Alex Berenson sues Twitter over COVID-related ban
Former New York Times reporter joins 'Tucker Carlson Tonight' to sound off.
Twitter has reinstated the account of Substack writer Alex Berenson after the tech giant "permanently" suspended him over allegedly violating its COVID "misinformation" policy.
Berenson, who had filed a lawsuit against Twitter in April, returned to platform on Wednesday, telling his followers, "Shady's back. Tell a friend."
In a piece published on his "Unreported Truths" Substack, Berenson began by writing the "official statement," which reads, "The parties have come to a mutually acceptable resolution. I have been reinstated. Twitter has acknowledged that my tweets should have not led to my suspension at that time."
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"To recap: last August, Twitter banned me after I got five strikes under its Covid-19 misinformation policy. Which meant I’d supposedly made ‘claims of fact’ that were ‘demonstrably false or misleading’ and ‘likely to impact public safety or cause serious harm’ (that’s the policy, that’s what it takes to get a strike, look it up). Now we come to find those tweets ‘should not have led to my suspension’? Oopsie," Berenson wrote.
Former New York Times reporter and COVID-19 vaccine critic Alex Berenson addresses attendees on day one of Orlando's 2022 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). (Photo by Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The former New York Times journalist admitted to readers he has to keep details about the settlement under wraps, but he did add, "The settlement does not end my investigation into the pressures that the government may have placed on Twitter to suspend my account. I will have more to say on that issue in the near future."
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"I'm pleased to be back on Twitter, as it is a vital forum for journalism and free speech," Berenson told Fox News in a statement. "I plan to use the service as I always have, to publish accurate and truthful information on topics of public interest. And occasionally to rant about the Mets and Nets."
"The parties have come to a mutually acceptable resolution. Twitter has reinstated Mr. Berenson. Upon further review, Twitter acknowledges Mr. Berenson’s Tweets should not have led to his suspension at that time," a Twitter spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
This April 26, 2017, file photo shows the Twitter app icon on a mobile phone in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
Berenson, author of "Pandemia" and the "Unreported Truths" series about the response to COVID, had long been an outspoken skeptic of the effectiveness of the coronavirus vaccine.
The August 2021 tweet that benched Berenson from Twitter was regarding how the virus was still transmissible even after vaccination, suggesting that calling it a "vaccine" wasn't actually accurate.
"It doesn’t stop infection. Or transmission. Don’t think of it as a vaccine," Berenson told his Twitter followers at the time. "Think of it - at best - as a therapeutic with a limited window of efficacy and terrible side effect profile that must be dosed IN ADVANCE OF ILLNESS. And we want to mandate it? Insanity."
Following his return to Twitter, Berenson reposted the comment and pinned it to the top of his account.
Twitter, along with other tech giants, was forceful in suppressing what they deemed was COVID "misinformation" throughout much of the pandemic.
Former New York Times journalist Alex Berenson has been reinstated on Twitter after the tech giant punished him nearly a year ago with a "permanent" suspension. (Fox News)
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who is in the middle of an acquisition deal to take over Twitter, has been vocal about restoring the platform to be in favor of free speech principles.
He responded to Berenson's tweet asking him, "Can you say more about this: '… pressures that the government may have placed on Twitter …'"
Musk's aspirations for Twitter have been criticized by the left and members of the media, who have expressed support for silencing claims they believe are "misinformation" about COVID and the election they oppose and want to ban various forms of hate from the platform.
This article was updated with a comment from Twitter.
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