Tipsheet

Jack Dorsey: Yes, We Made a Mistake on the NY Post Story

Cortney O'Brien
Cortney O'Brien  |  November 17, 2020 12:00 PM

The Big Tech CEOs testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee for the second time in the past month on Tuesday. The hearings were triggered by the infamous NY Post story that dug into Hunter Biden's foreign business dealings and what his father, former vice president Joe Biden, knew about it.

Social media platforms suppressed the story, which was published just a few weeks ahead of the U.S. presidential election, almost as soon as it was published. And the NY Post was even locked out of its account for weeks. Dorsey explained that rash decision in his testimony. 

"We made a quick interpretation, using no other evidence, that the materials in the article were obtained through hacking, and according to our policy, we blocked them from being spread," Dorsey said. "Upon further consideration we admitted this action was wrong, and corrected it within 24 hours."

"We recognize it as a mistake that we made," Dorsey later added, noting that they've since amending their no-hacking policy.

The CEO agreed with Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) when he observed that Twitter's suppression of the story actually ended up giving it more attention.  

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Conservative critics didn't accept Dorsey's explanation, and noted that the platform did not correct their error within a day.

Last month, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) criticized Dorsey for the decision.

“Mr. Dorsey, who the hell elected you and put you in charge of what the media are allowed to report and what the American people are allowed to hear?” Cruz demanded. “Why do you persist in behaving as a Democratic super PAC, silencing views to the contrary of your political beliefs?”

He too noted that Twitter was still blocking NY Post coverage, rendering Dorsey's testimony false.