Twitter Marks Donald Trump’s Tweet As False For First Time

?stanbul, Turkey - August 28, 2017: Woman using smart phone on a wooden desk. The smart phone is an iPhone 6 plus displaying Twitter application. iPhone is a touchscreen smartphone developed by Apple Inc.
B&T Magazine
By B&T Magazine



US president and prolific tweeter has been slapped with a fact-check label for the first time.

The tweet in question discussed mail-in ballots, which are in the works to be used for this year’s US election.

In the tweet, Trump suggested there is “NO WAY (ZERO!)” that such ballots “will be anything less than substantially fraudulent”.

“This will be a Rigged Election,” he continued in a second tweet.

Both tweets have been marked with a warning from Twitter, stating “Get the facts about mail-in ballots”.

Clicking on the warning takes you to a page which says Trump’s claims are “unsubstantiated”. The page identifies each false claim made and explains why they are incorrect.

Despite significant pressure to do so in the past, this marks the first time Twitter has ever added a fact-check warning to one of Trump’s posts.

Twitter has previously faced criticism for allowing incorrect claims to spread on the network without intervening.

Last year it announced it would label tweets from political figures that breach the site’s rules, rather than deleting them.

“There are certain cases where it may be in the public’s interest to have access to certain Tweets, even if they would otherwise be in violation of our rules,” said Twitter in a statement.

“On the rare occasions when this happens, we’ll place a notice – a screen you have to click or tap through before you see the Tweet – to provide additional context and clarity.”

The move to mark Trump’s latest tweet as false appears to be the enforcement of this policy, nearly a year after it was first announced.

Twitter has also upped its stance on misinformation in recent weeks as COVID-19 continues its spread.

Last month it introduced a new policy saying it would label or provide warnings about COVID-19 misinformation.

 




Please login with linkedin to comment

Social Media Trump Twitter

Latest News

Sydney Comedy Festival: Taking The City & Social Media By Storm
  • Media

Sydney Comedy Festival: Taking The City & Social Media By Storm

Sydney Comedy Festival 2024 is live and ready to rumble, showing the best of international and homegrown talent at a host of venues around town. As usual, it’s hot on the heels of its big sister, the giant that is the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, picking up some acts as they continue on their own […]

Global Marketers Descend For AANA’s RESET For Growth
  • Advertising

Global Marketers Descend For AANA’s RESET For Growth

The Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) has announced the final epic lineup of local and global marketing powerhouses for RESET for Growth 2024. Lead image: Josh Faulks, chief executive officer, AANA  Back in 2000, a woman with no business experience opened her first juice bar in Adelaide. The idea was brilliantly simple: make healthy […]