A second official at Twitter is no longer at the company following an attempt to limit views on the documentary “What is a Woman?” by Daily Wire journalist Matt Walsh. The departure of A.J. Brown, the social media network’s head of brand safety and ad quality followed the exit of its trust and safety department, Ella Irwin.
Twitter owner Elon Musk confirmed that the departure of former employees was linked to an effort that labeled the film offensive content.
Following the posting of the full documentary, Twitter labeled it as “hateful conduct,” limiting the ability for its users to watch it. This continued for several hours, followed by a reversal.
Furthermore, Musk himself retweeted the film, allowing for a sharp increase in views.
Every parent should watch this https://t.co/pIp6UP6vq8
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 2, 2023
“Every parent should watch this,” Musk wrote.
He continued, saying that adults “should do whatever makes them happy, provided it does not harm others, but a child is not capable of consent, which is why we have laws protecting minors.”
Musk’s post sharing the film garnered nearly a half-million likes.
The showing of the firm was a significant success for Walsh and the Daily Wire. There were more than 160 million views of the film during its free period.
The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro praised Musk for his quick action.
The news outlet’s editor emeritus thanked Musk, writing that the original “visibility limits on the movie have been removed.”
Shapiro wrote that Musk “continues to work to make good on his pledge to keep Twitter an open platform!”
The Daily Wire personality had criticized the original censorship of the film, saying that it was done “within seconds of its premiered.”
The success of the film’s Twitter premiere resulted in the Daily Wire extending its original free watch period of 24 hours to the full weekend.
Daily Wire co-CEO Matt Boreing thanked those who watched the film and Musk and Twitter “for making it right.”
Rather than restricting the number of people who watched the film, Musk cited the “Streisand Effect,” referencing when efforts to suppress media instead results in more people partaking in it.
