s ‘activist groups’ post
With no discernible hint of irony, Twitter has added “context” to Elon Musk’s earlier tweet accusing “activist groups” of pressuring advertisers to pull out of its recently acquired social media platform, leading to a “massive drop in income”.
The note attached to Musk’s tweet adds links to three news articles that refer to “advertisers suspending or canceling ad buys due to concerns about the direction of the Twitter platform” rather than pressure from either external entity that wants to exert influence.
Twitter has had a massive drop in revenue, due to activist groups pressuring advertisers, although nothing has changed with content moderation and we’ve done our best to appease activists.
Extremely messy! They are trying to destroy free speech in America.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 4, 2022
Twitter’s “watchdog,” @twittersafety, informs users that “context” is sometimes added to a post when there is “potentially misleading content.”
We look forward to hearing if Musk will react to being detained by the tech giant he now owns.
Adding context to potentially misleading content is more important than ever. Starting today, we’re making @Birdwatch notes visible on tweets for some people in the US https://t.co/1jfiDUsApL
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) March 3, 2022
Updated at 17.03 GMT
Joe Middleton
A former senior Twitter community manager has told The Guardian how he found out he was fired, thanks to the sudden deletion of data from his laptop, an hour after he finished what turned out to be his last turn
Simon Balmain, who worked for the company for about a year, dealing mainly with clients on the US West Coast, said he was “surprised but not surprised” by the sudden job cuts:
I was done with work but still had my laptop open and we all got an email from the company about a downsizing. An hour later my laptop flashed and wiped itself, I no longer had access to my apps.
Balmain said reports of the firing of Twitter’s disinformation curation team “pose real risks for the future”. Added:
I’ve spoken to a few people in the same position as me and what’s very clear is that we had a very good corporate culture and people really looked after each other, including former employees who have hand and have offered support.
Balmain believes Twitter will focus on two strategies to make money: products that users pay for, such as Twitter Blue and the $8 monthly fee that Musk has floated for user verification; and creative projects where users pay other users, such as celebrities or influencers.
Read more:
Here’s our latest report on Friday’s Twitter developments, including Elon Musk’s claim that “activist groups lobbying advertisers” are responsible for a “massive drop in revenue” since he bought the company
Twitter employees have told us their laptops and email accounts have been locked out, and there are reports from inside the company that Musk has fired the platform’s entire healing team.
As my colleague Dan Milmo explains, the curation team “plays a key role in coverage of ‘civic integrity’ events such as elections, breaking news and sports, ensuring that users have reviewed information presented as thematic moments, trends and products. It is seen internally as a key filter against misleading posts.”
Read the full report here:
While we wait for news on the extent of today’s layoffs, here’s a telling employee’s account of life in Twitter’s new bubble after Elon Musk’s takeover, as reported by Business Insider .
There is talk of staff purges that have already taken place; team leaders forming their own cliques; a threatening atmosphere on the part of “surrounding” managers; and individuals quickly absorb their new boss despite never having met him.
Inside says:
It’s been crazy to see this little faction of newly minted Elon acolytes suddenly rise up and try to make their voices heard. The amount of ass-kissing and the amount of weird stuff on Reddit, 4-channel style like “Oh Elon, I’ll be your right hand man” in Blind, in those first few days after the deal closed, was terrifying .
I thought, ‘I don’t want to work with these clowns.’
The employee adds that he’s heard stories of people being asked to work “literally 24 hours a day,” and engineers asked to be on call over the weekend and asked to get things done immediately, “a three or four in the morning.”
“I can’t keep doing this. I’ve started interviewing elsewhere,” says the employee.
Business Insider notes that Twitter did not respond to a request for comment.
Report: Musk fires Twitter curation team tackling misinformation
There are still unverified speculations that Elon Musk has fired Twitter’s curation team, which is responsible for countering misinformation posted on the social media network.
The claim comes (on Twitter, naturally) from Richie Assaly, a digital producer at the Toronto Star, who says he previously worked as a member of the editorial team.
Assaly says that “team leaders, management and commissioners are announcing that they have been fired.”
The move, if true, “will make Twitter noisier, more dangerous and less interesting,” he says.
Looks like Elon Musk fired the entire curation team.
These were the people who tackled misinformation, contextualized conversations through the Explore page, and helped make Twitter an unrivaled source of breaking news.
This will make Twitter noisier, more dangerous, and less interesting
— Richie Assaly (@rdassaly) November 4, 2022
Musk, in his tweet blaming “activist groups” for pressuring advertisers to pull out of Twitter, causing a “massive” drop in revenue, insisted: “nothing has changed with content moderation.”
Updated at 16.40 GMT
Musk: Twitter revenue has fallen as ‘activist groups put pressure on advertisers’
Elon Musk has tweeted that Twitter has seen a drop in revenue due to “activist groups” pressuring advertisers.
He says:
“Twitter has had a massive drop in revenue, due to activist groups pressuring advertisers, although nothing has changed with content moderation and we did everything we could to appease activists.”
Twitter has had a massive drop in revenue, due to activist groups pressuring advertisers, although nothing has changed with content moderation and we’ve done our best to appease activists.
Extremely messy! They are trying to destroy free speech in America.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 4, 2022
It’s true that some big companies have put advertising on hold, like General Mills and General Motors, and now Volkswagen.
But as my colleague Kari Paul writes, this reflects concerns about how Musk will manage Twitter:
The growing exodus of advertisers comes amid concerns that Musk will reduce misinformation and security protections on the platform. As civil rights groups question the potential problems with moderation, companies are wondering whether staying on Twitter could tarnish their brands.
Shortly before taking over the San Francisco-based company last week, Musk made a vow to advertisers that he would not allow Twitter to become a “hellscape free-for-all,” an indication that there were consequences yet to come. for violators of its anti-harassment rules. violence or elections and misinformation related to Covid.
But since then, some users have posted racial slurs and recirculated long-debunked conspiracy theories in an apparent attempt to see if the site’s policies were still being enforced. The NAACP said this week that it has expressed to Musk its concerns about “the dangerous and life-threatening hatred and conspiracies that have proliferated on Twitter” under its watch.
Twitter employees have been using the hashtag #OneTeam to announce they’ve lost their jobs or to support each other. Some staff have reported that they have lost access to internal systems, so they have not been able to say goodbye to colleagues.
My heart goes out to all the employees affected by today’s news, I will always be grateful for what we have built together and to have worked alongside some of the most talented, brilliant and resilient people. No one can take that bond away from us, once a Tweep always a Tweep #OneTeam 💙🦋
— Sarah (@sarahdignam) November 4, 2022
Twitter users have also expressed their support:
What a horrible way to let people go.
I feel bad for all the #Twitter / #OneTeam members who found out they were released or terminated because they couldn’t log into Slack or their email.
What a classless, tactless, ballless way to terminate people’s jobs. pic.twitter.com/kb5an6WtnJ
— Adam VanHo (@VanHoAdam)…