Global Journalists Slam Musk's $44Bln Twitter Deal, Fear Freedom Of Speech At Stake

The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ/EFJ) on Tuesday condemned Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter, wary of a deal they believe threatens the freedom of speech of the social network's users, and undermines the safety of journalists on the platform

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th April, 2022) The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ/EFJ) on Tuesday condemned Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter, wary of a deal they believe threatens the freedom of speech of the social network's users, and undermines the safety of journalists on the platform.

"This space (Twitter) must be duly moderated, while respecting freedom of speech. It is a fine balance that any Twitter owner must pay attention to. We are concerned that Elon Musk's plans for Twitter are going the wrong direction by exacerbating opportunities to attack journalists and threatening the anonymity of users," Anthony Bellanger, the general secretary of the IFJ, said in a statement.

According to EFJ General Secretary Ricardo Guitterez, Musk has never hesitated to use Twitter to manipulate information, influence stock prices and control media coverage of his own business.

In early April, Musk bought a 9.2% of Twitter shares from the open market for nearly $3 billion, before making a bid for its remaining shares. On Monday, he reached a deal to buy the social media giant for $54.20 per share in a transaction valued at approximately $44 billion.