NYT Did Not Report That Musk’s Account Reactivation Excludes Trump
The Claim
A screenshot shows a New York Times article with the headline "Elon Musk States Intention to Restore Every Banned Twitter Account Except Donald Trump."
News posted on
Emerging story
A screenshot purportedly from the New York Times with the headline "Elon Musk States Intention to Restore Every Banned Twitter Account Except Donald Trump" is making the rounds on the internet.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the circulating claim and found it to be fake.
The circulating news article could not be found on the official website of the New York Times.
The Article Does Not Exist
The article's headline is digitally altered.
Misbar’s team found the source of the original New York Times article from which the altered screenshot originated.
A comparison of the original news article and the altered version is provided below.
We also searched the internet for the speculated headline, but our investigation turned up with no relevant results.
Trump’s Account Was Not Restored
In contrast to online claims, Donald Trump's Twitter account remains suspended.
Misbar also debunked several fake tweets purporting that Trump thanked Musk for reactivating his account.
The tweets originated from a parody verified account impersonating Donald Trump.
Elon Musk Takes Control of Twitter
The claim spread after Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, completed the $44 billion Twitter acquisition.
Musk had previously stated that he will lift bans on polarizing figures who had been previously suspended, including former U.S. President Donald Trump.
However, following Twitter's acquisition, Elon Musk stated that a council would be established to make crucial moderation decisions for the company.
He stated that he will not reactivate any accounts or make major content decisions until the committee is formed.
Read More
Elon Musk’s Twitter Deal Fuels Online Misinformation
Musk's Official Twitter Account Was Not Suspended
Wesam Abo Marq contributed to this fact check.
