Does newsworthiness trump Twitter’s terms of service?
The platform recently responded to criticism that it hasn’t taken down President Trump’s tweet directed at North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, but its explanation didn’t quell backlash.
The president’s preference for Twitter has put the platform into a tricky situation.
Over the weekend, President Donald Trump tweeted the following:
Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won’t be around much longer!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2017
Trump’s tweet was taken as a declaration of war by North Korea. The rogue state’s Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho said: “Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to make countermeasures, including the right to shoot down United States strategic bombers even when they are not inside the airspace border of our country.”
In a press conference, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders denied that the tweet was a declaration of war, calling the idea “absurd”:
The tweet, which has not been deleted, poses a problem for Twitter, which has struggled to address bullying and harassment on its platform.
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