The events leading up to this new policy suggest that those who want to know what’s allowed on the platform should study Elon Musk’s tweets, not the company’s rules. Yet his statements can be confusing. “Everyone will be treated the same,” Musk said yesterday in a Twitter Spaces audio conversation with journalists, during which he confused the release of public information about the flights with doxing, the practice of posting contact information or home addresses online. “They’re not special just because you’re a journalist.”

Still, it’s clear that Musk gives special treatment to journalists by suspending them for reporting information he didn’t want a wide audience to see. CNN called the journalists’ suspension “concerning but not surprising” in a statement. statementand said he would reassess his relationship with Twitter based on a response to his questions about the suspensions. The American Civil Liberties Union noted that Musk has the right to exclude journalists and others from the platform, but called the suspensions “an attack on freedom of expression”.

Trevor Timm, executive director of the Freedom of the Press Foundation, says Musk’s self-serving actions showed how moderation on the platform could be further manipulated. If those close to Musk or those who align with his business interests want the accounts banned, he could invent a new rule to do so.

“He’s basically encouraging people to come to him and say, block this account, block that account, because they know he’s going to act in his own self-interest,” Timm says.

Across the Atlantic, Musk could face more serious consequences than public outcry. Members of the European Parliament today sent a letter to Musk, urging him to reverse the journalists’ suspensions (“We are deeply concerned about the blocking of journalists’ accounts,” it read). The letter contained recommendations for how he could change Twitter’s policies to better comply with the European Union’s new digital services law, which makes online platforms more liable for harmful content posted by users. Large online platforms must comply by 2024.

It is unclear whether Musk will decide to reverse his position and relinquish his self-appointed role as chief censor. But if the new pressure on journalists continues, it could lead them to seek their scoops elsewhere, and their audiences to follow. His actions, says EPIC’s Davisson, “could certainly help accelerate the downfall of a company like Twitter.” The signs are not good.

Additional reporting by Morgan Meaker