Back to timeline
Verified
Policy

Twitter Files Part 2 — 'Trends Blacklist' applied to Jay Bhattacharya

Reporting with internal Twitter documents provided under Elon Musk, Bari Weiss documented that Twitter used 'visibility filtering' — search and trends blacklists and 'Do Not Amplify' settings — including a Trends Blacklist applied to the Stanford professor and Great Barrington co-author. The release substantiated long-disputed claims that lockdown-skeptical scientists had been algorithmically suppressed without disclosure; defenders argued visibility filtering is standard, lawful moderation applied across the political spectrum (the same thread showed Dan Bongino and Charlie Kirk flagged) and that this installment showed process, not government coercion.

Flags / open questions

  • Original X thread not directly fetchable; cited via the Twitter Files reporters' own archive (tier 4)

Linked sources

Capsule Summaries of all Twitter Files Threads (Matt Taibbi, Racket News)
Tier 4 · other · Reporters' own archive; original X thread (Part 2, Dec. 8, 2022) not directly fetchable

Related contentions

Did government pressure turn platforms into state censors?

Unresolved. The Supreme Court disposed of Murthy v. Missouri on standing grounds without reaching the merits, so no court has finally decided whether the 2021 government-platform contacts crossed from persuasion into unconstitutional coercion. Congressional investigations and platform disclosures continue, and the line between legitimate government speech and unlawful jawboning remains actively contested.