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Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene became the target of scathing criticism after she suggested that the New York Times is in cahoots with Twitter to suspend her from the platform.
Greene took to Twitter to wonder whether the media outlet and the social media company "coordinate suspending people like me and news stories" and whether or not "someone" is "paying" to make that happen.
Her tweet included the not-at-all-paranoid question, "What kind of relationship does the NYT and Twitter have?"
How would the @nytimes know that my @Twitter account is about to be suspended?\n\nMy account is NOT suspended.\n\nWhat kind of relationship does the NYT and Twitter have?\n\nDo they coordinate suspending people like me and news stories?\n\nIs someone paying for that?\n\nWhy?pic.twitter.com/8Hcy7qeACN— Marjorie Taylor Greene \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Marjorie Taylor Greene \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1628175247
Where did this all come from?
Well, it all started after Greene posted a screenshot of an email someone on her staff received from Davey Alba, a technology reporter at the Times who covers online disinformation.
Alba wrote:
"Twitter is likely to take enforcement action on Ms. Greene's account for coronavirus information. It would be her fourth strike, meaning she would have one strike to go before potentially being permanently suspended from the platform. Would Ms. Greene want to respond to this in a statement?"
Alba had been referring to a tweet Greene wrote earlier this week in which she peddled misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines by suggesting that pregnant women put themselves at risk of suffering miscarriages if they get vaccinated.
Greene had used her anecdote as evidence that vaccine mandates should be opposed:
I have talked to multiple women who say they miscarried healthy pregnancies after taking the #COVID19 vaccine.\n\nNot only miscarriages, but also reporting blood clots and heavy & irregular periods after taking the Experimental Use Covid vaccine.\n\nStop vaccine mandates!— Marjorie Taylor Greene \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Marjorie Taylor Greene \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1628108465
Greene has already made a name for herself as one of Congress's most vocal opponents of Covid-19 vaccinations and mandates, and she regularly pushes conspiracy theories on social media.
There is no evidence whatsoever that the New York Times and Twitter are working to have her booted from the platform. She's done a good enough job of that herself. Accordingly, social media users went all-in with their criticism.
Quite a few pointed out Twitter's "terms and conditions," which Greene has violated more than once by sharing coronavirus misinformation:
It's time to permanently ban @RepMTG. @TwitterSafety @Twitter She is encouraging violence, telling her supporters to shoot anyone that comes to their door to talk about covid. She continues to spread lies about the vaccine. It does not cause a miscarriage. Do it now.https://twitter.com/mtgreenee/status/1423296265614282753\u00a0\u2026— DD (@DD) 1628217843
Dear paranoid dipshits:\n\nWhen the NYT says "Twitter is likely to take enforcement," it's based on the belief that her referenced tweet is a violation of Twitter's TOS.\n\nIt's an educated guess.\n\nEducated means they went to school, have a working brain, & can think critically.https://twitter.com/mtgreenee/status/1423296265614282753\u00a0\u2026— rayskwire (@rayskwire) 1628184144
It\u2019s in Twitter\u2019s Rules. Have you read them? https://twitter.com/mtgreenee/status/1423296265614282753\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/6mQAhxjL2c— JC Hammond (@JC Hammond) 1628192116
According to the picture you have attached, they say that enforcement action is likely due to you spreading coronavirus misinformation. They do not say that your account is currently suspended. Reading is hard.— This Account Just Answers TTTBE Questions (@This Account Just Answers TTTBE Questions) 1628175534
It should be suspended. Your tweet was not based on any scientific data. Besides, how cruel can you be to tweet something that would cause unnecessary anguish.— Schnauzer Mom (@Schnauzer Mom) 1628175498
Twitter suspended Greene as recently as June after she shared misinformation about Covid-19 and vaccines. That suspension lasted for 12 hours. She previously received a separate 12-hour suspension for posting conspiracy theories about the Georgia Senate elections.
Greene's penchant for promoting misinformation about Covid-19 last month prompted White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki to declare that the Biden administration does not "take any of our health and medical advice from Marjorie Taylor Greene" after Greene compared a push by President Joe Biden to ensure as many Americans are vaccinated against the coronavirus as possible to the people who helped Adolf Hitler rise to power in Nazi Germany.