Twitter Bans Trump but Condones China's Propaganda, Netizens Say
Twitter announced on Friday (January 8) that it has permanently blocked Donald Trump's personal account (@realDonaldTrump) with the concerns of the risks of further incitement to violence. The practice has aroused heated debate among netizens, many of whom say that banning speech is a common tactic used by the Chinese Communist Party, criticizing Silicon Valley for turning into the Chinese Communist Party. Twitter has not seen any major action even when Chinese official media and Foreign Ministry spokesperson use the platform to make propaganda or even send out fake news.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying posted a short video about COVID-19 on her Twitter account (@SpokespersonCHN) on Friday (January 8), saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words. Fighting #COVID19, a memory that will not be forgotten.” The video was viewed more than 7,000 times in just two hours, with more than 300 people giving Like and more than 50 comments. Most of the comments praised China for its greatness, happiness for its people and rejuvenation for its nation. Some even thanked China for "leading the world" in the fight against the virus. But Twitter does not put on the fact-check tag in the feed.
Another Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian, became notorious last May when his Twitter account (@zlj517) cited a report from the official media Global Times that the U.S. military brought the COVID-19 into China. Twitter added a fact-check tag to it without deleting the post or the Global Times report. In last December, Zhao further antagonized China-Australia relation by uploading a fake picture of an Australian soldier. But his Twitter account is still up and running.
Source: Apple Daily #Jan09
https://hk.appledaily.com/international/20210109/Q573KZC75VGWHK5HM46WDQW5VU/
#Twitter #TwitterCensorship #PoliticalCensorshipinUS #USPresident #DonaldTrump #ChinesePropaganda #CCPPropaganda #ChineseForeignMinistry #HuaChunying #ZhaoLijian #COVID19 #GlobalTimes
Twitter announced on Friday (January 8) that it has permanently blocked Donald Trump's personal account (@realDonaldTrump) with the concerns of the risks of further incitement to violence. The practice has aroused heated debate among netizens, many of whom say that banning speech is a common tactic used by the Chinese Communist Party, criticizing Silicon Valley for turning into the Chinese Communist Party. Twitter has not seen any major action even when Chinese official media and Foreign Ministry spokesperson use the platform to make propaganda or even send out fake news.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying posted a short video about COVID-19 on her Twitter account (@SpokespersonCHN) on Friday (January 8), saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words. Fighting #COVID19, a memory that will not be forgotten.” The video was viewed more than 7,000 times in just two hours, with more than 300 people giving Like and more than 50 comments. Most of the comments praised China for its greatness, happiness for its people and rejuvenation for its nation. Some even thanked China for "leading the world" in the fight against the virus. But Twitter does not put on the fact-check tag in the feed.
Another Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian, became notorious last May when his Twitter account (@zlj517) cited a report from the official media Global Times that the U.S. military brought the COVID-19 into China. Twitter added a fact-check tag to it without deleting the post or the Global Times report. In last December, Zhao further antagonized China-Australia relation by uploading a fake picture of an Australian soldier. But his Twitter account is still up and running.
Source: Apple Daily #Jan09
https://hk.appledaily.com/international/20210109/Q573KZC75VGWHK5HM46WDQW5VU/
#Twitter #TwitterCensorship #PoliticalCensorshipinUS #USPresident #DonaldTrump #ChinesePropaganda #CCPPropaganda #ChineseForeignMinistry #HuaChunying #ZhaoLijian #COVID19 #GlobalTimes