Twitter Pulls Down "Moment" Following Questionable Editorial Decision

Life as a news organization isn't easy.

@kissane fair critique and I agree. we've pulled this one down.

Twitter pulled down a Moment yesterday after acknowledging that it was a mistake to post it in the first place.

The Moment curated a Trump supporter's Twitter rant against @ESTBLSHMNT, an account belonging to a women's magazine, not the actual Republican establishment. Though funny, the Moment both highlighted abuse on Twitter and sparked even more of it, this time directed toward the Trump supporter. After being called out on these two fronts, Twitter took the Moment down.

Twitter highlights how Twitter is used to post abuse without consequence! Isn't it hilarious?! https://t.co/KirJ4DZQSI

When Twitter introduced Moments last October, it effectively entered the editorial business. And though the company doesn't write the tweets placed within Moments, it still writes the headlines and decides which stories are Moment-worthy. These editorial decisions are difficult, the type even the most seasoned news organizations struggle with, and the very act of making them turned Twitter from an agnostic platform into one with a point of view. The shift was bound to get Twitter into trouble at some point, and on Tuesday night, it did.

In recent weeks, Moments' editorial tone has been noticeably bold, so the episode isn't entirely surprising.

You can tell by the headlines, Twitter's Moments team making calls similar to those made inside newsrooms.

Twitter declined to comment beyond Twitter Moments lead Andrew Fitzgerald's apology in a tweet.

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