Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter condemned by journalists from 146 countries


Héloïse Goy, with Alexis Patri

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the world’s largest professional organization representing 600,000 journalists from 146 countries, condemns the takeover of Twitter by libertarian billionaire Elon Musk. The IFJ is concerned about a possible threat to the future of press freedom.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter. She sees in this takeover a threat to pluralism and freedom of the press. The richest man in the world offered 44 billion dollars to buy this social network and obtained the green light from the Board of Directors of Twitter. The International Federation of Journalists is the largest global organization of the profession. It represents 600,000 journalists across 146 countries.

Threats to press freedom

This federation regrets that Twitter, which today has 400 million users worldwide, will soon be owned by a single person, instead of several shareholders. Concretely, Elon Musk’s decisions could threaten press freedom, according to the IFJ. In a statement released Wednesday, the Federation is concerned that Elon Musk is calling for more authentication controls for Twitter users.

According to this organization, the absence of anonymity would seriously jeopardize the protection of many journalists and sources around the world. Another point of concern: Elon Musk’s desire to see less moderation and regulation on Twitter. The IFJ believes this could increase misinformation and threaten quality journalism.



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