Members of the media trying to reach Twitter’s communications team now receive a poop emoji.
Twitter has largely not responded to media requests since Elon Musk took over the company last year. The emoji response appears to be automatic — the reply came just seconds after a Scripps News inquiry.
The company has not responded to inquiries about layoffs or content moderation.
Twitter has also, at times, banned journalists, including those who covered Elon Musk. Many of the journalists banned tweeted about an account that tracked Musk’s flight patterns, which is information available to the public.
Late last year, the Biden administration discussed whether the U.S. should review Musk’s takeover in light of national security concerns.
"Elon Musk has a history of cozying up to foreign dictators," Nicole Gill, co-founder and executive director of Accountable Tech, told Scripps News."When his proposed takeover was announced in April, the Saudi prince, who is now an investor in the deal, was publicly critical of him. And supposedly, a conversation between Elon and this Saudi prince happened. And now he is not only in favor of the deal, but now owns a piece of Twitter. Beyond that, Elon, in the last few months, has completely parroted talking points from the Kremlin and from the Chinese Communist Party."
Twitter also faced challenges rolling out its Twitter Blue platform. When it initially launched, users were able to obtain blue checks while posing as celebrities and prominent people, including as Musk himself.
