Twitter CEO Elon Musk announced Friday that, in accordance with Twitter’s new hate speech policies, comedian Kathy Griffin, psychologist and conservative commentator Jordan Peterson and satirical conservative news site The Babylon Bee were all having their accounts on the platform reinstated, while a decision had not yet been made regarding former President Donald Trump.
The trio of reinstatements follows a report that Musk intended to end the practice of permanently banning users from the platform, and are the first major reinstatements that the new Twitter chief has made following a meeting with activist groups that are concerned about moderation on the platform. Griffin was suspended on Nov. 7 after she impersonated Elon Musk by changing the name and profile picture of her account to match Musk’s, Peterson was suspended following a tweet referring to celebrity Elliot Page’s previous name and pronouns and The Babylon Bee was suspended after referring to U.S. Assistant Health Secretary Rachel Levine as “Man of the Year.”
Both Peterson and The Babylon Bee tweeted about their reinstatements, while Griffin’s account did not immediately post anything following her reinstatement.
I’m back. Thanks @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/MnWWNDACGD
— Dr Jordan B Peterson (@jordanbpeterson) November 18, 2022
“New Twitter policy is freedom of speech, but not freedom of reach,” Musk tweeted Friday, reiterating comments he made on Nov. 9 in an ongoing bid to lure advertisers — many of whom left over concerns that Musk would insufficiently moderate hateful content — back to the platform as the company struggles to replace its lost revenue. (RELATED: Get ‘Hardcore’ Or Get Out, Musk Tells Twitter Employees)
“Negative/hate tweets will be max deboosted & demonetized, so no ads or other revenue to Twitter,” said Musk. “You won’t find the tweet unless you specifically seek it out, which is no different from rest of Internet.”
Twitter, Peterson and The Babylon Bee did not immediately respond to a Daily Caller News Foundation request for comment. Griffin could not be reached for comment.
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