Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey reportedly unfollowed the New York Times Wednesday after the publication published an op-ed written by Republican Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton.
The NYT faced backlash from its own staff after publishing Cotton’s op-ed Wednesday, which pushed for the U.S. military to be deployed to “restore order” amid nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd. Cotton’s suggestion backed that of President Donald Trump, who vowed on June 1 to deploy the U.S. military if states did not call in the National Guard.
Following the op-ed, Numerous NYT staffers tweeted: “Running this puts Black @NYTimes staff in danger.” Other staffers condemned the publication for running the op-ed too with different statements.
Amid this, it appears as though Dorsey unfollowed the publication, according to a Twitter page that monitors “what the CEOs and other high executives from Big Tech companies do on Twitter.”
???? @jack is no longer following @nytimes
— Big Tech Alert (@BigTechAlert) June 4, 2020
Dorsey replaced the NYT follow with two new accounts – “Critical Resistance” and “Anonymous.” – according to the report. (RELATED: NYT Caves To Backlash, Changes Headline About Trump’s Vow To Deploy US Military Amid Riots)
“Critical Resistance” is described in its bio as being a “national grassroots organization working to abolish policing, imprisonment, & surveillance while building a world without the prison industrial complex.”
“Anonymous” is described as: “We are Anonymous, We are legion, We never forgive, We never forget, Expect us. #BlackLivesMatter #OpDeathEaters #OpHongKong #OpRussia.”
The account that announced Dorsey’s Twitter unfollow is “automated” and tracks what Big Tech company heads do, according to a tweet.