Liberal columnist denies Twitter is biased against conservatives: ‘Facts say otherwise’
He says conservatives are just more 'prone' to share 'misinformation'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A liberal columnist, writing in The Hill on Wednesday, claimed Twitter isn’t actually biased against conservatives, conservatives are just more likely to spread "misinformation."
Paul M. Barrett’s opinion piece, headlined, "Musk says Twitter is biased against conservatives — facts say otherwise," knocked Tesla CEO Elon Musk for saying that he was "worried about de facto bias in ‘the Twitter algorithm.'"
Barrett scoffed it was "odd" for Republicans to complain of censorship when they enjoyed "high levels of engagement" and popularity on Twitter.
TWITTER, FACEBOOK, GOOGLE HAVE REPEATEDLY CENSORED CONSERVATIVES DESPITE LIBERAL DOUBTS
Despite the headline, the columnist acknowledged that a recent study found Twitter censors conservative accounts at a higher rate than liberals.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Barrett argued this difference in censorship is justified because conservatives are "more prone to amplify misinformation," as the study’s authors concluded.
This April 26, 2017, file photo shows the Twitter app icon on a mobile phone in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
Barrett’s source was a preliminary study from MIT, Yale and the University of Exeter which questioned, "Is Twitter biased against conservatives?"
The study, conducted in the months following the 2020 election, found that Twitter "does tend to suspend Republican users far more frequently than Democrats," the columnist wrote.
The Hill contributor and the study allege conservative accounts sharing "misinformation" about COVID-19 and QAnon conspiracy theories were the reasons why the right was disproportionately punished by the platform.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Barrett feared Republicans would use the "unfounded" notion of conservatives being censored to harm Twitter and Democrats going into the midterm elections.
"The newly published study ought to blunt this line of attack," he wrote, but "[T]he question of social media bias will remain front and center as the November midterms approach and beyond them, the 2024 presidential election. Republicans are repeating the unfounded claim in an attempt to taint not just the platforms, but Democrats as well."
Republicans have repeatedly criticized Twitter over its perceived bias.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FILE PHOTO: U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) addresses a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., October 6, 2021. Picture taken October 6, 2021. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., shared how he had been locked out of his account for tweeting about the Black Lives Matter riots in June 2020.
In a 2019 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Tx. and Josh Hawley, R-Mo., grilled a top Twitter executive over alleged bias against conservatives.
Cruz claimed, "A great many people agree that the pattern, the anti-conservative bias and the pattern of censorship we're seeing from big tech is disturbing," while Hawley accused Twitter of being "anything but transparent."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Penn's Lia Thomas waits to compete in a qualifying heat of the 500 yard freestyle event at the Ivy League Women's Swimming and Diving Championships at Harvard University, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)
Popular Twitter account "Libs of Tik Tok" was locked out of their account for "hateful conduct" by Twitter, twice in one week. The account highlights videos liberals post of themselves to the social media app TikTok, along with commentary.
While the company did not explain which tweet contained "hateful conduct," the second time the account was locked due to a tweet that read, "Apparently a female not wanting to change in front of a male is transphobic."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Republicans in Congress, like Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Mo., have also been censored for tweeting on transgender issues. In February, Twitter locked Hartzler out of her account for "hateful conduct" after she tweeted that "Women’s sports are for women, not men pretending to be women."
One of the most well-known cases of Twitter bias came during the 2020 election.
The Washington Post confirmed the authenticity of Hunter Biden's infamous laptop this week. ((Randy Holmes via Getty Images))
Just a few weeks before election day, The New York Post published their groundbreaking story about Hunter Biden’s laptop. Twitter and Facebook immediately reacted by restricting the story from being shared. Twitter also locked the Post’s account under the threat that they must delete their tweets about Hunter Biden.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Twitter also famously banned President Trump after January 6, 2021, yet the outlet allows highly controversial figures, including dictators and users who’ve been accused of murder, free rein to tweet.