The announcement of Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter has caused a firestorm of debate about free speech and misinformation. Will conservatives who have been banned from Twitter find a more friendly platform? Will Donald Trump, who told Fox News that even if Musk lifts his ban follow through he will "not go back to Twitter" and stay with Truth Social* (Trump's new social media site)? Will Twitter continue with "pre-bunks" (hubs of credible, authoritative information, available in the Explore tab, Search, and Trends.)? Will Twitter "ban climate misinformation in ads" as Google said it would in October 2021?
Joseph Winters of Grist's The Beacon writes: "Just days before the announcement that Elon Musk would purchase Twitter for $44 billion, the platform announced new steps to address the escalating urgency of the climate crisis. In a statement on Friday [April 22, 2022], the social media giant said it will ban ads that “contradict the scientific consensus on climate change.”
Tristan Harris, of Center for Humane Technology's Your Undivided Attention Podcast says "Now the opportunity is, if Elon were to take the company [Twitter] private, to make it no longer beholden to these quarterly earnings reports and having to grow each quarter to the public market."
Sean Boyle, Twitter's Director of Sustainability, wrote in the Twitter blog about Accelerating our climate commitments on Earth Day "Tackling the climate crisis requires meaningful, sustained collaboration. Through #AdsForGood grants, on-service support, trainings, and more, we’re partnering with organizations committed to environmental conservation and sustainability.:"
It's not easy to find the truth. Since we live in a culture of disinformation Rev. Roger Wolsey wrote Church Members Need Help Navigating Our Rapidly Changing World saying "before you share information, search (“Google”) to see if those claims have been verified or debunked." Here are some fact check sources:
Be sure to watch PBS Frontline's three-part series which premiered Tuesdays, April 19, April 26 and May 3, 2022 The Power of Big Oil, Part One: Denial It examines the fossil fuel industry’s history of casting doubt and delaying action on climate change.
"What the geniuses of the PR firms who work for these big, big fossil fuel companies know is that truth has nothing to do with who wins the argument. If you say something enough times, people will begin to believe it.” ~ John Passacantando
*Interestingly, Elon Musk tweeted on April 27, 2022 "Truth Social (terrible name) exists because Twitter censored free speech... Should be called Trumpet instead!"
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