Twitter Files journalist Taibbi says Musk spat 'clearly problematic' for free speech debate

Journalist Matt Taibbi, who was until recently chronicling the Twitters Files on the platform owned by Elon Musk, said the recent spat that led to him breaking off from Twitter is "clearly problematic" for the entire important debate over free speech.

Taibbi dumped Twitter after Musk implemented major restrictions on content-sharing with newsletter platform Substack, which Taibbi uses. Taibbi previously said he inquired about the restrictions and was told it was grounded in a dispute over Substack's Notes platform.

Musk later escalated tensions when he published private chatlogs with Taibbi on his Twitter account. He had asked Taibbi, formerly a Substack Pro contributor but not an employee, if he was "employed" by the platform. The billionaire later deleted the tweet but not before it had been preserved by readers.

TAIBBI DETAILS SPAT WITH MUSK

Taibbi was asked on "The Story" if, given the spat and apparent split, Musk is still the proponent – or in the mogul's words, "absolutist" – of free speech he claims to be.

"Well, that's clearly problematic," Taibbi replied. "I think that's one of the things that I feel saddest about – that it undermines the argument that we need free speech across the Internet when the person who identified initially as a proponent of free speech is blocking somebody because they're part of a commercial dispute or for some other reason."

"I actually think the algorithmic censorship is much more dangerous and much more severe. But these individual instances of sort of cartoon-censorship are what people are going to pay attention to," Taibbi concluded.

Taibbi rose to journalistic prominence as somewhat of a hero of progressives during the Occupy Wall Street protests a decade ago, but has since been conversely criticized by left-wing figures like Del. Stacey Plaskett, D-V.I., the ranking member of a contentious Twitter Files hearing last month, and MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan, who accused him of changing stripes from his Occupy coverage days.

Taibbi has long maintained his independence as a journalist, and pushed back on criticisms.

TAIBBI DUMPS PLATFORM AFTER MUSK RESTRICTS SUBSTACK CONTENT

Taibbi said his dispute with Musk has likely been a "misunderstanding."

"I was a Substack contributor when I started doing the Twitter Files. I feel like I'm caught in the middle of a dispute between two companies," he said.

"I like Elon a lot. I think he's got a lot of good qualities, and I think he did a tremendous thing for the public in opening up the Twitter Files for the population to see. I hope he continues doing that."

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Taibbi said if Musk no longer wants him in the fold of Twitter Files journalists – like ex-New York Times reporter Bari Weiss and former California gubernatorial candidate Michael Shellenberger – there are many others who would take his place.

But, he reiterated how much Musk contributed in support of accountability and anti-censorship.

Fox News' Joseph Wulfsohn contributed to this report.