# So Facebook and Twitter decide to be Publishers **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 15, 2020, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-facebook-and-twitter-decide-to-be-publishers/923006 "2020-10-15T12:15:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-facebook-and-twitter-decide-to-be-publishers/923006/22 "2020-10-15T15:24:47Z")
> [@eenerms](#): > > it’s that Twitter is activity silencing The press. The New York Post is the fourth largest publication ., and to block anything could be construed as election interference. Gotta’ ask about that one, too: Did Facebook, Twitter, or AOC actually either close down (Denial Of Service Attack) the Post’s website or remove the Hunter Biden stories _from_ the Post site ? If not, then how are they blocking the story ? [see my question about Biden/Harris stickers and your car] Do Twitter and Facebook have legitimate “Terms of Service” issues with either hacked material or publication of personal information ? Do these social media companies retain any right to ensure the factual accuracy of certain kinds of stories shared on their site ? ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-facebook-and-twitter-decide-to-be-publishers/923006/23 "2020-10-15T15:26:09Z")
> [@eenerms](#): > > They have become publishers not a town square. What they _are_ is corporations setting rules for their platform and trying to navigate towards making money. Capitalists should be proud of them. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-facebook-and-twitter-decide-to-be-publishers/923006/24 "2020-10-15T15:35:39Z")
Wahhh! I’m upset that facebook and twitter are not promoting and distributing Russian propaganda and lies that are designed to disrupt our elections! Wahhhh! As private companies, they should be forced to distribute our bullshit propaganda! Wahhhh! ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-facebook-and-twitter-decide-to-be-publishers/923006/25 "2020-10-15T15:55:23Z")
My thoughts exactly. I’m only confused by the OP’s apparent outrage. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-facebook-and-twitter-decide-to-be-publishers/923006/26 "2020-10-15T15:59:54Z")
> [@eenerms](#): > > it’s that Twitter is activity silencing The press No, they aren’t. They are simply not giving voice to the Post’s pathetic partisan hatchet job. Nobody is required to spread your propaganda. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-facebook-and-twitter-decide-to-be-publishers/923006/27 "2020-10-15T15:59:57Z")
> [@Max\_S](#): > > I’m only confused by the OP’s apparent outrage. I’m not. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-facebook-and-twitter-decide-to-be-publishers/923006/28 "2020-10-15T16:01:13Z")
I’m not. I understand exactly why he is “outraged”. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-facebook-and-twitter-decide-to-be-publishers/923006/29 "2020-10-15T16:05:40Z")
> [@eenerms](#): > > What they did was censor. If they want to be press they are not allow to censor new stories. The story is that FB and Twitter censored a story from a credible source. They want to be a public forum. Can’t have it both ways. Their stocks took a dive. The owner of Twitter even said they handled it wrong. As private corporations, they can censor any content published on their sites. The First Amendment only prohibits Congress from making censorship legislation. ---
**Author:** ![Kimera757](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimera757/32/3765_2.png) [@Kimera757](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimera757)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-facebook-and-twitter-decide-to-be-publishers/923006/30 "2020-10-15T16:23:50Z")
Trump’s campaign Twitter account just got suspended. > **[Trump threatens ‘big lawsuit’ after Twitter briefly locks campaign account](https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/15/trump-campaign-twitter-suspended-429579)** > > It’s the latest dust-up between Silicon Valley and the GOP over a disputed New York Post report about the Bidens. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-facebook-and-twitter-decide-to-be-publishers/923006/31 "2020-10-15T16:24:51Z")
That _is_ newsworthy. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-facebook-and-twitter-decide-to-be-publishers/923006/32 "2020-10-15T16:26:48Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > If you don’t let me festoon your car with Biden/Harris stickers, are you committing ‘election interference ?’. This sums it up rather well. “Wahhh, you are censoring me! You have to let me plaster your car with stickers!” ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-facebook-and-twitter-decide-to-be-publishers/923006/33 "2020-10-15T16:32:43Z")
Jimmy Dore is a lowlife scumbag. Kept doubling down on the Seth Rich conspiracy even when Seth Rich’s family were pleading for it to stop and his memory not to be a political football. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-facebook-and-twitter-decide-to-be-publishers/923006/34 "2020-10-15T16:39:55Z")
I like Jon Healey’s take on the whole situation in the editorial section of the _Los Angeles Times_: > **[Opinion: The New York Post puts Twitter and Facebook in a no-win position](https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2020-10-15/new-york-post-hunter-biden-twitter-facebook-censorship)** > > Social media platforms took far too long to start enforcing their rules against campaign-related content and major political figures. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-facebook-and-twitter-decide-to-be-publishers/923006/35 "2020-10-15T16:53:47Z")
The OP is repeating GOP talking points but is having trouble sticking the landing. We’re supposed to be outraged enough to want a repeal of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Basically, they want Facebook to either a) be liable for every single thing published by its users or b) forced to abandon all attempts at curation. That’s why there’s all the talk about Facebook et al being “publishers.” ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-facebook-and-twitter-decide-to-be-publishers/923006/36 "2020-10-15T17:05:03Z")
Okay, that makes a lot more sense. If that was the goal, this topic is probably beyond the point of no return. I invite @eenerms to make a new topic and specifically reference Section 230 so we know the discussion is about law and not politics/news. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-facebook-and-twitter-decide-to-be-publishers/923006/37 "2020-10-15T17:13:01Z")
In the politics/news arena, I finally got a push notification about Hunter Biden. Well, no. It’s about the Twitter/Facebook controversy. And why is the FB thing more important than the contents of the article? Because the article is bullshit, but the other more relevant. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-facebook-and-twitter-decide-to-be-publishers/923006/38 "2020-10-15T17:23:06Z")
Still trying to understand the NY Post’s angle on this one. It seemed like their take was that Hunter Biden used his influence to do some such. I feel strange for asking but isn’t the Vice President of the United States pretty powerful on his own? I see today that the angle is slightly different, saying that Hunter introduced Burisma to his dad, but like they had no idea who he was and that their paths wouldn’t eventually intersect. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-facebook-and-twitter-decide-to-be-publishers/923006/39 "2020-10-15T20:08:55Z")
Here’s Twitter’s official response. > **[Thread by @TwitterSafety on Thread Reader App](https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1316525303930458115.html)** > > Thread by @TwitterSafety: We want to provide much needed clarity around the actions we’ve taken with respect to two NY Post articles that were first Tweeted this morning. The images contained in the articles includ...… ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-facebook-and-twitter-decide-to-be-publishers/923006/40 "2020-10-15T20:29:00Z")
> [@eenerms](#): > > If they want to be press they are not allow to censor new stories. What? Since when? Even if we equate “decline to publish” and “censor” (which we should not as they are two very different terms with two very different meanings), that not only isn’t true - it can’t be true. It doesn’t make any sense at all. There’s no way for everyone to publish everything. Even the most ethical publisher in the world is going to select which stories to run based on timeliness, audience interest, and their own evaluation of the veracity of the report. Otherwise, your local paper would be obliged to print the rundown and results of the the most recent rugby game between New South Wales high school students as told by the losing team’s hooker’s grandmother. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-facebook-and-twitter-decide-to-be-publishers/923006/41 "2020-10-15T20:42:22Z")
… and she wasn’t even at the match! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-facebook-and-twitter-decide-to-be-publishers/923006.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-facebook-and-twitter-decide-to-be-publishers/923006.md?page=3)