JUST IN: Puck News Suspends Advertising on Twitter, First News Org Since Musk Banned Several Journalists

Puck News has halted advertising on Twitter, becoming the first news organization to do so since several journalists had their accounts suspended overnight.

“New: @PuckNews has paused advertising on Twitter, co-founder @JonKelly2 tells me, marking the first news organization (that I’m aware of) which has suspended advertising on the platform since Musk banned several high-profile journalists from the site,” CNN senior media reporter Oliver Darcy tweeted.

Twitter owner Elon Musk has come under fire for suspending journalists on Thursday including left-wing independent journalist Aaron Rupar, Washington Post’s Drew Harwell, The New York Times’ Ryan Mac, CNN’s Donnie O’Sullivan, VOA’s Steve Herman, former MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann, The Intercept’s Micah Lee, and Mashable’s Matt Binder. Musk purported justification for the suspensions was the sharing of info related to the earlier in the week ban of the @ElonJet account, which posted realtime location information on Musk’s flight plans.

“Harwell was banished from Twitter without warning, process or explanation, following the publications of his accurate reporting about Musk,” said Post executive editor Sally Buzbee in a statement. “Our journalist should be reinstated immediately.”

“Tonight’s suspension of the Twitter accounts of a number of prominent journalists, including The New York Times’s Ryan Mac, is questionable and unfortunate,” Times spokesperson Charlie Stadtlander told his own publication. “Neither The Times nor Ryan have received any explanation about why this occurred. We hope that all of the journalists’ accounts are reinstated and that Twitter provides a satisfying explanation for this action.”